What Is Church and What Happens There?
If you’ve never been to church before, the idea of church might be a weird concept. Why do people go to church? What do they do there? Is it for everyone, or only for ‘churchy’ people who know the Bible? If you’ve wondered what church is all about, we’re here to help!
Church isn’t about a building; it’s a community of people who meet together to encourage each other, and grow their relationship with God.
Even though the church services may look different from church to church, it often includes three main parts: singing, praying, and talking. During the singing, people normally stand and sing along to songs. You can think of it as a way to celebrate God, and how much He loves you. Don’t panic, you don’t have to sing along until you feel comfortable. The words of the songs are usually up on a screen somewhere or in a book that you will be given, so you can read along to what people are singing.
There will also be someone (they may be a pastor/priest/speaker - let’s just call them ‘someone’), that shares a message. They’ll give a talk that helps to teach or share from the Bible, to chat about who God is, and what this could mean in your own life.
You’ll find at some stage there will be someone that will pray. You may find that everyone shuts their eyes when this happens, but it’s not always the case. Each church is different, so just get to know people around you and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Why not even tell the people around you that you are new. If it’s your first time to church and you’re feeling out of place, try letting someone know you’re new so they can give you a welcome and get you introduced.
Something to note is that no two churches are the same. There are heaps of different styles of churches: anything from massive buildings, to small house-churches, modern or traditional, formal or casual. It’s not only the building that can be different, but the style of music, and the way they pray. Also, there are different “denominations”, which is the church’s unique approach on how they prefer to worship, pray, and talk about God.
Most churches have some kind of activity for children during a part of the program/service. There might be a “kids church”, “youth church” or “creche” so they can enjoy hanging out with other kids in a safe environment.
Church is free of charge to attend, during the service, there might be a collection or offering where attendees can voluntarily contribute money to support the church and its activities. This is entirely optional, and you should not feel obligated to give.
If you’re wondering what to wear, people generally dress in something comfortable and ‘tidy causal’.
Wonder why there’s a coffee cup photo :-)? Hopefully, you’ll have the opportunity to have a hot drink and meet some people after the service has finished. If you’re thinking about visiting a church and have more questions, try having a chat to a friend who goes to church. You can also have a chat to our team, so we can answer your questions, or help you get connected to a church in your area.
Jesus has your back