building new friendships
Find creative ways to build friendships with people outside of Christian circles.
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples.
When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Matthew 9:9-12
After Matthew came to Christ, he planned a party to get Jesus and His disciples around his own unsaved friends. He put effort into exposing himself to lost people (so did Jesus!) You need to be intentional in building relationships with non-Christians. It is very easy to let your busy life crowd out any time to seek unsaved people. It is also difficult if most of your close personal relationships are with other Christians.
You need to plan ways to meet and show loving kindness to non-Christians. Make plans to serve lost people (help them move, do a meal together, serve them, call them on the phone, do an activity with them). If you do these things, you’ll find them inviting you to do things with them as well.
a few places to build new friendships
Your Neighbors
- Talk over yard work
- Spend adult time together while your children play
- Invite a neighbor over for a cold drink or ice cream
- Mail out an invitation to meet for a craft, sport or other interest-based activity
Local Sports Teams
- Join a neighborhood summer league
- Volunteer to coach children’s leagues
- Take a fitness class or join an activity group in your area
- Running Room Clinics
- See Mommy Run.com (run/walk groups for moms and moms-to-be)
- Twin Cities Biking Club
- Thursday Night Hikes (weekly group that meets throughout Twin Cities area for hikes in urban parks and wilderness reserves)
- Meetup Group (Check out this site for a listing of Meetup Groups in your area. Find interest groups on everything from book clubs to craft groups to motorcycle enthusiasts.)
Community Groups
- Take a community education class
- Volunteer with community or park boards
- Join an arts and crafts group
Coworkers
- Get a group together to walk over your lunch break
- Post a flyer about starting a shared interest group: i.e. craft, sports or child-based
- Invite coworkers to join a Potluck Lunch Club
Got more ideas?
Email us other resources, websites and tips for meeting new friends, and we will add them to the site.