The following is an excerpt from the book Just Looking: Christianity - Your Chance to Believe it or Not, by John Allan

There can be a lot of things that may make you uncomfortable at a church. The paint may be peeling off the walls, and rain might be dripping through the roof. The church members may all dress up in fancy clothes and hold services in a language which sounds remotely like English, but you can't be sure.

Or it may not be like that at all. There is a growing number of churches where numbers are high, the services are lively, lots of young people are involved, and Sunday morning is the highlight of the week.

But whatever your local church is like, you need to realize some things about it:

• It's not a place to attend, but a family to belong to
• The point of going to church is not to sit through an hour of bottom-numbing boredom every Sunday so that God will finally let you into heaven! The point is that once you're a Christian you belong in the family of God. Just like a regular family, your brothers and sisters can help you. So...

What not to do:

• Just put in time at one of the services.         
• "Clock out" for the week when it's over, saying, "I've done my duty."

What to do:

• Get as involved as possible with your new family.         
• Get to know them, and spend time with them.

It's not an entertainment agency, but a job center

If you judge church services purely as entertainment, they certainly don't match up to what you can get elsewhere - on TV or at a night club. But then the church isn't a show put on for the benefit of the congregation, while they sit back and watch and applaud at the end. The members of a church have been brought together by God to work together for his kingdom and help one another to grow as Christians. Look for a church that will give you a worthwhile, creative job to do.

What not to do:

• Judge the services in terms of their star rating for laughter and entertainment.       
• Don't ever do anything more energetic than being critical.

What to do:

• Find a way, right from the start, to help promote the church's work.       
• Get involved in helping to build God's kingdom.

It's not a pointless ritual, it's a growing body

The New Testament describes the Church as "the body of Christ." Like any other body, it has a lot of different parts, but they all need to grow. A healthy church will:

Learn together:
A church is built on what God has said. There is nothing wrong with social activities and "save-the-steeple" funds, but it is far more important to get a hold of God's dynamic message. Don't miss out on any opportunity to learn.

Worship together:
Coming together to worship God is absolutely central to church life. Worshipping God is like telling your girlfriend or boyfriend how much you love him or her - it strengthens the bond.

Share together:
Church members can share together in practical ways, and also give encouragement and support to one another.

Serve together:
Every Christian should help meet other's needs by sharing what they have, fighting injustice, and by telling the world about the reality of Jesus. But we can do it much more effectively together than on our own.

What not to do:

• Go through the motions of church-going, without ever stopping to think about what you are going there for.

What to do:

• Make sure that your church is involving you in all of the ways mentioned - learning, worshipping, sharing, and serving alongside other Christians.