Coming to church just because the roster says?

Something I've often felt are people who come to church, seemingly, just because they are "doing something" on the roster.

And whilst I'm not a fan of it I've been guilty of it every Sunday in 2012.

For I haven't been to church all year. Last week I went to the cricket (you don't turn down free member's tickets!) and yesterday the morning and evening services at our home church didn't align with our daughter's schedule.

But I'll be at church this Sunday since it's my first week at my new church. I assume I'll have to be there this Sunday... and every week afterward since I'll be "down to do something."

So are roster's an effective way to get people to come to church?

I hope not.

But I've acted in the past like it is.

I've put people on a roster, knowing full well that it'll lock them into attending and I've seen similar things done by involving kids in an element of the church service.

But I think the putting-someone-on-the-roster-so-it'll-get-them-to-church system is broken.

It's broken because it feeds the false mindset that church only "wants something from you."

It's broken because it doesn't allow someone to just come to church and be ministered to.

Finally, it's broken because it revels a warped sense of community, where you are only involved due to obligation, not an overflow of what God is doing in your life and the church you've been called to be an active member of.