52 Ways to Go from Stranger to Friend - with David Boice

David Boice has done one of the most interesting public experiments on the internet — 52 Churches in 52 Weeks. What began as a personal search for a spiritual home has become a rare document of the Christian architecture of America: not just what churches teach, but how Churches treat people as they walk inside for the first time. Over dozens of Sundays, David has become a quiet expert in the subtle social technologies of community — hospitality, fellowship, teaching, and the fragile process by which a stranger becomes an insider. At a moment when many of us are asking how “thick community” is built, David’s observations carry unusual weight.

But the institutional dynamics — how Churches greet, orient, and integrate new attendees — are only half of the story. We also discuss the psychology of the newcomer. The imposter syndrome that surfaces without a shared history, ancestry, or education in the faith. The question of legitimacy (“Is this the one true church?”) that mirrors the modern anxiety of dating (“Is this the one true spouse?”). The deeper tension between a spiritual life that maximizes freedom and optionality and a spiritual life that requires commitment. How do we recognize the difference between ambient doubt and genuine warning signs? What does it mean to choose something — or someone — in a world engineered to keep every option open? Mallory, Diana, and David compare notes on the varying anxieties that come from being a convert versus a lifelong member of an organization.

David brings incredible stories from the road — and by now, he’s far beyond the original fifty-two. Some are funny, some are moving, all of them illuminate what it means to belong where you’re still learning the rules. This was a joyful, surprising conversation, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.