In the past few years, we’ve learned how it feels to spend less time in face-to-face settings with friends, colleagues and congregations. Many people still work remotely. Many congregations still see sizeable percentages of members worshipping virtually rather than in-person. When we consider the ways that spirituality and friendship are connected, have we considered how our new social habits impact the art of making friends?
Companionship seems to be woven into the fabric of Scripture as a necessary dynamic in our spiritual well-being. God told Adam that it was not good for him to be alone. Moses needed Aaron beside him before he yielded to God’s call to speak to Pharaoh. Jesus had an inner circle consisting of Peter, James and John.
Congregations sometimes overlook friendship as a vital spiritual practice. We confuse gathering people in the same room with fostering relationships. To make friends, we must do more than bring people into the same physical or virtual spaces. As you will notice in this week’s resources, making friends requires intentionality. Having supportive friends is profoundly beneficial, especially for clergy. Due to multiple factors, ministry often results in social isolation, which makes having genuine friendships central to a leader’s emotional, spiritual and even physical well-being.
Summertime is here, and it’s the perfect season for getting together socially. Leaders who are looking to help people deepen or expand their network of relationships might be interested to know that there are specific behaviors and attitudes that make it more or less likely to develop closer human connections. Making friends as an adult is not something that happens every day. However, when we cultivate the art of friendship, it is — in the words of Psalm 133:1 — both “good and pleasant.”
