People are taking a risk when they are brave enough to venture into an unknown room at church or in a home for a group meeting with people they don't know. As we start a new year of group ministry, we'll have many people in our groups who are looking for a group to call home–a place where they can love and be loved, build community, be supported and prayed for, and develop new friendships. Let's give some thought to making that first visit one that will make them eager to return.

Be Expectant:

Expect guests. Be early, be prepared, and be welcoming.

Be Welcoming:

Keep the conversation going, be a good listener, ask good questions about their families, where they live, what they do, and what interests and hobbies they have. Introduce them to other group members at every opportunity. 

Connect Them to Others:

Recognize that the key to a good start is to help guests get to know people. One activity that speeds that process is to have everyone in the group introduce themselves and share something about themselves in five sentences or less. Make sure the guests go last!

See Everything Through Their Eyes:

Many prayer requests can be very confusing. If you are in a new group and someone says, "Continue to pray for my uncle," that makes the guest feel like an outsider. You might give a sentence update for the guest — "John's uncle in Tennessee has brain cancer."

Follow Up Quickly:

You can't follow up without their information. At Group Central, we keep paper forms on hand, and you can also direct guests to brookhills.org/guest, or have them scan the QR code posted in your room. Any of these options will provide a way for them to enter their details. However you do it, you can't follow up without some contact info. You might say, "Could I get your cell number so I can text you info about our next event?"

Inform Them:

Let them know some things that are important to your group. Tell them about things you do during the week and about events or mission activities you engage in. Help them get connected. Let them know you'd love to have them to be a part of your group, but also let them know they are welcome to visit others to find a place that feels like home.

Pray for Them:

Be sure to pray for them during the meeting and beyond. There is something precious about being prayed for. You might ask them after the meeting how you can be in prayer for them.

Invite Them Into More Community:

Many groups use GroupMe for keeping the conversation going during the week. Did you know that you can print out a QR code for your particular group and invite guests to scan and join? Let them know they can unsubscribe at any time.

Let's do our best to make people feel at home. You might think that people will search until they find a group. Just know that people often try one group and conclude, "This isn't for me." That is significant info for us to process. Let's be serious about welcoming guests.