ADAPT Session 2
Hospitality and Connection
Shift: From Fellowship to Relationships
Session Time: 90-120 minutes
Preparation:
Read chapters two and six
Have participants sign in on the attendance sheet
Loving: 20 minutes
Prayer
Scripture Focus: 1 Peter 4:9, Hebrews 13:1, & Romans 12:13
1 Peter 4:9 – “Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.”
Hebrews 13:1 – “Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.”
Romans 12:13 – “When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.”
Accountability Check-In
Review Group Covenant as needed
Homework complete?
Report on action step from last session
Learning: 60-80 minutes
Topic Introduction: 20-30 minutes
In today’s session, we will talk about first impressions (hospitality) and how we connect relationally with new people. Connection refers to how we connect person to person first, the person to the church second, and the person to Christ as a result. Connection is the black hole between hospitality and faith development. These processes must be relational and intentional.
Observations from the bookand facilitator notes: Chapters 2 and 6
Chapter 2:
- The “hang out” test – what would people say about that in your church?
- How we treat people out in the community speaks volumes about how we would welcome them in our churches or our homes
- In order to invite people to worship, we have to know them first
- Best hospitality people are often the newest people because they know how it was with them
- Hospitality training does not stop with the hospitality team – it involves everyone
Chapter 6:
- Connection process helps us build relationships with new people and it aims toward helping people become disciples
- Become sensitive to the needs of people outside your congregation
- Connect relationally first; if people fade away after the first few visits, you probably have a connection issue
- Pray for the new people instead of just sending them letters; have a specific team of people praying for newcomers
Ask the group what they learned from their reading assignment. Is there a case study from the reading that relates to your current situation? If so, ask the group to discuss this.
Discussion and Discovery: 20-30 minutes
As a group, answer the questions at the end of Chapters Two and Six.
Group Questions – Chapter 2
- What does your present hospitality look like? Is it a team or a one-person operation?
- Is a hospitality culture embedded throughout the congregation?
- Does the congregation feel more like a family reunion or do new people get connected?
- Could you interview your most recent guest and ask about their experience?
- Tell about a recent time when you were a guest in an unfamiliar place and how it felt and what your experience was.
Group Questions – Chapter 6
- What is the process in your church to help guests connect within the life of the congregation?
- How does it feel to desire a connection to a person or group when that desire to connect is not shared by the other?
- If the church holds a community event and collects names, what are the next steps after the event to build a relationship with those guests?
- Identify people within your congregation who have the spiritual gifts of being highly relational.
- Share a time in which you were in a new situation and you felt you were quickly connected to a group.
Video: 7 minutes
Play the video provided for Session 2.
Additional questions as time permits:
- Talk about the distinction of hospitality versus radical hospitality.
- What are some specific things that could be done to improve hospitality?
- What are the specific steps for connection for a first time guest at worship? Second time in worship? A guest that comes once and doesn’t return?
Shift Analysis: Fellowship to New Relationships
Ask each participant to complete the provided analysis worksheet. Compare one another perspective on their analysis. What prompted their score? What would it take to move the church to a higher score?
Leading: 10-20 minutes
Key questions:
- What can you do to keep your worship gathering from feeling like a family reunion that excludes strangers and guests?
- When was the last time you visited another church? What were your impressions?
- Who is the most welcoming and hospitable person in your congregation? What do they do that makes you mention them?
- What can you do to help people connect better with others in your church?
Key Learning
What is the key insight for our church in its current context?
What do we need to remember to help us move forward?
Action Steps
There are no action steps to take as a group at this time. However, take some time to focus on what God may be calling you to develop or do in your personal life.
Homework
Read Chapter Three
Assign Group Leader, assign devotion and prayer leaders for next session
Closing Prayer
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