The lived religious life of Christian Science revolves around reading, prayer, testimony, and the communal patterns of weekly services; these elements are organized around two core texts that most adherents treat as central sources of authority: the Bible and Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Science and Health was first published by Eddy in the late nineteenth century and is used by adherents as a theological and pastoral commentary on Scripture. Sunday services in branch churches commonly include readings drawn from both books, hymns from the denomination’s Hymnal, and a period of silent or meditative prayer; together, these components structure worship in ways that do not rely on sacramental rites such as baptism or communion that dominate many other Christian communities. Adherents often describe the services as reading- and voice-centered rather than liturgically ornate.
One concrete, recurring practice across congregations is the weekly Bible Lesson (also called the Lesson-Sermon), prepared for and published in the church’s Bible Lesson periodical. The Lesson-Sermon collects passages from the Bible and selections from Science and Health around a single scriptural theme; during the service a designated Reader — a lay officer elected by the congregation — reads the Lesson-Sermon aloud. Many branch churches also make use of a Responsive Reading, in which paired passages from Scripture and Eddy’s text are read responsively by the Readers and the congregation. Adherents explain that this paired reading signals the movement’s canonical approach: Scripture read through the interpretive key of Science and Health. The Bible Lesson structure is used in Christian Science congregations worldwide, from small branch churches to the central congregations associated with The First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston.
Testimony is another prominent element of worship and communal life. Many services include a time for congregants to give first-person accounts of healings or spiritual insights; some branches hold testimony meetings specifically for the public sharing of such experiences. Adherents hold that testimony serves a dual function: it encourages faith among members and provides what followers describe as living evidence, within the community, of the efficacy of Christian Science practice. Testimonies are also collected in denominational periodicals and in local congregational records, and they have formed a distinctive genre of literature within the movement since the late nineteenth century.
Prayer in Christian Science is framed by adherents as a disciplined, methodical practice. The tradition teaches that prayer is not merely petitionary but that it functions to identify and correct mistaken beliefs about God, self, and the material world. Practices labeled “treatment” or “healing work” are conducted by individuals who are listed with the church as practitioners after receiving instruction and authorization to engage in spiritual healing. Practitioners follow a standardized method rooted in the church’s teachings and are often consulted across congregations and regions; many maintain private practices and are listed in the denomination’s directories and periodicals for those seeking spiritual help. Historically, Mary Baker Eddy and early teachers offered classes to train students in Christian Science healing and interpretation; in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the movement systematized such instruction by developing authorized classes, teacher credentials, and manuals that enabled the practice to be reproduced beyond the founder herself. Those who complete authorized teacher’s instruction may go on to teach classes and to certify other students in some local contexts.
Daily life for individual adherents typically includes private study and what the movement calls daily prayer or reflection. Many persons report a disciplined regimen of reading from both the Bible and Science and Health each day, often following the weekly Lesson-Sermon as a focus for private contemplation. The tradition teaches that moral conduct and right thinking are necessary to maintain spiritual well-being; adherents commonly link spiritual health to patterns of thought and behavior rather than to ritual observance alone. Sunday School programs and study classes provide structured opportunities for learning these approaches at congregational and regional levels.
The sensory character of Christian Science worship is commonly described as relatively quiet and text-focused. The architecture of many branch churches is simple and functional rather than highly ornate, and services prioritize spoken readings and hymns over visual symbolism. At the same time, certain buildings associated with the movement are architecturally prominent and serve as focal points for national and international activity. The First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston — often referred to as The Mother Church — together with its Extension and associated publishing facilities, has been the site of annual meetings, lectures, and other large gatherings that attract members from across the United States and abroad. The Mother Church grounds also host the Christian Science Publishing Society, which produces the movement’s periodicals, including its long‑established news journal founded in the early twentieth century.
Rites of passage in Christian Science both resemble and diverge from those found in other Christian bodies. Weddings and funerals are typically conducted by Readers or other church officers and focus on scriptural readings and sermons that emphasize spiritual teachings about the nature of being. The tradition does not emphasize sacraments such as baptism and communion; baptisms are uncommon and not central to most congregational life. Instead, formal acceptance of membership in a branch church generally involves a stated process of participation and acknowledgement, often including a contribution to church support; membership is organized primarily at the congregational level, with central recordkeeping maintained by denominational institutions.
Religious education and youth involvement take the form of Sunday School programs, youth groups, study classes, and family-centered instruction. The movement has long prioritized adult study while maintaining organized programs for children and adolescents in local congregations and through regional gatherings. Pilgrimage and sacred time are less centered on a fixed liturgical calendar and more on personal anniversaries, attendance at services, and participation in annual events. The denomination’s calendar features annual meetings, summer sessions, and periodic lectures at central sites that serve as opportunities for national assembly. The founding of The Christian Science Monitor in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy established a sustained media presence; many adherents see the Monitor’s journalistic mission as an extension of the movement’s engagement with public life, distinct from its liturgical practices.
Questions about medical care and its relation to spiritual treatment have been a persistent practical and sometimes public issue. Adherents vary widely: some rely primarily on spiritual treatment as taught by the church, while many others combine prayer with conventional medical intervention. The degree to which medical care is embraced varies by family, geography, and generational cohort, and this diversity has been a source of internal discussion and of broader societal debate. Legal and public‑policy contexts in different countries have also shaped how Christian Scientists practice healing, particularly with regard to minors, and these contexts continue to influence congregational choices.
Practice thus varies significantly across regions and individual consciences. The tradition’s emphasis on individual spiritual insight produces diverse implementations: some congregations foreground healing testimonies and intensive treatment work, while others prioritize study, social programming, and community service. These differences reflect both the interpretive flexibility within which adherents operate and the institutional norms that have been created to guide—but not fully determine—personal religious life. Estimates of membership and congregational numbers have fluctuated over time and by region; scholarly and denominational sources note that the movement developed a wide international presence by the mid‑twentieth century and continues to maintain Reading Rooms, branch churches, and publishing activities in many countries today.