Church Involvement 101

There are abundant blessings to be experienced when you are actively involved with a body of believers. But what does it look like to get involved at church, and how is attending church different from being involved? 

Attending church might look something like: 

• Showing up to enjoy the Sunday sermon.
• Greeting a few acquaintances with pleasantries.
• Quietly slipping out the doors without plans to return until the next Sunday service. 

Being involved in church, on the other hand, focuses less on consuming what the church has to offer, and more on mutual edification. When you’re involved in church, you participate in the church family in ways that bless and serve others and that foster relationships, allowing others to bless and serve you too. 

Practically speaking, getting involved in church can look like many different things. This can make the move from attending church to being involved seem like a daunting task—especially if it’s something you’ve never done before, stepped away from due to a certain season of life, or avoided because you’ve experienced church hurt.

If that describes you, think of this as “Church Involvement 101.” It won’t be an extensive list of every way to get involved or every ministry you could serve in, but it is a great place to start if you, like many others, feel overwhelmed by trying to take the first steps toward deeper involvement. 

Pray

The best thing to do at any time, especially when you don’t know what to do, is pray. Take the time to express your thoughts, concerns, and questions to the Lord. 

• Are you nervous that serving in a ministry at church might cause you hurt? Tell Him.
• Do you feel overwhelmed by the thought of talking to people you don’t know? Let the Lord know. 
• Are you unsure of where to start or what to do? Ask the Spirit for guidance.

You aren’t on this journey alone.

Linger

This week after the church service is over, take your time gathering up your things and look around the sanctuary or church foyer as you meander toward the exit. Find someone you’ve only briefly interacted with or never met before and strike up a short conversation. Get to know them a little better, and next week do the same thing. 

You might come to discover that the lady who sits two rows in front of you has an upcoming surgery—now you have the opportunity to pray for her and drop a meal by her house. Or perhaps the young mom in your row is struggling with discouragement, and now you have the chance to text her a verse or two of encouragement. Lingering in the church building (versus running toward the door) is a wonderful first step toward becoming more involved. As you begin to incorporate this practice into your routine, you’ll likely find more and more opportunities to be involved in the lives of those believers around you.

Put Down Roots 

If you want a tomato plant to grow, you find some fertile soil, plop it into the ground, water it, and make sure it gets sunlight. Eventually, God’s wonderful creation does its thing, and you’ve got tomatoes. What would happen though, if every week you dug up the tomato plant and plopped it into a different patch of dirt? I would hazard a guess that the plant wouldn’t yield many tomatoes. In fact, it might shrivel up and die altogether. Why? Because it never had the chance to develop the root system that it needed. The same is true for you.

If you are constantly moving between churches and have no deep relationships, network of accountability, or consistency in your Christian walk, then you are far less likely to bear fruit—no roots, no fruit.

To be clear, I’m not saying you should never attend another church. Baptisms, baby dedications, and traveling are just a few reasons why you might occasionally do so. Or that you should never cautiously and prayerfully leave your current church and become a member of a different church, as there are biblical reasons to do this as well. However, if you have found a church that has fertile ground where the truth of the gospel is boldly and rightly proclaimed, consider putting down roots there by becoming a member. Church membership is a blessing that provides accountability and community that you cannot get in any other way (Heb. 13:17, Matt. 18:15–20).

In addition to providing opportunities for accountability, relationships, and growth, church membership also provides more service opportunities, as many churches have a membership prerequisite before you can serve in formal ministries. 

If you are already a member of a church, consider branching out and deepening your roots by joining a small group or Bible study. This will help you form deeper relationships which can lead to involvement in other ways like discipleship and service.

Serve

If you need ideas about how to serve, ask the pastor or elders at your church where there is a need in the church body, and don’t be afraid to step in and see where God leads.

It may take a little while to find the areas of service that feel like a match for your gifting, but there is also something to be said for being flexible and willing to meet the needs of your church family. Sometimes the most rewarding opportunities come from simply being willing to say “Yes, Lord.” 

As you serve, you’ll discover more about your own gifts and passions and how they can be used to bless others and honor the Lord. 

Take the First Step

As you begin to take small steps toward getting involved, you will find abundant blessings and opportunities for growth, both spiritually and relationally. It might feel unnerving at first, but the church is God’s plan for us as believers. When we are passive consumers, we miss out on the fullness of the blessing that the Body of Christ was intended to be.

My prayer is that this week you’ll look for just one or two ways to get involved at your church and that the Lord will allow you to see the gift of being an active part of the church body. As you step out in faith, may you experience grace to trust that He will guide and equip you for every good work He has prepared.