By Liz Roy

God’s Word teaches us how to communicate biblically so that we learn how to faithfully express ourselves without going off into either ditch of absorbing our hurts or dumping our hurts.

By Liz Roy

Seeking out friendships within the church is a lot like cultivating a garden. As we tend to the garden of our hearts, our spiritual eyes begin to open to the variety of friends God may be bringing into our lives.Here are some exhortations to keep in mind as you pray and look for the friends God may be providing in your life.

By Glenna Marshall

Safe in-person friendships in ministry are gifts to celebrate, even if they only last for a season. These bursts of friendships are often gifts of God’s grace to us during times of extreme suffering and isolation. Regardless of the length of the season, safe friendships are expressions of the Lord’s care for us. When we view friendships as gifts from God rather than rights to be claimed, we can cherish them deeply while holding them loosely.

By Cara Croft

So, what are some of the limitations with friendships within the church? I think we need to start with the fact that there are some topics we cannot talk about with church members. We risk causing division in our churches if we are discussing other members or complaining about decisions being made (among other things that we need to talk about regarding the church). These conversations are best had with a safe friend who is outside the situation. The other part of this is that we often need people on the outside to help bring some prospective as to what it is we need to share.