To answer these questions, it would help to understand what church is all about.

When you commit your life to Jesus, you join a body of people who have made the same decision. Paul, an early follower of Christ, notes that we are “no longer strangers and foreigners. [We] are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. [We] are members of God’s family” (Ephesians 2:19). United in this faith, we are called to worship God together. The Bible urges believers to meet regularly so that we can praise God together, study the Bible together, encourage each other, and help each other out. As we seek to grow closer to God amid challenges in our personal lives, fellow believers can aid, advise, inspire, and pray for us.

When fellow Christians meet to worship God together regularly, it is called a church. This can be a structured or formal meeting held in a building designed for the purpose, or an informal gathering held in someone’s home. Jesus promised: “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20). We encourage you to join a church where you live, so that you can grow in your faith there.

If you face challenges in attending church—either from rules that prevent you from going to formal church meetings, or opposition from your family and community, we encourage you to ask God for wisdom and help in finding other ways to meet with fellow Christians for support.