Connect Team Conversations: Recent Episodes

Chris Rivers

A discipleship Track to help Connect Team Leaders at Grace Church lead their Connect Teams by creating a welcoming environment and connect people to the mission of the Church.

If you have any questions about these conversations or want us to discuss a topic in a future conversation, email us at connectteam@gracechurchsc.org

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In this episode, referencing the Connect Team Handbook (GraceChurchSC.org/ConnectTeamHandbook), host Chris Rivers interviews Brad Walbridge and Tim Bosier as they discuss the people involved in welcoming members and guests. They look at various Connect Team roles and explore the question: how do we engage with the people we see at our campuses each week using a discipleship lens? For Connect Team volunteers, the primary mission is to help people feel connected to the church. This means, regardless of your role, there is always an undercurrent of looking for new faces and focusing on ways to improve the experience and comfort level for members and guests. Specific roles are explored, including:

  • Connect Team Lead- This is a person who is really clear on who Grace is as a church and is involved in worshipping and serving. They act as a model for the rest of the team. They are knowledgeable, lead or assist in training new volunteers, and drive the vision and growth of the team
  • Parking Team - Individuals serving on the parking team are the first impression for guests. They are responsible for engaging people as they walk in and directing them to where they need to go. This can also include small tasks such as helping a family with young children as they are getting out of the car.
  • Welcome and Greeting Team - A member of this team should be welcoming, engaging, and highly energetic. Their goal is always connection. They seek to meet new people each week and build relationships. They also escort guests to destinations such as the worship center, children’s check in, or the guest services team.
  • Guest Services Team - This is a person who has the ability to move towards people and make them feel welcomed. They are aware of what is going on and are knowledgeable about the activities and ministries at Grace. They help to connect the dots for guests and members.
  • Usher Team - This role is often viewed as logistical, but is vital for creating a welcoming environment. Ushers are not simply tasked with seating people, but with having a pulse for who is coming in and out and looking for ways to interact. They should be warm, inviting, and approachable.
  • Safety Team - The mission of a safety team volunteer to serve attendees by helping to create a safe environment for worship services. While they should be alert and aware of what is going on around them, they are also responsible for connecting with people. These connections often help them

NEXT STEPS:

  1. Review the “People” section in the Connect Team Handbook (LINK). Talk about what you have heard with your CT lead, campus pastor, or other group members.
  2. If you are already serving, think of one small step you can take this week to help someone feel more connected. If you are new to serving, brainstorm one idea you could implement in your new role.

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In this episode, referencing the Connect Team Handbook (GraceChurchSC.org/ConnectTeamHandbook), host Chris Rivers interviews Will Fallaw from the Travelers Rest campus of Grace Church. Throughout the podcast, Will strives to unpack the processes within Connect Team that allow each member to use their role as a volunteer to further opportunities for discipleship, which is the mission of the church. Will emphasizes the importance of creating a process as a connect team to help pull the church body into discipleship. He warns that without it, our natural tendency is to become too invested in connecting within a team and neglect the mission of the team itself, which is to help connect the body of the church to each other. Without a great process to eliminate distraction, this ministry can be chaotic and unfruitful. Chris and Will discuss three big ways to welcome members and guests, including tips for embracing the potential awkwardness and staying mission-minded through practical strategy and intentional communication.

NEXT STEPS:

  1. Review the “Process” section in the Connect Team Handbook (LINK). Talk about what you have heard with your CT lead, campus pastor, or other group members.
  2. Get a copy of the Connect Team Game Plan to review on your own.
    1. Ask a campus pastor for this resource if it is already created, or get it on paper if one is needed. Encourage other CT members to review and discuss this with you!
  3. Commit to listening to Episode 3 of the Connect Team Conversations.

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In this episode, referencing the Connect Team Handbook (GraceChurchSC.org/ConnectTeamHandbook), Chris Rivers speaks with Derek Nelson and Chas Crenshaw about the purpose of Connect Teams. They explore the importance of creating a welcoming environment for newcomers. This includes prioritizing guests, personally engaging them, and taking steps to connect them to the mission of the church. By utilizing various techniques such as asking personal questions, remembering names, and directing people to resources (i.e. childcare, coffee, information, etc), Connect Team members can offer an approach that is both personal and authentic. This can also lead to feelings of greater connectedness among guests and a desire to pursue next steps within the church. Chas and Derek reiterate the importance of the huddle in casting this type of vision. A huddle is a unique opportunity for Connect Team members to meet each week before the service begins. During this time, leaders pray for the group, provide encouragement, and remind team members of the “why” behind what they do. This helps to refocus the team on the mission and prevents members from simply going through the motions.

