3 Helps for Connection Success
Sunday was a great day of pushing on the flywheel of recapturing our Connection Culture. Thanks to every leader who was present all morning Sunday to lead our church in the crucial mission of helping people be known and loved.
As exciting as Sunday was, the real work of connecting happens post-Connection Event as you contact the people you met and receive them into your group. Here are three quick notes to remember over the next few weeks to help and encourage you as you Connect with People and begin the journey of helping them Grow in Faith:
Think Three Contacts.
For each person that you met, think about following up with them three times in three different ways, at three different times. Don’t always try on your lunch break for example. And don’t rely only on email! Text and social media platforms seem to be the most effective. After three tries (in three different ways!) don’t worry about it any more. You can’t force people to show up.
Celebrate Who is There.
A much larger percentage of people sign-up at Connection Events than actually show up. That’s OK. Just expect that as a leader and don’t let it discourage you. Focus on the ones that do show up, pour into them, don’t focus on who doesn’t show up. Even if no one shows up from the Connection Event, celebrate your faithful group members! And if you are launching a new group and you start with a low number, that’s OK. Think quality of impact over quantity.
Bonus Help: 8 Tips to Overcome Low Attendance Blues
Focus on Building Relationships.
It should go without saying, but your first 2-3 group times together coming out of a Connection Event should primarily focus on building relationships within the group. Especially focusing on helping know one another’s stories. Growth in relationships allows credibility to speak into one another’s lives, which is where real discipleship can begins. John Maxwell said it well, “They don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
Bonus Helps:
Knowing Their Story
4 Keys to Getting Their Story