Questions & Answers

How can I enjoy church when I’m having issues with people there?

youth in Sunday School

“All of us are imperfect; we may offend and be offended. We often test one another with our personal idiosyncrasies. In the body of Christ, we have to go beyond concepts and exalted words and have a real ‘hands-on’ experience as we learn to ‘live together in love’ [Doctrine and Covenants 42:45].”

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Oct. 2015 general conference (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 109).

You Can Control Only Yourself

I can’t control those around me, even other members, but I can control myself and how I react to the situations. I realized that going to church was between me and God, not between me and anybody else. I reminded myself that it wasn’t fair to God or to myself to stop living the gospel.

Erica Y., 18, Hawaii, USA

Respect Everyone

We all have different backgrounds and different upbringings. You never know what people are going through.

Logan B., 15, Oregon, USA

Talk to Your Leaders

You shouldn’t be going to church because of a person. You should be going because of your belief in Christ. I would also recommend talking to your bishop.

Asher D., 15, Washington, USA

Love as Jesus Did

Jesus Christ said, “Love one another; as I have loved you.  … By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples” (John 13:34–35). This helped me understand that I have to love others no matter who they are, just as the Savior loves me, even with all my imperfections and mistakes.

Ema F., 15, Chaco, Argentina

Enjoy Your Ward Family

Even though I have struggled with feelings of hurt or resentment associated with Church members, I’ve realised more and more how much people there care about me. It has helped me to enjoy church because of the joy my ward family brings me. There will always be people there who love you.

Sophia D., 16, Bristol, England

Responses are intended for help and perspective, not as official pronouncements of Church doctrine.

What Do You Think?

“I don’t understand a lot of the scriptures. How can I get more out of scripture reading?”

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