Top 10 Excuses for Not Going to Church (with suggested responses)

This one is an oldie, but a goodie. One of those it’s-funny-cause-it’s-true kinda things.

There are lots of reasons people don’t come to church. Some are legitimate reasons and some are simply excuses. Here are 10 of the top excuses and ways to respond.

10.   I go to brunch on Sundays. 

(Here is a list of local restaurants that serve Sunday brunch until 3 p.m.)

9. Church is full of hypocrites.

(And we always have room for one more!)

8. I’m against organized religion.

(Perfect! We’re highly disorganized.)

7. Church people hate women/gays/divorced people/ethnic groups/interracial couples/insert group here

(Um, no. We don’t. Can we introduce you to our female pastor and our church board made up of old, young, gay, straight, single, married, divorced, insert group here?)

6. I don’t believe in God.

(That’s okay. God still believes in you.)

5. Church people are so judgmental.

(Trust us, with everything we’ve done, we really can’t be throwing stones.)

4. I’m just not being fed

(That’s okay.  We’re not here to feed you, but to equip you to feed.)

3. Ten years ago someone at some church somewhere was really awful to me. 

(That is really crummy. Give us a chance to make that up to you.)

2. I feel like I need to get right with God before I can come to church

(Ain’t gonna happen, so you might as well come on.)

1. Churches just want my money

(Actually, we just want you to know that all that you have and all that you are comes from God and encourage you to respond accordingly. The church can survive without your money (we’ve been around for 2000 years), but you will be more likely to thrive if you’re willing to share it with others.)

Bonus Excuses

I’m just too tired.

(I totally get this one, but I guarantee you that if your stressful life is making you that tired, ditching your spiritual life is not the answer. Something’s gotta give, but choose something else.  You will feel better for connecting with God and a community of believers.)

My kid has sports

Yeah, I don’t know what to do about this one. How do you teach a kid to be committed a team and a church if they gather at the same time? And making a kid who loves sports give it up in order to go to church is one surefire way to make sure your kid really hates church.   All I can say is make the effort to connect your kids to a faith community whenever possible.

The reasons people don’t come to church run the gamut from legit reasons to ridiculous excuses. That’s one of the reasons I created Doubting Believer. You can follow our main FB page and if you are craving more Christian community, check out our Doubting Believer Members Community.

But really, quit making excuses and take care of your spirit.


Rev. Anne Russ is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA), currently based in New York City. Doubting Believer provides tools and encouragement for the rollercoaster ride of your faith journey. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram and YouTube. You can also follow on TikTok. Get emails to keep up with all that is happening.

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