The Ministry that Almost Wasn't

What happened after no one showed up

The first gathering of a new ministry is always anxiety-inducing, but especially so when no one shows up. Whew. Many of us have been there before, eager and excited with a new idea, ready and waiting after days or weeks or months of preparation. The anticipation builds with every person who walks in the door if you meet in a public setting, or by every sound in a quiet church building if you’re staying closer to the congregation. Then it all comes crashing down.

That could be the end of the story of the 787 Collective’s second-ever Collective Thread in Bryan/College Station. Collective Threads is an initiative through the 787 Collective for city or area-based gatherings of young adult ministry professionals for support, connection, fellowship, and spiritual nourishment. These groups are put on by young adults, for young adults. And, for the Bryan/College Station Thread’s leader, after the first night did not go according to plan, she could have thrown in the towel. She could have decided it was not worth her effort. Thank God she didn’t. Thank God she tried again.

I met Hannah Thomas last fall at the Progressive Youth Ministry Conference. I had been asked to give a Tiny Talk at PYM about my experience founding a young adult ministry that you may have read about before on this Substack called Gather Austin. In that talk, I shared how our first night of Gather also did not go completely according to plan. Unlike this Collective Thread, we did have folks show up – but the feedback I received from my dearly beloved husband was that Gather’s first night was “kind of boring.” A critical, yet important piece of feedback – and something that caused us to change and shift.

Hannah came to speak to me after all the Tiny Talks ended. She introduced herself as the Director of Faith Formation at First Presbyterian Church in Bryan, Texas, and we talked about her own yearning for a group like Gather in her area. For a group of young adult Christians to come together for fellowship, spiritual practices and disciplines, conversation, learning, and fun. Especially in an area that is dominated by large and mega non-denominational churches, Hannah was yearning for an open space for wonder, possibility, curiosity, and connection. It was some of those same yearnings that drew me to create Gather Austin back in the fall of 2022 – and it was this connection we made that led Hannah to consider starting a Collective Thread.

We began meeting monthly on Zoom to get to know one another more and share about our yearnings as young adult leaders. She was already open to starting a Collective Thread based on what she heard about it at PYM, and so earlier this spring, she began to gather names and send out invitations. It is a bold and courageous thing to email strangers and invite them to have dinner with you – to share stories and begin to grow a community. That’s Hannah, bold and courageous.

The week after her first Collective Thread gathering, which did not go according to plan, she was a little discouraged and disappointed, but also determined. She already had a plan in mind: she would choose the location and the date well in advance, she would send emails and follow up reminders, and she would personally invite people again and again. She was not quite ready to give up on this idea, this dream, this yearning.

I listened to her with amazement, noting all that she had learned and doing my best to encourage her along the way. I remember texting her and praying for her the day of her first “real” Collective Thread gathering, hoping beyond all hope that some people took a chance on this invitation. Knowing that if they did, they would encounter a passionate, funny, and kind leader who had just enough planned to begin building community without overwhelming anyone. I went to sleep 100 miles away looking forward to hearing how things went, and waking up to a slurry of excited texts. She, and 3 others, had the most amazing time together.

Over appetizers and drinks, a new group formed – a new ministry opportunity. Not for these leaders to have to do anything besides show up and share. There was no homework to complete, passage or chapter to read, or any other kind of preparation. The invitation was to show up and be heard. Be seen. Be supported. Hannah told me later that they stayed for 3 hours – yes, you read that right: three hours! They just about shut the restaurant down at the end of the night, leaving after long weeks of ministry work feeling a little bit more energized, a little bit fuller.

At the end of a busy week, after pouring out over and over again in their various communities, four ministry professionals came together for the first time. Led by one brave and courageous minister who saw a need in her own life and decided to do something about it. It did not work as she expected it to on their trial run, but after the second and third gatherings of the Bryan/College Station Collective Thread, Hannah is well on her way to a supportive, sustaining, and encouraging community. Thanks be to God.

The Bryan/College Station Collective Thread is one of three Collective Threads that are a part of the 787 Collective. Two others are in the early stages of beginning, with a potential fourth coming later this summer – in addition to our first one that is on pause. Through these spaces, young adult ministry professionals are able to come together for mutual support, empowerment, connection, fellowship, fun, and spiritual nourishment.