People consider going to church for the first time for many different reasons: to find healthy relationships, to find help in a crisis, to give their family a way to grow in consistent values, to learn more about Christianity and what it means to follow Jesus, and to respond to what seems like God pulling them there.
Maybe you’re considering trying church for a mixture of these reasons, or something else altogether. Take a few seconds to consider these two questions: Why am I thinking about going to church, and what do I hope will happen if I start going to church?
What Keeps People From Going to Church for the First Time?
There’s a long list of reasons why people start attending church, and there’s an equally long list of reasons why people resist giving church a try. Here are some that we’ve found to be true.
People might …
- Worry they’ll be judged for who they are, their clothing preferences, or what they do or don’t know.
- Feel concerned that they’ll be asked to participate in something they don’t agree with or understand.
- Experience anxiety about meeting new people or walking into a space with a crowd of older people.
- Remember the negative experiences friends or family have had around church or religion.
- Have schedule conflicts or a lack of desire to make time.
- Experience a lack of trust in Christian organizations.
- Feel unsure of what to expect, when to arrive, or generally what will happen.
- Lack relationships or proximity to people who are already part of a church.
Maybe you’ve had other reasons. Take a few seconds to answer this question for yourself: What are the top two or three reasons I haven’t already started going to church?
Now that you’ve identified a few reasons why you’ve avoided church and a few of your open questions or concerns about church, let’s address some of the basic ways you can prepare yourself to attend church for the first time.
Are You Sure You Want to Go to Church?
This may seem like a silly question coming from a church, but are you sure you want to attend church? We think you’ll love it, we even think you need it, but do you want to try it? The fact that you’re still reading seems promising. Here are a few questions to help you identify how you’re feeling about giving church a try.
- What am I curious to learn from attending church?
- What do I hope will change about my life if I go?
- What kind of people do I hope to interact with?
- How do I hope to be treated?
- What do I hope church will be like?
- When do I want to try my first church service?
What Kind of Church Are You Looking For?
Now that you’ve considered the reasons you’re interested in attending church as well as some concerns you might have, think about this question: What kind of church am I looking for?
Churches can be as different as the human experience. There are churches that speak different languages, hold differing beliefs, use different styles of worship, meet on different days, and vary in just about every way you can imagine.
Large, Small, or Online?
You’ll want to find a church near you with a service time that works for your schedule, or an online service where you can worship alongside people virtually. A church doesn’t have to have a physical location, but it does need to be a community of people.
Some people prefer going to large church services, others prefer smaller churches, and some people go to church online. There’s no one right size or type of church service, so find the one that works best for you!
My church meets at many different service times in 45 physical locations and globally at Church Online. We love to gather, but we know it’s not just about getting together. Church is more than a place to go. It’s who we are called to be as followers of Christ.
How to Prepare to Go to Church
After thinking about whether you want to go to church, why you want to go to church, and what kind of church you want to go to, you may be wondering what to do before you go to church. While we can’t prepare you for visiting every type of church, we’ll keep it simple and give you tips that make sense for the majority of Christian churches.
Scout Out the Website and Socials
Before you visit a church for the first time, you’ll probably want to spend some time checking out its online presence. A church’s website and socials can tell you a lot about what to expect during a service. You’ll likely get to see how people dress and how they worship. They might even have a YouTube channel, so you can get a sense of what their sermon messages are like.
Pick a Service Time and Location
Some churches will only have one service time on one day (often Sundays) at one location. Other churches will have services many times on multiple days across many locations. Use the church’s website or app to find locations and service times—then pick one that works for you and put it on your calendar. You might even pick a cafe, park, bookstore, or restaurant nearby as a place to relax or reflect before or after the service. Make it fun!
If you can’t find a physical church near you or want to try online first, we think you’ll love Life.Church Online. Many churches offer similar online services.
Dress How You Want to Represent Yourself
It’s true that people dress up more at some churches than others. Overall, across most churches, people are dressing more casually now than they did in years past.
You can probably figure out how most church attenders dress by looking at pictures on the church’s website, social media, or Google reviews. My church doesn’t have a dress code and most people dress casually. But if church is your excuse to get fancy, go for it!
