05.26.10
Overlooked Small Group Essentials II... The Importance of Conversation Between Meetings
The amount of and the substance of conversation that takes place during the small group meeting is directly related to the amount of and the substance of conversation that takes place between meetings. I am asked all the time to teach on the small group meeting. The real question seems to be, “How can our group have a life-changing, biblically-driven, story revealing conversation when our small group gets together?” I always go through a list of well-known, often written about ideas: 1) Be sure to do ice-breakers as they create a conversational environment, 2) Be sure that as group members arrive you greet them well making them feel welcome and converse with them about their day and what is taking place in their lives so that you deal with those surface conversations before the real meeting even begins, 3) you as a leader should model vulnerability and transparency so that the conversation goes past surface discussions into real life, 4) be sure you’re asking open-ended questions that lead to conversation rather than closed-ended questions that shut down the conversation, etc…
But in almost every instance someone says… “I do all of that but my group members still won’t talk.” My next question… “How much do you and your group members communicate between meetings?” And, in almost every instance, there is a revealing silence. I then state, as I did earlier in this blog-post… “The amount of and the substance of conversation that takes place during the small group meeting is directly related to the amount of and the substance of conversation that takes place between meetings.”
Communicating between meetings can take place in multiple ways. 1) Twitter. If group members are tech savvy, and each group member tweets ongoing, group members will know some of each other’s journey throughout the week. Being aware of life-stuff ongoing helps individuals continually sense some level of connection. 2) E-mail one another. E-mail has become an acceptable and appropriate way to share quick thoughts, ideas, opinions, and to pass on jokes, videos that capture our attention and to communicate prayer requests. In most instances group members will respond in some way. A warning… If your group is made up of 20 somethings or younger they may see e-mail as an old and slow way of communicating with one another. 3) Text messaging… Texting between friends is an amazing way to pass on prayer requests, group member’s opinions about a movie you’re considering seeing, and to just ask another group member how their day has gone. Connection at any level between meetings is better than none at all.
But the best way to make the conversation all it should be when your group gets together is to hear one another’s voices via telephone or even better, face-to-face. Use twitter, e-mail, or texting to let your group know where and when you’re going to be eating dinner out and invite them to join you. Invite group members to your home for a night of Wiii bowling or playing cards of to watch the last episode of Lost. Find ways, and utilize them, to connect with group members between meetings. This will greatly enhance the group experience.
Thanks for sharing this timely post! As our church begins another round of small groups this week I will be passing this email along to each leader...
It is the golden age for Adult Small Groups (Sunday School or Home Groups).
Social media makes it easier than ever to stay connected with groups of people.
We must leverage technology like email, twitter, text messaging, and facebook.
However, we must also keep it personal. Send communications that are meaningful and provide a benefit for people who will become more involved, and use social media to drive personal interaction.
Also, remember that people don't read email, it's not as effective as you think. Keep it short, keep it valuable.
Rick, this was great! Will be passing this on to our Small Group leaders...and practicing better myself! Thanks!