I know most of us have a lot going on this week with the start of the semester, so I’ll keep it short and sweet. One of the most important aspects of your ministry should be your weekly large group meetings. When these are done with excellence people notice and are more likely to come back. When your meetings are sloppy and unorganized people also notice and respond accordingly.
It’s important to realize that the time and effort you put into your meetings reflects to others the amount of care you have for your ministry. If students come to your meeting and there’s no set agenda and it seems like everyone just “goes with the flow” the meeting will feel aimless and you probably won’t accomplish as much either. Students may not say that or even realize that they think that way, but it is still communicated subconsciously.
When I first started this blog I talked about how it’s possible to have a well planned and thought out meeting while still allowing freedom for the Holy Spirit to move. Having a well organized meeting shows that you care and will help your ministry succeed and draw others in. People will be happy to come back because they know what to expect. Here is a template for creating a service plan similar to the one we use for the BASICcon.
Does your group use something similar for planning out your meetings? Have you found that having an organized meeting encourages people to come back?