Connecting in Large Groups at Church (Part 1 of 7)
Connection 1: Large Groups
The typical worship service represents the "Large Group"
concept. The connection here is between the people "performing"
the service and each individual who comes to the service. The
more people that participate as "performers" in the service, the
more likely it are that the people attending the service can
make a connection with someone in this medium.
Large Group meetings tend to be of a more formal atmosphere.
There is a usually a defined "stage area" and "audience area"
designed for ease of operations of the service. Because of the
nature of a large group, the time and location rarely changes
and is something that is dependable. Families usually sit
together and there is very little interaction between attendees.
There are several categories of people involved in a successful
worship service. For the purposes of connection, we examine two
groups: The "Front-Line" people and the "Performers" of the
service.
Front-Line: Ushers, Greeters, Nursery, and Parking Lot Attendants
Most people will first encounter either ushers or greeters when
they come to a worship service. Outreach Ministries states that
the decision to return or not return to a church takes place in
the first five minutes. The first people encountered by worship
service attendees should be warm, welcoming, and well trained in
their tasks.
Even though the front-line person is critical to the success,
the "connection" with the Large Group is not made with the
"front-line" person. Merely, a successful front-line contact
sets up the attendee for a successful connection with one or
more performers of the worship service.
Remember that these people are often the first person that a new
guest meets at the church. In effect, they represent the
pastor/speaker of the day. In fact, "Young parents will select a
church more on the nursery care than on the doctrinal statements
of the congregation, " states John C. Maxwell.
Performers: Speakers, Musicians, Artists, etc.
The word "performers" is used here to represent the group of
people who perform the duties of the worship service. A
"Performer" is someone who is supposed to be seen by the
attendees during the service. People who attend a worship
service will likely relate to one or two of the "performers"
during a worship service and a connection point can be made. A
successful connection is made when the attendee can identify
with a performer of a large group. This connection is reinforced
through repeated successful connections over time. The advantage
of this type of connection is that strong connections can be
made without any personal one-on-one contact.
Performers include teachers, pastors, choir members, praise
band, drama teams, scripture readers, announcement speakers, and
anyone else who is seen or heard from the "stage" or pulpit area.
Information Area
The Information Area for new visitors is critical. The majority
of remaining connections will be made or at least set in motion
through this one point.
Churches have many ideas for information areas, and the needs of
the area vary from one church to the next. However, here are
some key points to consider when creating an information area:
1. Have a prominent location for the information area 2. Staff
the information area with the right people who are well-trained
3. Staff the information area well in advance and well after the
service 4. Have plenty of well-prepared "hand-outs" of
information and service directories ready 5. Avoid clutter-keep
it clean and crisp.