After you get them on, you wonder how you did without them for so long. There are likely as many reasons for returning to church as there are people returning. Spirituality is a key for many new churchgoers, says Craig Mueller, pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran, a highly liturgical and steadily growing church two blocks from Wrigley Field in Chicago. Many have a need for ritual and want to connect with something bigger than themselves. We're also in a different age when a denomination isn't the only reason to find a church.
People notice the church, and they try out the church instead of the denomination.
For others, Mueller believes busyness, stress and pressures of contemporary life contribute to the inner need to find a church. Kristen Mack of Scottsdale, Ariz., says finding a church as an adult made her take spirituality more seriously. But as an adult, I appreciate it more. It has real meaning for me. Cautious at first, she quickly began to see the turmoil in her life ease and attributed it to her growing relationship with God.