Visiting for the first time
What to expect when you visit
Walking into a new place can feel like a lot, especially if church hasn’t always been kind to you. Here’s what we can tell you, honestly, so the first visit feels a little easier.
Every gathering is a little different
Many of our congregations meet on Sunday mornings for worship, often with time to talk afterwards. The new communities are young and most are small, and each has found its own way of being church. You might find:
- Sunday morning worship
- Worship in a living room, then dinner
- Wild Church outdoors
- A shared meal before worship
- Sunday morning in a bookshop
- Hymn sings
- Communion on Zoom
- Bible study online
- Coffee and conversation
- A potluck after Communion
Most gatherings include some mix of singing, Scripture, prayer, time to talk, and often food. In a small group, people will probably notice you’re new and say hello. That’s a welcome, never a test.
Say hello first
The easiest first step is a short note. Each listing links to the congregation’s website or social media page, where you’ll find how to reach them. Some gatherings move around or happen only on certain Sundays, and a house church won’t publish its address, so a quick message saves you a wasted trip.
You can say as much or as little as you like. “I’m thinking of coming on Sunday” is plenty.
What to wear
Whatever you’re comfortable in. Jeans are normal. For Wild Church, dress for the weather and wear shoes that can handle a muddy trail. Online, nobody minds what you’re wearing.
How long it lasts
Many gatherings run an hour to an hour and a half, and the congregation’s website usually says. When there’s a meal, people tend to stay and talk. You’re welcome to stay, and just as welcome to slip out.
Bringing children
Children are welcome. How that looks varies: Grand Rapids Mennonite Fellowship has a children’s ministry during its gathering, PEACE Mennonite Fellowship has a quiet play space near the worship area, and at Peace by the Waters children are full members of the community.
If your child has particular needs, mention it when you write ahead.
You never have to join in
You’re welcome to watch and listen. Singing, praying aloud, sharing, and giving are invitations, never requirements. If you’d rather sit quietly the whole time, that’s fine.
When Communion is shared, you don’t have to take part. Passing the bread along or simply sitting is fine. If you’d like to take part and aren’t sure how it works there, ask whoever is leading.
Moveable Feast in Chicago says it this way: each person is welcome to take part in any parts of the service they wish, including by listening and thinking silently; to observe without partaking, for example in the sharing of bread and cup; to do something with their hands, like coloring, crocheting or knitting; and to dress casually, pajamas included. (Their welcome.)
Getting in and getting around
Congregations gather in very different places: church buildings, living rooms, a bookshop, rooms borrowed from other congregations, woods and trails, and Zoom. Before you visit, please contact the congregation about anything that would help you take part, such as stairs, parking, seating, hearing, or food allergies. They would much rather know ahead of time.
For example, Grand Rapids Mennonite Fellowship meets downstairs and asks anyone for whom stairs are a barrier to get in touch first.
Joining online
The Intention Church meets entirely on Zoom, and New Life Fellowship holds its Bible study there, so you can take part from wherever you are. If you’d like to keep your camera off at first, that’s your call; if you’re unsure, ask ahead.
Do I need to be Mennonite?
Not at all. Several of our communities welcome people who’d never heard of Mennonites before.
Mennonites are Christians who try to follow Jesus in everyday life, especially in the way of peace. We have a long history of nonviolence, service and life in community. You don’t need to know any of that to visit. Here’s a short introduction, and more about who we are on the Peace Church Planting site.
What’s an Anabaptist?
Anabaptists are Christians whose story begins in Europe in the 1500s, when some believers chose to be baptized as adults, as their own decision to follow Jesus. The name means “baptized again.” Mennonites take their name from Menno Simons, one of the early Anabaptist leaders.
Anabaptists today share a few things: following Jesus in daily life, peace and nonviolence, community, and baptism as a grown-up choice. You might hear the word now and then. Nobody will quiz you on it.
Will I be welcome?
Every community here will welcome you with dignity and respect.
Each congregation decides for itself how it lives out its faith, and they don’t all put it in the same words. Some of the new communities have written down who they welcome, and we quote them on their listing. If you have a question about a community’s practices, including how LGBTQ+ people take part in its life and leadership, please ask them directly. It’s a fair question, and asking is always okay.
Ready to look?
Find a congregation, read a little about it, and send them a note. If you’re not near one of ours, we can help with that too.
Peace Church Planting
Dreaming of something we haven’t imagined yet?
Peace Church Planting walks alongside people who are starting new communities of faith, and alongside the new communities on this site as they grow. If that stirs something in you, we’d love to talk.