Finding Friends At Church

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As a Christian and as a homeschooling stay-at-home mom, the church is my largest potential friendship pool. Here are a few tips for how to make a new church a home church in very little time and make some friends in the process.

First, before you even leave your current town, research local churches in your new town online so as to decrease church hopping time. Listen to an online sermon by the pastor if you can. Find out about their children’s center and their youth group. Do they have an active women’s group? Do their views line up with your families?

Once you arrive in your new town and attend a church that everyone likes stick with it: Don’t be a permanent church hopper. You are going to find something wrong with each and every church because we are not perfect, and we all fall short of the glory of God; therefore, imperfect people cannot make a perfect church.

Having found a church that matches up with your beliefs and has a welcoming spirit that makes you feel at home, don’t just sit in the pew. Get involved.

Ways to make your new church your home church and make friends in the process

1. Join a Sunday school class

Most churches have a Sunday school hour either before or after their service. These are small group settings that often have a short time of fellowship before they begin, in which you can get to know people better. I also suggest not being the first to rush out the door after class but instead trying to linger a bit and mingle with people.

2. Volunteer in at least one area

This does not have to be a large commitment. Even once a month in the nursery would get you involved with people outside of the sanctuary once a month in a setting more suitable for small talk that could lead to friendships

3. Sign up for a bible study

These are often even smaller than Sunday school classes and allow for more intimate talking

4.Get your children involved

If you have kids, they need to find new friends, too, so get them involved. A bonus of having children involved is they are often better friend-makers than we parents are, and that means you are probably going to want to get to know their friend’s parents, and as you do, you might make a friend. Many of my friends have children who are my children’s friends. The common bond began with having kids who liked spending time together and has grown into a friendship from there.

5. Attend both small and large fellowship gatherings

Show up at the church-wide picnic and the bible study girls’ night out at the coffee shop. If you are introverted remember to push outside your comfort zone at the larger events and strike up conversations; don’t just people watch but also talk with people.

It might sound like I am suggesting that you use your church as a “friend-finding service,” but that is not what I mean. Of course, you should pick your church because its beliefs line up with your family’s beliefs, and of course, your reason for attending church should be to worship and obey God. However, God does call us to fellowship with one another, and out of fellowship, friendship grows, and what better place to have friends than in church?

This post is part of the New Town to Hometown series. Use the links below to dig into the series.

Introduction: My Story

Part One: Becoming Friend Worthy