Questions for Reflection

Prior to serving in your Connect Team role, take time to answer this question:

  1. What does it look like to be hospitable? What can I do to ensure the guests I interact with today feel as comfortable as possible?

After serving, take time to reflect on these questions:

  1. How many guests did our campus see this week?
  2. How many guests did I personally meet?
  3. What are the names of the guests I met?

NEXT STEPS:

  1. Review the “Purpose” section in the Connect Team Handbook. Discuss any questions or insights with your Connect Team Leader or campus pastor.
  2. Consider the “questions for reflection” during your next serving opportunity.
  3. Commit to listen to Episode 2 of the Connect Team Conversations.

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Back in July of 2019, when COVID began to be more challenging for us all, several of us began to ask ourselves, "how do we help volunteers think of their role as a function of discipleship and not just parking cars, waving at people, and helping people find a seat?"

We put some language togetherand ultimately started introducing this to our Campus Connect Team Leads with the hope that we could focus on successfully accomplishing the mission (making disciples) and our ministry (Connect/Safety Team). We called it the 60/40.

In this interview, Chris Rivers speaks with Will Fallaw and Lauren Rowland who serve on the Connect Team at Grace Church's Travelers Rest Campus. They recently hosted a training with their team to discuss the 60/40 and how to implement it.

Here’s a suggestion on how to kick off the 60/40 with your volunteer team.

  1. Share the interview with your volunteers and staff.
    1. Ask your team to take a week or two to listen to the content and come up with 1 or 2 ideas that could help advance the growth of discipleship within your team members. Give them enough time to listen to this conversation and come up with ideas. Then
  2. Meet together as a team and brainstorm some of the following questions:
    1. What did you like best about the principles outlined in the 60/40?
    2. What does our team think about discipleship? (new leaders vs. seasoned leaders, are there evident gaps or needs for equipping around certain topics?)
    3. What content from the podcast might be most helpful for our volunteers?
    4. How should we adapt and roll out this content in our context? (I.e. huddles or a big training?)

If you have questions, need help with implementation, or just want us to discuss a topic on the podcast, please email us at connectteam@gracechurchsc.org.

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The Grace Church Central Situational Safety Training was conducted on Thursday, Nov 7, 2019, at the Grace Church Pelham Campus. 

Access the meeting agenda and the 11 different situational safety scenarios here.

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In this episode, we hear from Kenny Gilliland, Connect Team volunteer at the Grace Church Powdersville Campus. Kenny shares why he believes serving on a Connect Team is vital in our discipleship journey and addresses the covid19 proximity challenge and how we can stay connected.

NOTES

  • What Grace Believes about Serving (http://bit.ly/384j0EZ).

  • Connect Team Roster Template and action steps (https://bit.ly/2wqPHiZ).

  • Want to get plugged into our serving community? Connect with us at Hellograce.church 

If you have any questions about the Podcast or want us to discuss a topic on a future episode, email us at connectteam@gracechurchsc.org.

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This episode features Bobby Raulerson, Campus Pastor at Grace Church Harrison Bridge Campus in Simpsonville, South Carolina. Bobby shares why he believes serving on the Connect Team is a vital step in the discipleship journey and also discusses several ways to create guest engagement while serving on a Connect Team.

NOTES

  • The 11-minute experience (https://apple.co/35LGHQN).

  • What Grace Believes about Serving (http://bit.ly/384j0EZ).

  • Being Expectant Exercise (http://bit.ly/2TP4xHr).

If you have any questions about the Podcast or want us to discuss a topic on a future episode, email us at connectteam@gracechurchsc.org.

