Why Football Season Tears Into Your Church Attendance and What We Can Learn From It

4. They’re going because something is at stake. People want to feel like they’re a part of something meaningful, even if it’s chasing after a conference title or a trophy. That’s why people are willing to risk the emotional dejection of a losing season even for the chance of being a part of a championship year. When they go to a game, they feel like their attendance means something, that they have some skin in the game. Is there anything at stake at your church? Is your church merely a collection of routine programs and services? Are there lives being changed? Are stories of life change constantly being told? When a church regularly shares stories of life change and the part that the church got to play in those stories, it gives the church the sense that what they do actually matters. It gives them skin in the game. Are lives being changed? Are their stories being told?

5. They’re going because of a shared family tradition. A strong portion of college football fans inherit their team of choice from their parents. It’s a family tradition. Tradition done the right way can be a good thing. Unfortunately for many churches, a shared family tradition actually drives kids away from church. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard as a pastor that someone found their way back to church on their own years after rejecting the church. A common denominator is that these people all went to church as kids, but had such a bad experience that they promised never to come back. Is your church heavily investing in your children’s ministry? Is your Sunday morning worship service appealing to kids? If you drill the idea that church is boring long enough into a kid’s brain, sooner or later they’ll get the message and walk away. How vibrant is your children’s ministry? How are you reaching the next generation?

QUESTION: What other lessons can the church learn from our nation’s love affair with football?