This question of can one not attend church and still be considered a "practicing" christian. Cab a horse still be a horse, even though it is not in the paddock? Can a hamburger still be a hamburger, but not be in McDonnalds?

For a christian to be a christian, one has to be a believer in Christ, as their own personal saviour. This says nothing about church attendance. You either believe that He is your saviour and Lord, or you don't. If you don't, then you are merely religious, and He is a distant person to you. (IE, not a close personal friend). Many know of Him, but don't know Him. The person who acknowledges Him as saviour and Lord, becomes a christian upon their confession of faith. (See Romans 10;9-10).and others.

To attend church then does not "make" anyone a christian, even if they have attended all their life. It just makes them part of the denomination, or local congregation. I, for instance was catholic (IE Roman Catholic). I was no more a christian than the chair I sat on. But then I came to know Jesus, and my whole life changed. So much so, that I would never go back to who I was before that moment. (Mind you I was never a bad kid, by most people's standard). I became a "practicing " christian that day, (that was  nearly 30 years ago).

Once a person is "born again", or becomes a believer, (as I outlined above), they automatically become part of the "church", in the universal sense. That is to say, the whole body of believers in the world, and throughout time. I become "related" to every other believer who lives, or has ever lived, including those who will be in the future. It has NOTHING to do with a local church (building). It's actually a shame people think of a building when church is mentioned. The church is actually a "body of believers" who meet in a building. We could have church under a tree, or on a beach, or in my lounge room.

That out of the way, what does attendance have to do with christianity? Well, we need each other, simple as that. The Bible speaks of the church as the "body of Christ", and uses imagery of a human body. Hands, feet, eyes etc. Just like my body functions properly with all my bodyparts being healthy and normal, so the church can function normally with all of us being together, working together, to do what we cannot do alone. You may be a hand and I may be a foot, but just as each one is good and useful, it needs to be part of the whole body to "function" proprly.

To answer the question, no you don't have to go to church to be a practicing christian. But you will only function poorly alone, and the church will be missing a vital part (you) that it needs to function proprely. In my case, I never enjoyed going "to" church before I became a believer. But now, I want to go. It's a desire that came from within, not from "pressure" from outside.

To me, a real practicing christian, is one who loves God, and lives to please Him, even when no-one sees, or knows. It's being true to Him, and yourself, all the time. Anything else is called hypocrisy. Or, it can be religious activity. (do this, don't do that kind of thing, or keeping rules etc.)