I feel like I am expected to perform when I go to a service, especially during worship

This may or may not be an apparent issue at church in your culture, but it might manifest itself in another nefarious way. American churches are populated with people who feel a pressure to perform, while personally rejecting that pressure. So there is a second layer of pressure in the battle to reject the very pressure they themselves feel and do not understand why they feel. Consequently, much time is wasted in a worship service for the individual as they attempt mind maneuvers to avoid this pressure. Not only do they not want to appear to others as if they were performing, but they also do not want others to see them even trying to get to a place of not feeling the need to perform. There must be no external trace of this struggle - which introduces a whole other pressure. It is quite complicated for an American to worship in church.

This performance, though, can take a different form in a different culture. For example, you might be highly self-conscious about what you do while in the church building, such as whether you wear a hat or not, whether you wear jeans or slacks, how your hair looks, if you are sniffling, how to hold your hands or where to place your gloves and even how loudly you are reciting or singing. You might feel like you must behave specific ways for those who see you and who you know. This is a way of performing as well.

In one sense, we feel this pressure whenever we go to public places. At school we must behave certain ways and other ways are unacceptable. When we are at work there are even stricter social guidelines about our dress and behavior. We also have to actually perform there for our boss and co-workers. In a government office we must behave ourselves and address them with appropriate respect. So we see that this social pressure is quite normal.

We feel the pressure in church, though church really should be a friendlier and more natural place. However, there is the question of how much of the atmosphere and social arrangement should impart a feeling of holiness to the visitor. Yet, this kind of holiness is rather superficial, though awe-inspiring. Holiness should be felt from the Holy Spirit's presence rather than any tricks of social behavior we adhere to. It is not the social behavior that is a problem, but the pretense of holiness that we instill in these mannerisms.


Visit my company at U.S. Business Development in Los Angeles. Let us grow your dream and double your client base, guaranteed.