It’s the launch of a new semester, and I am reminded once again that I am quite possibly the worst small group leader at NCC.
My group slowly rolled in between 7:30 and 7:45 last night, mingling and getting to know one another over lime tortilla chips and cookies, we sat down in the living room and shared our expectations for the group, and then we enthusiastically dove into our study. As I was winding down and moving to prayer, one of the group members said, “Could we just go around the circle really fast and share names?”
Hello, my name is Heather Zempel, and I totally forgot one of the key components of a first small group meeting. Granted, they had all met over chips and dip, but giving small group members a chance to do some quick get-to-know-ya is critical to building community from week to week. Yes, the first step towards building community is knowing the name of the other person.
Building community in those critical first weeks will look different for every group, but here are some ideas:
- Name Tags- I know we all hate them, but they really do help. Consider using them on the first couple nights of a brand new group.
- Creative Icebreakers- Pass around a bowl of M & Ms, ask each person to take a handful, then ask them to share one thing about themselves for each M & M they pull out.
- History Giving- At some point in your group, have each member tell “their story”- where they grew up, about their family, their spiritual history, etc. Sharing history is the first step in building community.
- Share a Meal- Incorporate a meal into some of your group meetings. Community builds much faster when you are eating together.
Anybody else been stupid?
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