Question: We keep an open chair to welcome newcomers as is recommended. Consequently, we have people come join a group for 1 or 2 sessions to check it out. Then they stop coming, or come irregularly. It is hard to keep track of the actual members. The size of a group will vary, and membership becomes casual rather than being the committed group relationship that we held as our ideal. Neither Bob's book nor any other info we've seen has dealt with nitty-gritty details such as: Should we take role? Should newcomers from outside the church be required to give complete contact information the first time they come? Are these tasks that facilitators should understand as part of their job? Should we require a joining ceremony? A quitting ceremony? My feeling is that these should all be answered YES.em>


My thoughts: Should you take role? One aspect of the ministry in SGM is paying attention to people and their involvement. I wouldn't do a roll call, but I'd have all of your leaders note who is present. I would also have a member of the group volunteer to call those not present. No one should ever miss a meeting and not have the group reach out to them to check in.

Should newcomers from outside the church be required to give complete contact information the first time they come? I like to have facilitators meet every person before they check out a group. I think groups are better when open, but a good one on one is important. Newcomers can be invited to meet the facilitator before or after a service. If they won't go to church then that tells you something. If they are new and are not planning on going to church you can have them meet you for coffee some time outside of church. Still, good to let them know that being a full part of our church community is an expectation. The small groups are not designed to stand alone. And yes, get their full contact info.

Are these tasks that facilitators should understand as part of their job? Yes. We have incredibly low standards for facilitators. That is why I do not call them facilitators, I call them leaders. In my groups the facilitation of the group is a shared responsibility. Being responsible for the life of the group and connection with the larger congregation is a serious act of leadership. This is another example of our suffering as a faith from low expectations. Raise your expectations and a bunch of people will leave. With those who stay you'll have stronger finances a stronger shared ministry and be on your way to changing lives and our world.

Should we require a joining ceremony? A quitting ceremony? Good to pay attention to these events and spend some time in group on it. However, if you have groups that never end save for certain points when people can opt out or change groups, there will never be a group joining or quiting. As for joining, it is good to review the covenant with a new member before they come to the first meeting.

Some congregations, especially San Jose, have created standard session add ons. Small rituals and words to use when certain things happen. This is a great idea. You can identify frequently occuring events and with your facilitators prepare some standard words or responses to them. A great thing to do in monthly (or more) leadership meetings.

The question of newcomers brings up the issue of how quickly to add newcomers. This can vary by group. I do think it is good for groups to always be adding at least one or two people per year. Otherwise the group becomes closed and isn't really fullfilling the larger vision for sharing our faith. Without reaching out to newcomers within and outside of the congregation small group ministry can easily degenerate into small social clubs. Being open and connected to the larger congregation's ministry is essential. Some groups will want to be closed. In that case you may need to assess whether they are to remain part of your small group ministry.

Open Chair Success Stories?