How To Go To Church

A field guide for the uninitiated

A requirement of participating in a Tectonic School program will be regular church attendance. Depending on circumstances, it does not necessarily have to be the church affiliated with the program, but weekly follow up helps to provide accountability. 

When you read the word “church”, you probably have an image in your mind - and chances are it’s different from the image in every other person’s mind! 

Maybe you went to church a lot growing up, or only a few times. If you went to a different church every week, you would probably have a pretty good idea of how many different kinds of churches there are. But you could also go to the same church for a year and realize that it’s not always the same from week to week. 

Whatever your experience level is, there’s a good chance that your experience in church this year will be different in some way to what you have experienced before. 

Church is not entertainment: Some parts of the service might be really fun, you may like the music, you may like the preaching, they might have lots of engaging media - or they might not. Almost no one enjoys every part of the service equally - but that’s because it’s an experience for the community of people, not just individuals. Different churches will have different music, different types of buildings, and different customs and practices. But they have one thing in common - the people! You can’t have church without people - so an important part of your focus should be on understanding and getting to know the people.  

Here’s a guide to help you navigate your church going experience.

1. Try to identify the different parts of the service - different churches have different names for things - it might be called a sermon, or a homily, or a teaching. If they don’t say what the parts are, don’t worry. Write down the different things that happen in the service. After a few weeks, you should be able to determine the pattern and hopefully pick up some of the lingo that your local church uses. 

2. Discover how other people interact during the service - In some churches, there may not be much formality to how people participate - people may sing loudly, raise their hands, or sit still with their heads bowed. Some churches have people giving feedback during the sermon, others may have lots of people taking notes. If there is a variety of responses, just observe what’s going on and try whatever appeals to you. If it's the type of church where everyone seems to follow the same pattern - singing from hymnals, listening quietly or following a particular order of service, try to blend in and figure out what the customs are. There are not right and wrong ways to worship - just different, so be open minded. 

3. Talk to people - ask how long people have been attending that church and why they like going there. Understanding what other people appreciate about the church will help those things stick out to you on your next visit. 

4. Dress for success - On your first visit, it’s definitely better to be overdressed than underdressed. If you can’t determine what the norm is beforehand, business-casual is a good starting point; but most folks tend to dress up a bit more than usual on holidays like Christmas and Easter - so it’s a good idea to have a jacket and tie. 

5. Do your research - most churches have websites and many post their services online. You can learn a lot beforehand so you don’t feel overwhelmed or surprised.  

Each week, learn the answers to these questions: 

1. How would you describe the church experience to someone who doesn’t go to church?

2. How would you describe the church experience to someone who goes to a different church? 

3. What would you tell someone who went to the SAME service if they asked about something you learned or enjoyed?

4. What would you tell someone who went to a DIFFERENT church if they asked about something you learned or enjoyed?

5. Who did you meet or learn more about before/during/after the service?

Beside having answers in case someone asks, these questions are great for you to ask fellow students and teachers. As you get to know people, you may have more spiritual conversations, but these are questions anyone can get answers to if they are being attentive and paying attention.