Taking On A New Church Group in Maine: The strategies you need to start up

14 Jul Taking On A New Church Group in Maine: The strategies you need to start up

Taking on an organized group or initiating a new one can be terribly challenging. The following are some great tips for new church group leaders in Maine that will let move your group easily to becoming a powerful tool for the better fit.

Launch your group well

Your first meeting as a group you should be concentrated on establishing relationships. In part, the achievement of your group will hinge on the relationships within the group. The first group meeting can be intimidating for everybody involved. Let the first night be a time for people to get familiar with one another.

The meeting style should (generally) include: Engage, involve, and challenge.

Establish a welcoming environment. Seating: sit in a circle so everybody can see one another and it’s easy to pay attention. Phones: Silence ringers and implement a phone fast while your group is meeting.

(For Youth Groups) Contact parents. The most suitable method to do this is to send a letter home with your small group students with your contact information and a picture.

Sign a group covenant. The group covenant is a tool to help each group live out the 5 Gs, as well as other values your group may want to implement. The group covenant is located on the back of the small group sign up card (orange).

Pay close attention to aspects and personalities in the group. As a leader, you will soon find out there are some people in your group who will often dominate the conversation, while others may never seem to open up. The earlier you determine these dynamics (and others, such as where people are in their faith journey, etc.), the sooner you can address them and help your group navigate through them.

Be transparent. As the leader, you set the tone for the group. The more authentic you are, the more likely your group members will open up and be genuine. However, in doing this make sure not to dominate times of discussion or sharing.

Creating healthy boundaries for your group. Boundaries make good communities if fences make good neighbors. Use the group covenant to keep the group moving in the good direction.

Implement the golden rule. Your group should be a safe place for everyone, which implies you have to accept one another as you are.

Confidentiality is crucial. What is said in the group; stays in the group.

Have yourself committed. Ask everyone to commit to the group for the given period of time. When that time is up, give them the freedom to carry on or stay plugged in.

Always be prepared. Even if no one comes. Everyone won’t be able to make it constantly.

Hang time. Simply socializing together is of great value for the growth and health of the group. Make a point, up front, to schedule a few meeting nights just for fun.

Start and end of time. Honor everyone’s commitment by building consistency into the agenda early on.

Allow for social time. Build social time into the beginning of every group meeting.

Open and close in prayer. Open by praying for the lesson and close by asking God to help everyone apply what they have learned.

Immediately recap the previous week. Don’t spend a lot of time here, just a quick review of the main theme from the previous week to refresh everyone’s memory.

Start the conversation. Open with a story or a question; just be sure it is on the topic of the night.

Be relaxed with silence. Some people “talk to think,” while others “think to talk.” Let silence linger for about ten seconds before rephrasing and asking again.

Look for procedures to interact outside of meeting time and stay in touch throughout the week. Stimulate people to get together in smaller groups throughout the week to share a meal or hang out.

Keep the conversation going. Start a blog, Facebook text, email or page your group to post thoughts, prayer requests, and comments on the weekly study.

Try to keep it fresh: Even the best groups hit stale times where there is a need for renewed energy. When it does plan something out of the ordinary, watch for this to happen and. Take a charter bus Maine out for the day and do service projects around town, visit a museum, or go plant flowers for the elderly in the church.

Accomplishing something different can help bring back those that may be tired of the same old weekly meeting.