I think there is a very powerful motivator in our sense of sacred time. There are certain times of the year when we instinctively feel there is an opportunity for us to perhaps enter into the deeper parts of ourselves and dwell there for a while. Perhaps in doing that, we feel we have access there to God. Others probably attend more for social that for religious reasons, he says. People have a lot of memories and loneliness and are often searching for something to bring meaning to the season, he says.
People come with a little more neediness at the season.
That's an opportune moment for the churches to be a source of some grace or forgiveness or fellowship. Special events, which may be more entertainment than religion, also boost numbers around the holidays. Though they don't expect to convert every occasional Christian, pastors often specifically welcome new or returning visitors in their holiday-season sermons. And they issue an invitation to attend more often. Not Just a Christian Phenomenon Attending church once or twice a year is not limited to the Christian faith.