I often feel pressured to join various ministry groups. The pressure is often voiced as encouragement, “Look what we can do for you!”

Reading Making Friends, Making Disciples has helped to understand why I’m so wary of these groups which promise benefits I never asked for, and relationships which are artificial at best. If groups push me to join by assuming I’ll only be part of them if I get a direct benefit, then I tend to think they really care all that much about me. I also wonder if I’ll ever get to know the group members well enough to care about them.

If you’re nodding your head right now, you might want to ask, “How many in our neighborhoods think of our churches the same way?”