# Attending Church When Sick?



## Brother John

If you or your children are sick do you attend church? I have been told that we should be at church regardless, but my wife and I worry about getting others and there children sick. Any thouhgts....


----------



## Knoxienne

I've always been under the impression that you don't go to church when a cold or flu bug is going through the house out of respect for the health of others - especially the elderly and young children and babies. I've talked to moms who sometimes miss church for several weeks because of all the kids being sick one after the other. It's hard on them, but they don't want to make others sick. Thank the Lord for online sermons!


----------



## Scottish Lass

I could see limiting attendance when one is contagious, but I try to go otherwise.


----------



## Albatross

I don't see a hard and fast rule for the situation. I especially don't see that you should be there regardless of sickness.


----------



## Tripel

You shouldn't be going when you or your children are contagious. It's not considerate to those who will be around you.


----------



## baron

My wife and I will stay home if we are to sick to go. In fact my wife missed church from October through January due to illness. 

We do not have a lot of children but have a lot of elderly in our church. They to are like children in that they get sick easily, which can be fatal for some of them.

Our churches even stops the congregationl greetings during the winter months. Due to the possibility that someone might pass along some bug.


----------



## matt01

Tripel said:


> You shouldn't be going when you or your children are contagious...



We had an outbreak of mumps that lasted for quite a while. The families that had it running through their households would stay away while contagious. Some families, who had special concerns about getting it, stayed away for the duration. 

We eventually had the evening service set aside for people who had the mumps. It was attended by those who were not concerned with getting sick.


----------



## Theognome

sans nom said:


> Tripel said:
> 
> 
> 
> You shouldn't be going when you or your children are contagious...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We had an outbreak of mumps that lasted for quite a while. The families that had it running through their households would stay away while contagious. Some families, who had special concerns about getting it, stayed away for the duration.
> 
> We eventually had the evening service set aside for people who had the mumps. It was attended by those who were not concerned with getting sick.
Click to expand...


Now that was a good idea.

Theognome


----------



## LadyFlynt

I personally believe that it's discourteous to others, particularly when there are so many with weak immune systems. However, majority rule seems to vary church to church and some churches will criticize if you don't show up unless you're losing your stomach.


----------



## caddy

I vote stay home...


----------



## GTMOPC

Be considerate, keep your germs to yourself!

I did attend a certain pentecostal church at one point which felt that if you were sick for any reason then you ought to be at church, since that's where you'd get healed of course!


----------



## Wanderer

My children earlier on had suppressed immune systems, and I asked several doctors about illnesses of others and of ourselves when around my children.

The consensus was that my children should not be around sick children, in that children are not conscious of how germs spreads and are not very good about covering up their mouths when they sneeze or cough. 

However, adults are a little more conscious about their illness, tend to cover their mouths with sneezing or coughing, and they tend to wash their hands better and more frequently.

So the rule in general, sick kids should always stay home. 

Sick adults, it depends on how sick they are, and how contagious they are. 

I used the the following rule: If I am welling enough to go to work, I am well enough to go to church rule.


----------



## ericfromcowtown

Stay home and get better.

My son is sick (bad cold), so this Sunday my wife stayed home with him while I went to church by myself.


----------



## he beholds

I've had to stay home a lot this winter with one or two sick kids (and even for myself when I had strep throat) My husband will go and take the healthy one with him. 
Though, if the kids are sick but not terribly so, we will still go because they don't go in the nursery during the service, so they are not as likely to get other kids sick. But we would skip Sunday School, because our son is in a class with other children and we do often put our daughter in the nursery for that hour.


----------



## Theogenes

I think it depends on how sick a person is. If someone has a cold but no other symptoms like fever or throwing up and they fell up to it then go ahead. Just wash your hands often and maybe refrain from shaking hands with others explaining the situation. But I've encountered people that the slightest deviation from perfect health meant they could stay home in bed, until after lunch when they miraculously are perfect in health and now can go to the mall.


----------



## Mindaboo

We also have a lot of elderly people in our church and they already have a lot health problems, they don't need ours too. We stay home, especially when a fever is involved. We tend to go when we are only suffering colds. I don't think it is considerated to go and give everyone what we have.


----------



## MrMerlin777

Depends on the sickness. Are we talking about a small case of "the sniffles" or the Flu? The one can be significantly controled just by keeping hands washed, the other... well definitely stay home for that one.


----------



## puritanpilgrim

how much more legalistic can someone be? Claiming, someone must attend church when they are sick? We have too many real theological points to argue.


----------



## Quickened

While i personally feel that one should achieve the required rest at home I also think that since i cant think of any scriptures one way or another that we are at liberty to use our own discretion


----------



## toddpedlar

baron said:


> My wife and I will stay home if we are to sick to go. In fact my wife missed church from October through January due to illness.
> 
> We do not have a lot of children but have a lot of elderly in our church. They to are like children in that they get sick easily, which can be fatal for some of them.
> 
> Our churches even stops the congregationl greetings during the winter months. Due to the possibility that someone might pass along some bug.



Keep the greeting - just salute each other instead of the warm embrace


----------



## BG

*Don't go*

We stay at home, listen online and wish others would do the same.


----------



## jawyman

If I don't feel well and I think to myself that I should stay home, then I stay home. I really don't want to get others sick. If you are sick you are sick. I will listen to some sermons and study the Word, but I will not attend worship.


----------



## Grace Alone

Certainly one should stay home if they are contagious or have something like a severe cough that would disrupt the service. But what always gets me is when a whole family stays home when one member is sick. We have always had one parent stay home with the sick one and the other take the well kids to church. WE have very rarely missed church due to illness in actuality. I'd say maybe one Sunday a year.


----------

