Getting to Know You Week 1 (2018)

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Getting To Know You - Part 1 In the beginning stage of a Community Group, it is important for people to feel welcomed and accepted. During the first couple of meetings, invest time in getting to know each other. For experienced group members this may seem tedious, but it is paramount for people who are new to groups or for groups that are adjusting to each other. This guide offers a suggested outline for your first community group meeting.

Goal of the First Meeting Your main goal is for people to get to know each other!

BEFORE YOU MEET Remind people a few days before the meeting of your meeting time, location, best place to park, what food to expect, if kids need to be fed beforehand, any pet allergies, etc.

It is not necessary to cover material or help people grow spiritually… yet. Just make sure they actually connect with one another. That is what will bring them back and open the door for discipleship. Here are a few tips to help make that happen: 
 Set aside time for conversation. Having conversation over dinner is a great option. (Below are a few suggestions to help you with this process. Remember, at the first meeting we’re just trying to connect people!) Greet everyone personally. As the leader, do your best to meet everyone at the door when they first come in, especially if they don’t know others in the group. Help group members connect with each other. If you notice people standing alone, talk with them and introduce them to other folks. Help people learn each other’s names. If you have a big group you may want to consider having name tags. You could also play a game to help remember names. For instance, ask people to say their name and an adjective that describes them and also begins with the same letter (e.g., Laughing Laura, Theology Tony, Caring Cathy).

Getting to Know You

TIP Studies show that the first seven seconds a person spends in a room can make or break the remainder of their experience in that room. Don’t miss out on a great first impression!

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 Suggested Items for the First Meeting Food Copies of the group meeting schedule Sign-up sheet or 3x5 cards to capture information Name tags (if you have new group members or are a new group) Tip…
 Hang & Eat Time (30 minutes)


Provide snacks or dinner at the first meeting in order to facilitate conversation, to ease uncomfortable feelings, and to create an environment of openness and safety. While everyone arrives direct them to:
 • make a nametag (we encourage you to provide nametags the first couple of times
 you meet). • write down their contact information (name, phone number, email, and birthday). • get something to eat, and to begin meeting others who came.


Sharing Stories (45 minutes) To help the group get to know each other, have each person introduce him/herself and share a little with the group. Express to the group that they are free to share as little or as much as they want (this is balancing introverts and extroverts.) As the leader, you start. Which will also help set the tone. Name, family, work/life situation Tell a scar story. (Most of us have at least one scar somewhere on us. Have each person share a little about one.) Or, share an embarrassing moment. Continue by having each person share their faith background. 60 seconds or less for this one. Grew up in church, Rolling Hills is your first church experience, etc. This will help you as the leader know your group members. You might want to jot the answers down to remember them.


Next Week (2 minutes) Let them know that you will continue getting to know each other and talk about our expectations for the group the following week.

TIP Finish your “formal” time 10 minutes before the group end time. People will hang around and visit, so go ahead and allow for that as you plan

Prayer Time (10 minutes) End with prayer. However, do not simply “take prayer requests,” for there is often an uncomfortable silence when people do not know each other and feel pressured to offer an issue in order to relieve the tension. To avoid this, ask those in the group to share some things that they are currently praying for. Have someone record these needs and as the leader, close the group in prayer. After the group meeting, make sure an e-mail is sent with the prayer list as a reminder to pray. *You may also want to set up a Facebook group or use the app GroupMe. Someone could type prayer requests as you go and send them right then.

Getting to Know You

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