This devotional highlights the importance of intentional, Christ-centered community—not perfect people, but faithful ones who pursue Jesus together. Even when relationships feel messy or uncomfortable, God uses them to strengthen our faith, bring healing, and encourage us in ways we can’t experience on our own. If you’re in a season without a church community, this is an invitation to reflect, rebuild, and take one step toward the relationships God has prepared for you.

Highlights

Church community can be difficult to build, especially after past hurt, busy seasons, or constant life changes
Genuine Christian relationships require vulnerability, trust, and letting go of self-protection
Healing from church wounds is possible—and often leads to deeper, more meaningful community later
You don’t need perfect people—you need people who genuinely pursue Jesus, even imperfectly
Strong community isn’t found by accident; it’s built through intentional investment and consistency
Even Jesus modeled the importance of close, faith-centered relationships during His ministry
Community won’t replace God, but it strengthens and supports your faith in every season
Identifying what’s holding you back is the first step toward building the relationships God has for you

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Full Transcript Below:

When You Don't Have a Church Community This Easter
By: Peyton Garland

Bible Reading:
“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT)

In our first five years of marriage, my husband and I moved six times. Jobs and dreams pulled us all over the place, back and forth across the country. But while this wild newlywed season was beautiful, it left little time for us to invest in a church community.

Many believers are left without a church community this Easter, whether caused by time and location constraints, old church wounds, or a tried but failed attempt to find “their” people. Relationships can be complicated, awkward, and intimidating to navigate, especially for Christian adults who are encouraged to develop vulnerability and share their faults and fears with others.

Church community—the healthy kind—requires an unguarded trust in others, a release of self-preservation and appearances, but it’s in this uncomfortable place that our pride dies and our souls find the encouragement to continue in the faith when the days are dark and lonely.

Granted, I understand the skepticism of opening up to others in the church, especially as someone who once had a bitter taste in her mouth for any assembly that remotely resembled the unhealthy church I grew up in. However, on the other side of my church hurt, after lots of therapy and answered prayers as my husband and I settled into a church community to raise our sons, I can say, wholeheartedly, that you need a church community.

You don’t need “your” people. You need Jesus people who messily, openly, sacrificially love Him. In finding those believers—and in becoming one of them—you find a community you can lean on in all seasons, even when the spiritual high of holidays like Easter and Christmas fades.

My church has a saying, “You don’t stumble upon great Christian community; you create it.” So no matter how many fair-weather churchgoers come and go in this religious Easter season, no matter your past hurt or the present inconveniences that make community easy to avoid, I challenge you to invest your heart and faith in others.

Jesus’ earthly ministry was short, only three years, but even He recognized the need for godly friendships and fellowship with others, calling twelve men to quite literally travel and live with Him. If Jesus recognized the need for a Christian community, who are we to disregard His example in this resurrection season centered on life, love, and sacrifice for others?

Intersecting Faith & Life:

When my husband and I met, we were both Christians, but both of us had been deeply, deeply wounded by the church. Legalism kept me tethered to weekly attendance, all out of fear, but my husband’s personal hurt had driven him completely away from church. When we met, and I mandated his church attendance if he wanted to continue dating me, he admitted it was the first time he had set foot in a church in roughly five years.

Today, we are life group leaders for seven young families in our church. It’s funny, and often ironic, how God not only heals us, but calls us to the places we thought we could never navigate again. God defies the impossible, even in our finite bodies, if we are willing and able to get uncomfortable and be molded for His purposes.

Meanwhile, though my husband and I have come a long way in establishing a church community for ourselves and our sons, we understand how hard it is to sustain these relationships. Jesus people are still people, and their flaws and your flaws combined won’t make for perfect friendships. Church community won’t save you. It won’t even sustain you, at least not on its own.

But when you dig your heels in deep and choose to love others because God dug His heels in deep to save and sustain you, despite all your wrongdoings, you find that His resurrection hope lasts far longer than the Easter season. You realize that His ability, through you, to be long-suffering towards sinners is what makes life worth living.

If you aren’t part of a church community, find some quiet time to take personal stock in why. Has your life season been overwhelmingly busy? Has the church hurt you? Did you try one or two different small groups or Bible studies that simply felt impersonal or off?

Recognize your why, but allow this newfound understanding to challenge you to step up, get uncomfortable, and relentlessly pursue the godly relationships God has in store for you.

I promise, you won’t regret it.

Further Reading:

How to Get Back into Church
Romans 12:4-5
Proverbs 27:17

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