Last weekend, our Membership Director, Leyla, was here with me in Greenville. We packed a lot into a few short days. We worked long hours, crossed countless things off our lists, and somehow managed to laugh our way through most of it.
One of the highlights was spending time at Aldersgate UMC, the church that will host our 2027 Messy Church USA Conference (where I also happen to be on staff). We wandered through classrooms, stood in the worship space, measured hallways, imagined registration tables, debated where the coffee should go (because let’s be honest—that’s an important decision!), and dreamed about what it will be like to welcome Messy Church leaders from around the country into that space.
By the end of the weekend, we had filled three giant sheets of poster paper with ideas, questions, timelines, and to-do lists. It was a little overwhelming to look at—but mostly we left energized. We could see the possibilities.
Then reality hit.
Within twenty-four hours we were back on opposite sides of the country. Leyla had endured a travel day (days!) that seemed determined to test her patience, and suddenly those exciting plans felt like impossibly long task lists. Instead of dreaming, we were stressing.
And then we had our Messy Church USA team/staff meeting.
It wasn’t a magical meeting where everything was solved. The conference didn’t suddenly plan itself. Our lists didn’t disappear.
But something changed.
The three of us—Leyla, Emalee, and I—laughed. We shared ideas. We reminded each other why we’re doing this work. By the end of an hour together, we could breathe again. The excitement had returned.
It reminded me of something I hope every Messy Church leader hears:
Don’t do Messy Church alone.
Build a team. Invest in your team. Pray together. Dream together. Laugh together. Share the hard work together.
Yes, you’ll accomplish more. But even more importantly, you’ll sustain one another.
Our recent 2026 Messy Church USA network survey confirmed what many of us already know. One of the strongest themes that emerged was that leadership teams aren’t just planning ministry together—they’re growing in faith together. As they create spaces where others encounter Christ, they are being transformed themselves.
That doesn’t happen when one exhausted person carries the whole ministry alone.
It happens in community.
As we head into this fall, I hope you’ll look for ways to strengthen your own Messy Church team. Invite someone new into leadership. Make time not only for planning but for praying, celebrating, and encouraging one another. The relationships you build may become one of the greatest gifts Messy Church gives you.
And speaking of community…
We’re working on some exciting things for this fall, and we’re dreaming even bigger about 2027. I can’t wait to begin sharing more with you in the months ahead—including our national conference, where we’ll have the chance to come together in the mess. We’ll worship together, learn from one another, swap stories, encourage one another, and return home reminded that none of us is doing this work alone.
After all, that’s how the Church has always been at its best—not a collection of individuals trying to carry everything by themselves, but a community of people who share the work, the joy, and the hope together.
I can’t wait to see what God has in store.