When attending a church service, omit the determiner ("the", "a", etc.) before “church”. If you need to mention a particular place or building (used for Christian worship), add a determiner in front of the noun “church”.
When talking about attending a church service, omit the determiner ("the", "a", etc.) before “church”.
Olivia goes to church on Sundays.
Olivia goes to the church on Sundays.
If you need to mention a particular place or building (used for Christian worship), add a determiner in front of the noun “church”.
Adjacent to the church you can find the former Augustinian convent.
Adjacent to church you can find the former Augustinian convent.
When referring to a particular Christian group or organization, we also include a determiner.
I am a member of the Anglican church.
Contents
1. Three Basic Meanings of the Word ‘Church’
We typically use the word “church” to refer to:
- an activity or event held in a church (e.g., “I went to church yesterday.”)
- a building for Christian religious activities (e.g., “They built the church near the sea.”)
- a particular Christian group or organization (e.g., “Robert is a member of the Catholic Church.”)
2. ‘Church’ as a Religious Event or Activity
We often use the expression "going to church" to talk about attending worship services or being engaged in religious activities. In this situation, we never put the article “the” or “an” before the noun.
I go to church every Sunday.
I go to the church every Sunday.
In the example above, we do not just mean that we physically situate ourselves at the building; we are mentioning a religious event or activity.
I’ll see you after church.
Another example:
Going to church help us improve our spirituality and gives us guidance on how to follow God.
3. ‘Church’ as a Building
Instead of attending a religious service, you can visit a building that is a church. In this case, we use an article (or another determiner) to identify or quantify the word “church” according to the usual rules.
This is the oldest church in town.
This is oldest church in town.
More examples
Do you know the way to the St Andrew's Church?
The bride and the groom posed for pictures in front of the church.
Instead of using the articles "the" or "a", you can add a quantifier to determine the noun.
You can find six popular churches near downtown.
As mentioned above, we do not generally use a determiner when talking about church-related activities. However, if the most important aspect of your expression is related to the building or place itself, use a determiner before “church”.
Did you get married in church? (The omission of the article signals that the emphasis is on the religious event.)
I’d like to be married in a church. (The article “a” indicates that the emphasis is on the building.)
4. ‘Church’ as a Christian Group
When mentioning a particular Christian group or organization, we also need an identifier or quantifier before the noun or noun phrase.
The Roman Catholic Church is a complex institution.
In questions, you can use the determiner “what”.
What church does she belong to?
