The first meeting is critical to the rest of the season and you should think carefully and strategically about how you use it.

Before the Launch

Contact your group in advance

• Contact all members to reconnect and, for those who are new, welcome them to the group. Inform everyone of the location and time of your group, as well as any details they might need.
• You can get your roster online. You’ll receive notification for any new people added to your group.

Items needed for the first meeting

• Dinner/dessert plans decided (optional)
• Small group covenants: you can download and print, or our office can print
• Nametags (leader or host should make them ahead of time)

Two goals

1. Build relationships. Rekindle old relationships and begin building new ones. Without healthy, authentic relationships, your small group will struggle to break through to authentic, meaningful community around God's word.
2. Set expectations. Do this by walking through the small group covenant. (There's a leader guide to the covenant which will help you walk through each point.) The group covenant is only helpful and worthwhile if the leader verbally affirms it and encourages the group to remain faithful to it. It will also be helpful for the leader to circle back several weeks in and remind the group of their commitment to one another.

Sample agenda

Eat (50 minutes)

• Arrival (10 minutes). Greet people as they arrive. Make drinks available. Play upbeat music. Make sure the house is cleaned.

  <aside> 💡 Leadership Tip: Studies show that the first 7 seconds a person spends in a room can make or break the remainder of their experience in that room.

  </aside>

• Meal (40 minutes). Eating together is a great way to start the season. It gives people an opportunity to reconnect or meet new people. Thank God for the meal and ask for his blessing on the evening. Encourage your group to get to know someone new or update each other on life.

Discuss (50 minutes)

• Starter questions. Refer to the leader guide for questions you can use during this time. These questions are simply meant to give the group an opportunity to get to know each other better.
• Talk about the value of starter questions. Talk to your group about the value of spending time on "get-to-know-you" type questions (what we call "starter questions"). Explain the importance of building relationships and the helpful role these kinds of questions play in helping you connect with others. Mention to your group that they can expect discussion times in the future to begin with starter questions. We sit in circles, not rows, because we want to know each other and relate to each other.