If You Can, Try Going to Church With Others
This is by no means a rule. But it’s often more comfortable to try new things with other people. It also gives you a chance to talk about your experience with someone who was there with you.
Here are a few ideas for making this happen:
- Try a church that friends, family, or coworkers already attend and make a plan to attend with them. They will love it if you ask them.
- Try a church near where you live, work, or go to school—there’s a good chance you’ll know or recognize people there.
- Invite a friend, family member, or coworker to attend with you. They don’t have to commit, just ask them to try it out with you once.
Talk to God About It
Whether or not you’re a praying person, you might already talk to God in some way. Do you ever just share a dream, frustration, hope, and desire out loud or in your head that’s not really intended for other people to hear? When you direct those thoughts toward God, that’s what prayer is. Since you’re thinking about starting to go to church, why not try praying too?
Here’s a Guided Prayer for Starting to Go to Church
God, I’m not exactly sure what it will be like to try out church. Honestly, I’m not exactly sure what to think of You all the time, either. But here I am, talking to You. So, I’m asking You to help me find a church with people who love well, who welcome me, who care for others, and who will give me a chance to learn more about who You are, who I am, and who I’m becoming. And please just help it to not feel too weird. Amen.
What to Do When You Attend Church For the First Time
At this point, you might be like, I’ve got this. If so, that’s great. If not, we’ve got you. The following game plan should be helpful whether you attend Life.Church or the majority of Christian churches.
Arrive Early if You Can
It will be simpler for you if you arrive at least five to ten minutes before the service time begins so you can park, get a coffee or snack, and find a seat.
Note: If you’re checking children into child care for the first time, you might want to give yourself 15-20 minutes. But no matter what time you arrive, a great church will be happy to help you and your kids get settled in.
Walk Through the Front Door
Sounds simple, right? But for many, walking through the door can be the most nerve-wracking part. Don’t worry, you can do it. Once you take your first step inside, you’ll probably find yourself in a lobby area outside of the main auditorium where the service will happen.
Look around to find signage pointing you toward important areas like: the childcare check-in, hospitality (where you’ll find coffee, tea, and snacks), an information area where you can learn more about the church and how to get involved, and the restrooms.
Most churches will also have staff and volunteers in the lobby who will be delighted to answer any questions you have.
Find a Seat
Churches will usually have their auditorium open before the service starts. When you’re ready, walk into the auditorium and find a seat (some churches will also have ushers available who can help you find a seat). Sit wherever you feel comfortable.
Sing Worship Songs
Most church services start with singing, which is often called worship. At my church, worship lasts about 20 minutes. Most people stand and sing, but you’re welcome to sit if that feels more comfortable.
No matter what church you attend, we encourage you to participate in the different aspects of the worship so you have more to reflect on afterward.
Why do people sing in church?
While many churches use different styles of songs, the themes in those songs are often based on similar verses from the Bible and centered around the character and goodness of God. Music is one way churches celebrate and show honor and love to God, otherwise known as worship.
Listen to Announcements and Giving
After worship, a pastor will greet everyone in attendance and share some updates and encouragement. He or she will also share about upcoming opportunities at the church. After that, the church might take tithes and offerings—but don’t panic, no one will make you give. Some churches encourage people to give digitally, while others pass buckets or trays for people to give cash.
People who attend churches regularly often decide to give to their local church as a way to grow their generosity and the work of the church. While we would never discourage anyone from acting on their desire to be generous, it’s certainly not expected that guests participate in giving.
Listen to the Sermon Message
The message at my church usually lasts around 30 minutes. This varies across churches, but a half-hour is fairly common. My Senior Pastor, Craig Groeschel, shares thought-provoking and engaging messages based on the Bible.
Video or in-person messages?
At nearly every Life.Church location, you will experience broadcast video teaching, which has become common in many different types of churches. Don’t be surprised if the sermon is a video on a big screen. However, there are still many churches where the teaching is shared by a pastor in person. One isn’t better than the other.
