Do I have to go to church to be a Christian?

No, you are not saved by showing up somewhere on Sunday. Salvation is God’s gift, received by faith (Ephesians 2:8–9). If you are carrying guilt about missed Sundays, put that down; guilt is a poor motivator and a worse gospel.

But “do I have to” is the wrong question, and Hebrews 10:24–25 shows why. The writer does not command attendance as a rule; he says to consider how to stir one another up to love and good works, “not forsaking our own assembling together.” The point is that faith is meant to be carried together. You cannot be encouraged by people you never see.

Church is also where the ordinary means of grace live: teaching, communion, baptism, shared prayer, and people who notice when you disappear. None of that is optional equipment for a healthy faith.

So find a church that teaches Scripture plainly, where you can be known, and where you are not required to pretend. If you have been hurt by one, that is a real wound and it deserves care, not a lecture. Take your time, but do not let the wound decide that you will never belong anywhere again.

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Let’s consider how to provoke one another to love and good works.

Hebrews 10:24

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 10:25