What to Expect at Church

Our Church is a place where you can come together with other believers to reflect, worship, learn, and become a better person.

Visitors Are Always Welcome

It says “Visitors Welcome” on all our buildings—and we mean it! Whether you’re interested in becoming a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, visiting with a friend, or just exercising a little curiosity, we’re happy to see you.

What to Expect from Sunday Services

Church is a place of community and learning, but most importantly it’s a place to worship God and Jesus Christ. All 30,000 of our congregations around the world follow a similar two-hour format for Sunday services:
A church congregation singing hymns

Sacrament Meeting

During what we call “sacrament meeting,” all members of the congregation meet together. The meeting includes an opening and closing prayer, a few hymns, and sermons given by fellow Church members.

The most important part of sacrament meeting is taking the sacrament, which is similar to Communion in other Christian religions. During the sacrament, we remember Jesus Christ as we take a small piece of bread and cup of water that are symbolic of the body and blood He sacrificed for us. During this quieter time, we try to think about ways we can follow Him more faithfully during the coming week.

As a visitor, you won’t be expected to participate in anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. Feel free to simply sit in the congregation and take in the experience.

Classes

In addition to sacrament meeting, people are invited to stay for a second hour of learning in a smaller setting.

Children go to Primary, where they learn scripture stories, songs, and age-appropriate lessons about Jesus and His gospel. Teenagers attend similar classes for their own age-groups.

On alternating Sundays, adults attend Sunday School together, studying the books of scripture selected for Churchwide study that year. On the other weeks, they break up into separate classes for men (known as the elders quorum) and women (known as the Relief Society).

If you’re not sure where to go, just ask, and someone will help you find the right class.
Members of the Sunday School Teacher's Council meet together to discuss Sunday School issues and learn from each other.

Other Church Activities

If you attend a Sunday worship service with us or have a friend who is a member of our Church, you might get invited to one of the other activities going on in your local congregation. A few examples include:
  • Social activities, such as a Christmas party.
  • Weekly youth group activities.
  • Institutes of religion for young adults to study the scriptures and socialize together.
  • Community service projects.
  • Self-reliance classes.
  • Concerts or other artistic performances.

Common Questions

You’re more than welcome to come as you are. If you’re worried you’ll stand out, we try to wear nicer clothes than we wear the rest of the week, to reflect our reverence for God. The most common attire you’ll see at church is a dress shirt and tie for men and a skirt or dress for women.
We have visitors in nearly every congregation, so we’re used to seeing new faces. In a large congregation, people might not even realize you’re a visitor. In other areas, people might notice you and say hello. Either way, don’t hesitate to introduce yourself and ask any questions you might have.
No. When the bread and water of the sacrament is given to the congregation, you can simply pass the tray on to the next person and then sit back and enjoy the rest of the service. You’ll see people volunteering to participate in other ways, such as answering a teacher’s question during Sunday School, but you don’t have to raise your hand if that’s not something you want to do.
No. We do believe in the law of tithing found in the Bible. But our members who choose to pay tithing do that privately, not as part of the worship service. You won’t be asked for donations during a meeting.
Yes! This is a family-friendly church. Children sit with their parents during the main sacrament meeting and then participate in activities with children or teens their own age while the adults go to Sunday School. Children and youth classes are always led by two or more adults. A mother’s lounge provides privacy for feeding infants or other needs.

Want to go to church but not alone?

Members of our Church who volunteer as missionaries in your area can visit with you ahead of time to help you know what to expect and answer your questions. They can even save you a seat when you’re ready to visit.