When Once-a-Week is Enough for Others....But Not for You

How to Navigate the Tension of Wanting More in Your Gatherings?

Have you ever felt it?

You participate in your Christian gatherings. People show up. There's warmth. There is even prayer and real vulnerability.

But deep in your spirit, you feel a holy tension: “This is good… but it’s not all God wants for us.”

Yet others else seems fine. Once a week feels like enough for them. No hunger for more connection. No urgency for deeper discipleship. No real shift beyond the weekly circle.

And you’re left wondering...

“Lord, am I just being impatient — or are You stirring something deeper in me?”

1️⃣ Is This a Season… or a Settling?

Before you take action, take it to prayer.

Some people are tired, spiritually bruised, or healing from a hurt. For them, once-a-week connection is actually a step forward — a moment of trust, not apathy.

But others may have unknowingly settled into routine — comfortable but unchallenged.

📖 Ask the Lord: “Are they in a season of rest… or stuck in a rhythm of spiritual passivity?”

This helps you lead with grace, not frustration.

2️⃣ Share the Tension You Feel — Gently

You're not trying to control the group. You're inviting them into something deeper.

Try saying:

“I’ve been so grateful for this time together… but I feel like God might be inviting us to carry this connection further than just weekly.”

Or:

“I’m wondering what it would look like if we shared not just a meeting — but more of life together, like the early church.”

You’re not demanding more. You’re casting vision for more.

3️⃣ Model What You Long For

Don't wait for everyone to want more. Start living it.

• Send a midweek check-in: “How’s that thing we prayed about?”

• Invite one or two people for coffee or a walk.

• Pray in the moment, even by text.

• Offer help with everyday life — not just spiritual talk.

The more your group sees everyday faith in action, the more their appetite will grow.

4️⃣ Multiply Outside the Meeting

Instead of pressuring people to “do more,” ask yourself: “What could we multiply between meetings?”

💡 Try this:

• Create a simple prayer group chat

• Encourage “spiritual partners” to connect midweek

• Start a once-a-month act of service together

• Share a weekly verse or challenge to reflect on

Growth doesn’t have to be formal. It just needs to be intentional.

5️⃣ Use Scripture to Inspire — Not Correct

Let God’s Word lead the way, not guilt or frustration.

📖 Acts 2:46–47

“Every day they continued to meet together… They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.”

📖 Hebrews 10:24–25

“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds… encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Use verses like these to stir vision, not pressure. Let God do the stirring. You just plant the seeds.

6️⃣ Trust the Slow Work of the Spirit

Even Jesus didn’t push people faster than they were ready to go.

He walked. He waited. He planted. He prayed. And He let the Spirit draw people at their own pace.

📖 “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”— 1 Corinthians 3:7

Your job is to stay faithful, not forceful.

💬 Final Word: You’re Not Alone

If you’re sensing more, you’re likely hearing from the Spirit.

But don’t despise the slow. Don’t resent the small. And don’t give up when others don’t respond right away.

You’re not building a meeting. You’re forming people. And that takes patience, presence, and prayer.