Just Do It

Am I the only one that felt like church people spoke a different language after beginning to attend church regularly? After I began to go to church on a regular basis, I started noticing certain words or phrases that the church people were using all the time that I just did not understand. Words like, “calling” and “mission.” Phrases like, “praying in the Spirit,” and “born again.” When I first began attending church regularly, I had no idea what these things meant. It was like hanging out with a group of people who communicated through inside jokes all the time. I did my best to look like I was in on the joke, but I honestly had no idea what those words and phrases really meant in the context of church world. 

One of the phrases that I heard a lot after beginning to attend church was, “church family.” I came to understand the meaning of this one fairly quickly, but it took years for me to actually experience it firsthand. 

The church that my husband and I attended before coming to Next Level pushed this idea of “church family” as most churches these days do. They stressed the importance of being in community and shared the “circles not rows” mindset that many churches today have. “Circles not rows” implies that it is far better to be in a small group (or life group as we call them at Next Level) than it is to attend a church service every Sunday. I loved this idea and intensely desired to experience what it was like to have a church family. 

I tried everything I could think of at that church to get connected. I began serving in kids ministry regularly. I signed up for multiple small groups. I even tried to start a small group. Nothing worked. No matter how much I served or how many groups I tried to start or join, I just could not get connected to the people in that church. My husband and I even went through the membership class, and we still did not feel like we were connected to anyone at that church. It was frustrating, and I could not understand what I was doing wrong or why I could not get connected when I so desperately wanted to. 

Fast forward a bit, and I stumbled into a Next Level Church service on the last day that they were meeting at Community House Middle School. I spoke with the pastor at the time after the service was over, and he invited me to come to the Matthews campus the following week and give it a shot. I went home and talked to my husband about it, and we decided to try it out. The following Sunday we went to the Matthews campus, and after the sermon was over, we walked right out into the lobby and signed up to help with a service project that they were going to be doing in the community the next weekend. We met and connected with so many people by participating in that service project the next weekend that became like family to us for years afterward; some of which we are still close to today. 

I had accomplished in a couple of weeks at Next Level what I had tried desperately to accomplish for years at my previous church. I finally got to experience and fully understand what it meant to have a church family. Connecting at Next Level was effortless. We didn’t have to take a class or lead a group. We just stepped out of our comfort zone, showed up, and God took care of the rest. I believe that Next Level Church was built on the idea of community, connection, and belonging. These are things that have always been important to who we are as a church for as long as I have been here, regardless of who has been leading the church. 

Over the years, Greg and I have attended multiple life groups, both together and on our own, and have built some amazing relationships with people through our time in groups with them. Some of these relationships were only meant to last for a season, and some have remained throughout the years. I think he would agree with me that the best group experiences we had were the ones that required us to step out of our comfort zones a bit.

We learned, grew, and connected the most in the groups that were made up of people that were not necessarily like us. We were the youngest people in many of the groups we were in, and those were the best ones in my opinion. Being in a multigenerational group taught me so much about myself, my faith, and life in general. It was hard at first. He and I questioned whether or not we had made the best decision in choosing that group. We struggled with feeling like we didn’t belong from time to time, but God always found a way to let us know that we were exactly where we were meant to be during those times. 

So, why am I telling you all this? Last week I talked about how much I prefer to slip in and out of places unnoticed and how I do not relish the idea of everyone knowing my name. I am an introvert and so is my husband (even more so than I am believe it or not). We are not joiners by nature. Signing up to serve at a church where we knew absolutely no one on the first Sunday that we attended was WAY out of our comfort zone. Signing up to be in a small group full of people that were not like us was way out of our comfort zone. Being the youngest in a small group meant that there was no way we would not be noticed. We were definitely going to stand out in a small group like that. It was scary to walk into a strangers home for the first time knowing that everyone was going to know our name by the end of the night. But we did it anyway.

Taking that first step is seldom easy. Moving outside of your comfort zone is always scary. But here’s the thing, amazing, incredible, and life-changing things always exist on the other side of comfort. They just don’t happen inside our comfort zones. It sucks, but it’s true. Greg and I have not been in a multigenerational small group together in at least 9 years, and we still say those groups were the ones that impacted and changed our lives the most. And they were definitely the most uncomfortable to join and show up to. 

Can I encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone today? Do the hard thing. Sign up for a life group. Send an email inquiry to that community organization about volunteering with them. Sign up to serve on Sundays at Next Level. Seek out community. Ask questions. Make the first move. I don’t know what it is that God is nudging you to do that exists just outside of your comfort zone, but do it. Don’t succumb to the fear that lies in all of the “what if’s.” The only question worth worrying about is: what is God trying to give you that you will miss out on if you don’t? I can tell you from experience it is so worth it!