Remember the theme song from the TV sitcom Cheers? Everybody feels a need to belong somewhere. That’s what made the Cheers tavern so much fun—it was a place where everybody knows your name, where everybody’s glad you came, a place where you are accepted just as you are. You don’t have to pretend to be somebody else.

When you are trying to bring someone back into the faith who has been slipping away for a long time, you are not alone in your efforts. Your congregation is a valuable ally. God made people to need other people. We need to know that somebody is interested in us, cares about how we’re doing, knows and loves our children, and is always there for us. We need a place where we can get involved and serve and use our gifts and talents, a place where everybody knows our names. 

Here’s what a happy church fellowship looks like: “Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people” (Acts 2:45-47).

Aren’t you glad you have a place like that? Social capital is wealth too. This is the warmth and love that awaits the people whom you are trying to bring back. Appreciate those dear people and use them!