You want people to truly connect with God, not just attend services or check spiritual boxes. It can feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle—busyness, burnout, distractions, and even your own seasons of spiritual dryness. You are not alone.
You work hard to create programs that help people understand their faith and sermon series that are relevant and applicable to your community. But for some people, these very right and good things are actually a distraction from what they really need in order to grow in their relationship with Jesus. The church needs to get back to basics and help people experience a real, living, growing relationship with God. That’s the root from which all real discipleship grows.
5 Ways to Help People Actually Connect with God
1. Encourage Exploration
There will always be seasons when God feels distant—you’ve experienced them and so have those you are discipling. Key to getting through those times and emerging from them is increasing awareness of God’s love and presence. God’s presence isn’t always about emotional highs, sometimes it’s about noticing Him in the small things: a conversation, a sunrise, a quiet moment in the car. Often, it takes a change in routine or scenery to awaken our awareness of God’s presence and to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. Encourage people to intentionally shake things up and to pause, reflect, and ask themselves, “Where did I sense God’s love today?” This practice isn’t about manufacturing emotion, but about tuning in to how God is already at work in our lives.
2. Increase Safety
Churches are full of people with questions and doubts—honestly, sometimes you’re right there with them. God welcomes curiosity and is comfortable engaging with doubt—but does your church? In order for people to grow in the knowledge and grace of God, they need a safe place to express their doubt and deepest questions. Invite your people to ask their questions, dig into scripture, and reflect on God’s character. Make space for honest exploration, and model what it looks like to pursue both knowledge and grace. Proverbs 2 demonstrates that the search for understanding and wisdom is a desperate one. Expect it to get uncomfortable—that’s part of the process. But it’s worth it because as we grow in understanding, we’re drawn deeper into our relationship with God.
3. Take Off the Training Wheels
It’s easy for people to hear a sermon and then move on, but you know that real transformation happens when scripture is internalized and lived out. When scripture shapes daily decisions, it becomes personal and powerful. You likely have your finger on the general pulse and need within your church but you don’t know everyone’s deep need—but God does. When it comes to reflecting on and applying scripture to daily life, the Holy Spirit knows best. What if you ended your sermon with an extended time of silence? No instructions or music necessary, just space to think through how God is speaking and how the scripture applies to their life. The key is to let them find what works for them. In essence, it’s taking the training wheels off and running alongside them offering encouragement and challenges as they learn to apply what they’re learning in real, practical ways.
4. Personalize Prayer
A lot of people think their relationship with God needs to look like yours. However, a big part of having and growing an authentic relationship is the ability to be yourself. This means that authentic dialogue with God can come in many forms. Some connect best through conversational prayer—talking with God honestly throughout the day. Others prefer journaling, writing out prayers and listening for God’s response. Creative types may express their prayers through art, music, or poetry. Contemplative individuals often find God in silence, meditation, or stillness. Some feel closest to God outdoors, using time in nature as a way to listen and speak to Him. Others thrive in group prayer, sharing and hearing from God in community. Encourage your people to discover and embrace the ways they naturally connect with God, reminding them that He welcomes authentic, personal conversation in every style.
5. Expand Worship
Worship is more than music. To worship in spirit and truth is about bringing every part of our lives before God. Invite your church to explore new expressions of worship: journaling, serving, creating art, or simply sitting in silence. When worship is genuine and wholehearted, it becomes a lifestyle, not just a Sunday event. This kind of worship helps people connect with God in ways that are deeply personal and transformative.
Disciple Assessment
How you experience and connect with God is just one area of spiritual formation. If you’re looking for a practical tool to help your people intentionally engage in their spiritual growth, check out the Disciple Assessment at discipleassessment.com.
This online assessment is designed to help Christians identify where they are on their discipleship journey and create a customized path for growth. Whether your people are just starting out or ready to go deeper, this resource can help them (and you) move from routine to real relationship with God. What’s more—this proven discipleship tool is now available completely FREE!