Wrap Up With the Closing and Invitation
Every type of church will likely end its service differently.
Some churches offer attenders the opportunity to pray with someone, light a candle, or take communion toward the end of a service. Again, consider participating in ways that feel comfortable and pay attention to what you sense in your heart and mind as you do.
At Life.Church, the main speaker will often offer two ways to respond to a message. First, there will be an invitation to raise your hand if you feel like you want to take action in response to the message. Raising your hand is simply your way to signal to God and yourself that you want to make a change in your life.
Next, there will be an invitation to raise your hand if you want to choose to follow Jesus. This is a personal and important decision. Often, the pastor will ask for no one to look around. The pastor will give everyone time to make this personal decision and then invite everyone in the room to pray together.
After a prayer, the pastor will offer some encouragement, upcoming opportunities to get involved, and simple next steps, before inviting everyone back next week!
Consider Talking With Someone
Everyone has a different comfort level in a new social environment. Most churches work hard to help visitors to feel welcome, but not overwhelmed.
We’d encourage you to ask other attenders, volunteers, or staff a few questions after the service. Whether you were inspired, perplexed, or intrigued by something you saw, heard, or experienced, there are people in the church lobby who’d love to meet you.
At Life.Church you may recognize staff who were on stage, volunteers with lanyards, or warm faces standing in a “Get Connected” area who would be happy to talk.
But maybe you just need some time to process before you talk with someone about your experience. That’s great, too. This would be a good time to try talking to God again.
Other Things You Might See
Two of the most important practices in the Christian faith are communion and baptism—and you might see either of them happen on any given Sunday.
What is baptism?
Baptism is when someone is either lowered into water or has water sprinkled on them by a pastor or volunteer. Why do people get baptized? It’s a powerful symbol of how faith in Jesus changes our lives.
Check out this article to learn more about baptism.
What is communion?
Communion happens when everyone in attendance takes a sip of wine (or grape juice) and eats a small bit of bread or a cracker. This practice reminds Christians of Jesus’ sacrificial love for us. Different churches will practice communion in different ways, so keep an open mind!
Check out this article for more on communion.
What to Do After You Attend Church
You did it! You’ve attended your first church service. … Now what?
Well, that’s up to you. We’ll offer some ideas for you to consider based on your experience.
If You Liked It …
- Make a plan to attend next week.
- Follow up by reaching out to the church you attended using your preferred method of communication and ask any questions you have. Most likely, they’ll be available all week long.
- Find out if the church offers ways you can stay connected and engage your faith during the week. At Life.Church, the Life.Church App and Bible App are two great ways to stay connected, and there are nearly endless ways to engage with your faith throughout the week.
- Look into ways to get more connected, like joining a small group, serving in the community, or serving in the church.
If You’re Interested but Have Questions …
- Consider attending a few more weeks and ask staff, volunteers, and attenders any of the questions you have.
- Do some research on the church website to see if there are any obvious answers to your questions.
- There’s no harm in visiting other churches to find out if there’s a better fit.
If You Hated It …
- We’re sorry! Church should be a place where you feel welcome, and we’re sorry this church missed the mark.
- Remember, one week at one church is just a drop in the ocean compared to the diversity of churches out there. Also, it could have just been an off week at that church for some reason. Keep trying!
- This is another good opportunity to talk to God. God likes to hear from us, even when we’re disappointed.
Why Try Going to Church?
Maybe you’re still not sure if you want to start going to church. No worries, this article isn’t here to convince you, but rather to help make it easier if you decide to give it a try. That said, if you’re still asking, “Why should I try going to church?” then check out this article:
You Can Have Courage
New things can be scary, so it’s okay to be a little afraid. Going to church for the first time will give you a great opportunity to meet new people, hear different biblical teachings, and help you refine what you’re looking for in a faith community.
You may not like every church you try, so take what you learn and keep an open mind as you seek, pray, and explore different churches.
If you’d like to try my church—Life.Church—then find out if you’re close to one of our many locations across the U.S. If not, you’re always welcome to join us for a Church Online service, where you’ll get to meet new people from all over the world!