How to: Move Your Community Group Online
By: Jeremy McAllister
So, you just found out that your group is transitioning from in-person to meeting online and I’m sure you have a few questions. This guide is designed to give you the answers as well as a slew of best practices and pro tips to help you continue to lead your group into community.
- What does “Online” even mean? An Online Group is a Community Group that gathers weekly through a video chat, conference call or a text platform (preferably in that order) to share life, discuss the sermon notes and pray for each other.
- How do I tell my Group? You are free to use any avenue you would like, but we have provided an easy copy and paste response below to help you get ahead of any questions you may be asked.
“Hey Friends, here is a message that I just got from (Your Church Name)…
Greetings Leaders, In an abundance of caution, to best align with the direction of our government and in care for our (Your Church Name) family, we are asking that all groups suspend meeting together in person until further notice.
Instead of meeting together in person, we are inviting all of our groups to continue meeting online through video chat, conference calls or group texts.
This means that we won’t be meeting together in person this week, but it doesn’t mean we stop being a community. I would like us to (insert your preferred method of meeting here).”
If you get asked questions about “why” or “how long,” feel free to point people to (Your Church Website) for the latest information.
- What Tech do I use? There are a lot of options out there, but here are a few of our favorite digital platforms to choose from. We have linked several different platforms that you can choose from as well as their help pages if you have any questions.
Pro Tip: If tech isn’t your thing, see if someone in your group enjoys it and invite them to lead the charge of connecting the group in this new way.
We have also written the aptly named How to Have a Good Video Call to help you lead at your best through this new medium.
For any questions email jeremymcallister@sandalschurch.com
