Your First Sunday at Church (or Your First in a While): What to Expect and How to Find a Good Church
In this post: What to wear to church · How long is a church service? · How to tell if a church is a good church
Maybe you have never been to church. Maybe you grew up in church and drifted away years ago. Maybe something hard happened, and you have been meaning to go back but have not quite made it through the door.
Whichever one is you, I am glad you are here. Walking into a church for the first time, or the first time in a long time, can feel bigger than it should. You wonder what to wear, where to sit, whether everyone will know you are new, and whether it will feel like home or like a test you did not study for.
So let me take some of the mystery out of it. Here is what a Sunday is usually like, a few honest things to think about if you are going back, and how to tell whether you have found a good church, wherever you end up.
I was glad when they said to me, “Let’s go to Yahweh’s house!”
Psalms 122:1, World English Bible
What to Expect on a Sunday
What to wear. Wear what you are comfortable in. Most churches today are casual, and you will see everything from jeans to a jacket. Nobody is checking. God looks at the heart, and good churches try to do the same.
How long a church service lasts. Most services run somewhere between an hour and an hour and a half. Ours at GateCity Buckhead is about 90 minutes from start to finish.
What happens. Most Sundays include three things. There is worship, where the church sings together to God. There is a message from the Bible. And there is prayer, sometimes woven through the service and sometimes at the end, when people can come forward and be prayed for. You do not have to sing, raise your hands, or go forward. Watch, listen, and join in as you are ready.
Going alone. Plenty of people come by themselves. It is completely normal. If you would like, tell the church you are coming. Many churches, including ours, will have someone watching for you so you are not walking in cold.
Kids. Most churches have a kids ministry during the service. Ask at the door how check-in works, and do not be shy about asking what they teach and how they keep children safe.
Giving. There may be a moment for giving. Guests are not expected to give. Receive first.
If You Are Going Back After a While
Coming back carries its own weight. A few things to keep in mind:
- You do not have to have it together first. Church is not a reward for people who already figured life out. It is a family for people who need God, which is all of us.
- It may feel unfamiliar. The music may be different from what you remember. The building may be a school or a theater. That is okay. Pay attention to what matters more than style.
- Give it more than one Sunday. One visit rarely tells you everything. Go a few times before you decide.
- Bring your questions and your hurts. If church hurt you before, it is fair to go slowly. A healthy church can handle honest questions.
Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:24-25, World English Bible
How to Tell if You Have Found a Good Church
No church is perfect, because every church is full of people. But you can tell a lot from a few Sundays. Here are the things I would look for.
1. Is the worship focused on God? Good worship is not a performance and it is not about the band. It turns your attention toward God: who He is, what He has done, and how worthy He is. You should leave more aware of Him than of the people on stage.
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
John 4:24, World English Bible
2. Do they teach the Bible? Listen to the message. Is it opening the Scriptures and explaining what they say, or is it mostly opinions with a verse attached? A good church will help you understand the Bible for yourself and apply it to your actual life.
3. Do the people seem genuinely warm and caring? Not just friendly at the door, but real. Do people seem to love one another? Does someone talk to you? Do they care about the hurting, the poor, and their city? The first church in Acts was known for its teaching, its fellowship, its meals together, and its prayer.
They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer.
Acts 2:42, World English Bible
Agree on What Matters Most
You will probably find something at any church you would do differently. Maybe the music style, the length of the service, or how they handle a secondary question. That is normal, and it should not keep you away.
What matters is whether you are aligned on the most important things. Here are three I would never compromise on:
- The authority of Scripture. The Bible is God’s Word, and it shapes what the church believes and how it lives. It is not one voice among many.
- The divinity of Christ. Jesus is not only a good teacher. He is God the Son, who died for our sins and rose again, and He is the only way to the Father.
- The importance of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not an idea or a force. He is God, present with us, who comforts, guides, empowers, and makes us more like Jesus.
Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.
2 Timothy 3:16, World English Bible
How do you find out? Read the church’s beliefs page. Listen to a message or two online. And ask a pastor. A healthy church will be glad you asked.
Your First Sunday at GateCity Buckhead
If you are in Atlanta, we would love to meet you. GateCity Buckhead is a non-denominational, Spirit-filled church that gathers Sundays at 11am at Atlanta International School, 2890 N Fulton Dr NE.
- Parking is free, and front-row spots are saved for first-time guests.
- Come as you are. There is no dress code.
- Kids are welcome every week. BuckCity Kids runs the whole service for ages 3 through 5th grade, with check-in starting at 10:45am.
- You will be greeted and handed a first-time guest bag.
- The service is about 90 minutes: heartfelt worship, a message from the Bible, and room for the Holy Spirit to move.
Plan your visit and tell us you are coming. We will have someone watching for you at the door. You can also read what we believe or watch a message first.
And if you are not in Atlanta, please do not let that stop you. Use the three questions above, find a church near you this Sunday, and walk through the door. God is already there waiting for you.
Don’t Know Where to Go to Church This Sunday?
Come be with us. We would love to see you. GateCity Buckhead gathers Sundays at 11am at Atlanta International School, 2890 N Fulton Dr NE, and we will save you a front-row parking spot. Plan your visit.
Not in Atlanta, or not quite ready to walk through the doors? Worship online with our church family every Sunday at 11am Eastern. Join us online, and stay connected through the week in our digital community.
Keep going. New to faith or coming back? Read What Is the Gospel?, How to Be Saved, and What Is Worship?
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (public domain).
