So I was reminded this week of something that many of you know and that some of you are discovering, and if you haven't discovered it yet, I hope you'll discover it soon, that the way to make a big church feel like your church, the only way to make a big church feel like your church is through relationships. Actually, the only way that any church feels like to make it feel like your church, if you're a church person or you're looking for a church, or you're reconsidering church, or you're back in church for the first time, it's like there's so many people here how

like, there's so many people here how, like, church feels like to make it feel like you're a church. If you're a church person or you're looking for a church or you're reconsidering church or you're back in church for the first time,

it's like there's so many people here however this ever feel like my church. The only way any church

feels like anybody's church is through relationships. Some of you visit your families and they

attend to church maybe that you grew up in or they attend a church in their hometown and you go to their church and you just experience like three times a year and you're like, you know what? I don't know why y'all go to church here. Again, it may not be your style or whatever. And the reason your family and your parents or grandparents love their church is because they love the people in their church because they have relationships. It's not about style. It's not about preaching. It's not about any of that. It really is. It just feels like they're people. And that's what makes the church feel like your church. So the reason I was reminded of that this weekend, this week, or recently, I should say, is this week I went to an event we had here. And we did this at all of our campuses, but I'm at North Point Community Church today. And it was a celebration, and to kind of get the year kicked off for all of our guest services volunteers. So it was our parking teams, the people that you see out in the lobby, the people that help get you seated, just all of our incredible people that host on a Sunday morning. So this was kicked the year off, had dinner together, just sitting at round tables. And it was so loud in there and just

walking around watching, you know, a couple hundred or more people, just, they just love

each other. And they serve together every week. And I just walked around, Sandra and I were so

encouraged really just by the relationships that have formed through serving in our church.

It's what it makes it feel like in their church. And one of the cool things, too, there were people

who have served together and guest services for 20 years, 20 years. And then they got, I think,

seven people up who have served together in guest services for 25 years at the church.

And you could just tell they just all love

each other because relationships are the connecting points. And relationships are what makes any

church sticky, right? If you don't, you know, if you don't connect relationally or if your kids

don't connect relationally, you're not, they're just not going to feel connected. It just doesn't feel like your church. And this is something every pastor experiences, you know, people will walk up and say, Andy, your church, Andy, I was at your church, Andy, your church, I'm like, okay, it's not my church. But I get that. It's like they just haven't quite gotten to the place where they say

our church. But the goal is for it to feel like your church. And here's why I'm making a big deal

out of it. If it doesn't feel like your church, then you, it's easy to drift out of church.

And nobody should drift out of church. But if nobody's expecting you, nobody's

serving you, nobody's reserving that seat for you, nobody's serving with you, nobody's

sitting in a circle with you, you know, in a small group. If nobody's missing you, it's always

just going to feel like a bunch of people, then you're just one of a bunch of people. And

here's the real problem. Generally speaking, people drift away from church

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