Fellowshipping With Jesus - Hosting Events God’s Way
Trusting God in the Small, the Simple, and the Sacred
Hello everyone, I hope your autumn is going well so far. We are living in beautiful and dark days. The Church of Christ is shining brighter and brighter, advancing the gospel — and the darkness in this world, crazy as it gets, cannot expel our light. Life has been fruitful for me and Josh in ministry, in our marriage, and in our personal lives.
This is the first blog I’ve written in about a year, and over the past few weeks I’ve been asking the Lord what to share and what you, the readers, might need to hear. I actually started writing a blog on singleness, but paused to reflect on the events we hosted this year. These gatherings, “Fellowshipping with Jesus,” took place at Liberty Church Rotherham — once in May and again in September — and they’ve shaped us deeply.
Walking This Out in Prayer
This blog is a celebration of everything God has done — the provision, the lessons, the stretching, and the sweetness of partnering with Him. We learned to depend on God in prayer more than ever before: praying about when to host the events, why He wanted them, praying together often, and asking our support group to pray for us too. Honestly, we didn’t want to host “another event.” There’s so much happening everywhere already. We needed God to provide the venue, the volunteers, the people — and He did. It felt peaceful to walk into each gathering knowing we'd sought His voice above all else. One of the biggest temptations in ministry is worrying about attendance. But God spoke a few things to me that completely settled my heart:
“Value what I’m asking you to do.” If we value it because He desires it, others will too.
“Don’t ask people to come to support you — ask them to come for Me.” He said, “If you ask them to come for you, many won’t. But if you ask them to come for Me, those who come will come — and if they don’t, it’s Me they’re rejecting, not you.”
“Preach with joy, no matter how many attend.” Our value is not tied to the numbers or outcomes.
“Rest. I will bring the people. You show them Jesus.”
These words became the backbone of our preparation.
Trusting God to Bring the Increase
These instructions reshaped everything. They exposed any remaining performance mindset and helped us rest in God’s arms, knowing that outcomes belong to Him. And He truly showed up. The room wasn’t packed with people, but it was absolutely filled with His presence, His voice, and His goodness. Everyone present could testify to that. We also felt God asking us not to commercialise these gatherings. He told us to spread the word — but not to beg, not to force doors open, and not to use speakers’ photos to attract crowds. Those who come must come for Jesus, not for a platform or personality.
So it has become our practice not to reveal the speakers until people walk into the room. I love this. It purifies motives, increases our faith, and puts the focus exactly where it belongs. We want to hunger for what God wants to do in the room, not rely on polished sermons or impressive names. Only the Holy Spirit can breathe life into our words.
Learning to Enjoy God’s Way of Doing Ministry
These choices have brought us so much peace. In our humanity, we want good numbers, we want people to be pleased, and we want miracles of attendance — but God is far more committed to transforming us internally than growing any ministry externally. We’ve also learned not to assume the frequency of these gatherings. Should they be yearly? Termly? Occasional? We take each one back to God in prayer. Momentum can be tempting, but God isn’t always found in the momentum. After two gatherings in Rotherham, God clearly told us not to continue hosting the events there. That was hard for me, because in my mind if something bears fruit, you keep going. But obedience is better than formula. I’m learning to delight in His “no” as much as His “yes.”
Value What God Did
No matter the numbers — praise God.
Did someone encounter Him? Yes.
Did one person meet with Jesus in a deep way? Yes.
Then rejoice!
We are vessels. Jesus was comfortable with the crowds and with the one. He never chased popularity. So although others sometimes felt sorry for us when the room wasn’t full, or wanted to offer tips for “next time,” we had to guard our hearts and ask:
God, were You pleased?
Did You move?
Did You touch those who came?
Are we valuing the testimonies You gave us?
A small gathering in a corner of a broken city is just as precious to God as a large conference. He simply wants a space where He can meet people and ignite purpose.
Guarding Your Own Heart
Beyond other people’s feedback, we also have our own internal voices. This is why intimacy with Jesus is so vital. We must go to Him first, before getting swept away by praise or disappointment. One event, people were overflowing with encouragement. The other, almost no one said anything. Yet God moved powerfully at both. We’re learning to anchor our worth in Him alone. We ask:
Where is this discouragement coming from?
Is this pride?
Is this pressure?
Is this the enemy?
Is this comparison?
Jesus is the one who called us to host the event. He’s responsible for the people who come. So we want His voice, His wisdom, and His comfort above all others. Even when He corrects, He does it with a love that reaches deep into the heart. Of course, we still welcome counsel and accountability. But our value cannot be tied to how “successful” a programme appears. Sometimes an event is powerful — lives changed, souls saved, His presence so tangible — and God still says, “No more here.” Other times I'm ready to retire from ministry because of disappointment — and that’s when He whispers, “We’ll go again. You did well.”
Checking Motives
There’s so much more to share, which I hope to unpack on the podcast soon. Topics like:
Don’t compare your gathering to someone else’s.
Don’t measure success by someone else’s breakthrough.
Don’t seek platform or fame.
Examine your motives:
Am I doing this for God or for myself? For Jesus or for my brand?
Just because something works for someone else doesn’t mean God wants it for you. For us, God made it clear not to reveal the speakers beforehand. That required trust from all of us. It was challenging for me because I care deeply about doing things well — but it was the right decision. It protects our hearts and draws people who come for Jesus alone.
Closing Thoughts
There is so much more to say, but I’ll leave it here for now. We’ll likely follow up with a podcast to dive deeper into these topics, because they are shaping us profoundly in this season.
Thank you for reading, and thank you for journeying with us. May we all learn to do ministry the way Jesus wants — simple, pure, surrendered, and filled with Him. See highlights and more pictures here.
