One New Thing
A growing church and a growing Christian starts things, but not just anything. They start things that help them connect with people, to be a listening ear for others and when the opportunity arises to share with that person why they have hope in God.
In your congregation maybe you could start a group to invite people to. One congregation started a weekly cards and board games group (with coffee and cake of course), where members invited friends who didn’t go to church. The focus was simply to build deeper relationships with the people who can come, and occasionally conversations about faith occur. In another congregation they started a monthly healing service, inviting people who need healing for themselves or others. At times more people came to that service than their Sunday service because they felt that people cared and God cared.
Personally, you may start intentionally putting time aside to meet with someone. One person I know always invites a a person they have met to go to the gym with them, another meets regularly with people at the café, and another to a football game. Another person started acting differently whenever they went out of their house, the were intentionally friendly and said hello to everyone. In both cases the focus is to get to connect with people better, help them know they are cared for and this also often results in opportunities to share why they have hope in Jesus.
So why not take a leap of faith and pray to God about what He is encouraging you to start, then respond to whatever he puts on your heart by starting that 1 thing. And then watch what does with the 1 new thing you start.
Bishop Richard Schwedes
March 2025
