The first thing God said was ‘not good’ was for man to be alone. (Genesis 2:18) Here Adam was, the king of the world, and both God and Adam knew they were missing something.

Are you missing something? Are you feeling like no one knows what you’re going through? Are you working your tail off hoping someone sees all your great effort? Do you feel you are shipwrecked on the sea of ‘it’s just me’? I have a few ideas.

“The question for all of us as we navigate the demands of ministry and our relationship with Jesus and the Church is, do we understand the original assignment?” Natalie Runion, from Raised to Stay: Persevering in Ministry When You Have A Million Reasons to Walk Away

The marching orders of all Christians is to “go and make disciples of all the nations…teaching the new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” (Matthew 28)

1. Go to church – When we are invited on staff and the honeymoon of a ‘new thing’ is over, no one tells us how to figure this one out, so I will. We are still a child of God, not His employee. We still need to gather regularly and serve and learn in Christian community. Listening to podcasts and sermons online won’t cut it. If there is an earlier service offered, get up and go. If there is a service offered in your community on a different day/night, go. Set a Sabbath day of the week and guard it as the day you do things or meet with others to remind you you are His and He is good.
2. Go to Bible study – The Holy Bible is the library of 66 books which teach us about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. We are always students of the triune God. Verses here and there won’t cut it. Rev. Dr. Tony Evans said, “Christians today have changed books.” My daughter and I went to Hobby Lobby to find a wall hanging for a gift with scripture. We traveled row after row checking the printed scriptures with our phones and more often than not, the scriptures printed for sale did not match the plethora of Bible versions on our phones. Whoever is in charge of your adult education would be thrilled to have you co-lead alongside another. But if they don’t, look online for a study being offered by another church near your home and make some amazing new friends-in-the-Lord.
3. Go to a networking opportunity – There is no way in the world I’d still be in ministry if I had not made a monthly lunch with others in Christian education a priority. It is an investment in Christian friendship with others and in myself as a Jesus gal who needs other Jesus folk to share the journey. The distractions will be hot and heavy because the fruitfulness is guaranteed to be sweet and mighty.

It’ll take a sacrifice of time, a sacrifice of preferences, and it will not be convenient. You’ll have to guard it as a priority, but it’ll totally be worth it. 

Over the last month I’ve been adding to our weekly curriculum a slide or two about why we go to church. I thank Brittany Nelson of Deeper Kidmin for the inspiration. We go to church to ‘spur one another on to love and good deeds’ and we don’t forsake gathering together as per Hebrews 10:24-25 though it will look different than before we were on staff.

Isolation, despair, and loneliness is the complaint I read about all over the kidmin sites, especially lately. My heart hurts for them. It’s preventable. Go. 

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25

Note: Don’t miss a single weekly post, by subscribing above. And Brittany Nelson has authored a book on Digital Discipleship for ministry with children and families. Keep an eye out for it!