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This episode features Christian Ruiz, GroupLife Minister & Taylors Campus Lead at Grace Church Español Campus in Greenville, SC. Christian shares why he believes serving on the Connect Team is a vital step in the discipleship journey and also discusses several ways to create guest engagement while serving on a Connect Team. NOTES - The 11-minute experience (https://apple.co/35LGHQN). - What Grace Believes about Serving (http://bit.ly/384j0EZ). - Integration Team Template (http://bit.ly/2Vxog15). - Digital Connect Card - (https://hellograce.church). - Proactive Engagements Template (http://bit.ly/3846pS1).  If you have any questions about the Podcast or want us to discuss a topic on a future episode, email us at connectteam@gracechurchsc.org.

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Chris Rivers and Ross Jackson give an overview of the four leadership development stages a Connect Team Leader can use to implement in his/her next Huddle.

NOTES

  • 05: Introducing the Huddle with Ross Jackson (http://bit.ly/2OLX22x).

  • Implementing Leadership Development Overview (http://bit.ly/2Hkyol7).

  • Launching Leadership Development Exercise (http://bit.ly/3btxYqt).

  • How to Huddle Video Training (https://youtu.be/a_jcDH_nFtU). 

If you have any questions about the Podcast or want us to discuss a topic on a future episode, email us at connectteam@gracechurchsc.org.

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This episode features Ross Jackson, Regional Connect Team Advisor at Grace Church in Greenville, SC. Ross shares why he believes serving on the Connect Team is a vital step in the discipleship journey and also introduces the Huddle, a practical discipleship tool that’s used to communicate the purpose of the Connect Team, build up new leaders, and call people to action.

NOTES

  • The 11-minute experience (https://apple.co/35LGHQN).

  • What Grace Believes about Serving (http://bit.ly/384j0EZ).

  • Huddle Template (http://bit.ly/2RWzQ3f).

  • Huddle Example from Grace Church Downtown Campus (http://bit.ly/2GXIUyw).

If you have any questions about the Podcast or want us to discuss a topic on a future episode, email us at connectteam@gracechurchsc.org.

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This episode features Stephen Dickey, Campus Pastor at Anderson Grace Church in Anderson, SC. Stephen shares why he believes serving on the Connect Team is a vital step in the discipleship journey and also discusses why being expectant helps us get outside of ourselves and create community.

NOTES

  • The 11-minute experience (https://apple.co/35LGHQN).

  • What Grace Believes about Serving (http://bit.ly/384j0EZ).

  • Connect Team Weekly Rhythm Checklist (http://bit.ly/2O0tcXw)

If you have any questions about the Podcast or want us to discuss a topic on a future episode, email us at connectteam@gracechurchsc.org.

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In this episode, we hear from PJ Mancuso, the Safety Coach at the Grace Church Travelers Rest Campus. PJ shares why he believes serving on a Connect Team is vital in our discipleship journey and discusses why delegating responsibility helps him lead his team and demonstrate a guest mentality.

NOTES

  • The 11-minute experience (https://apple.co/35LGHQN).

  • What Grace Believes about Serving (http://bit.ly/384j0EZ).

  • Safety Incident Report (http://bit.ly/2NJ43As). Ask your Campus Administrator for a digital format of this.

  • Safety Team Newsletter Example (http://bit.ly/2FK4W7u).

  • Safety Team Newsletter Template Safety Team Newsletter example (http://bit.ly/2FIRfWu).

If you have any questions about the Podcast or want us to discuss a topic on a future episode, email us at connectteam@gracechurchsc.org.

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This episode features Chris McGowan, Creative Worship Pastor and Shepherding Elder at Grace Church in Greenville, SC. Chris shares why he believes serving on the Connect Team is a vital step in the discipleship journey and also discusses the VIA MODEL that guides Connect Team volunteers in demonstrating a guest mentality.

EPISODE RESOURCES- What Grace Believes about Serving (http://bit.ly/35KSq27).

  • The VIA Model Exercise (http://bit.ly/2NeJXOn).

If you have any questions about the podcast or want us to discuss a topic on a future episode, email us at connectteam@gracechurchsc.org.

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In episode one, Chris Rivers shares why the first 11-minutes of a guest's experience at Grace Church may be one of the most pivotal steps in their discipleship journey and how you can play an important role in making that happen.

NOTES

  • First 11-Minutes of a Guest statistic (http://bit.ly/2Qy92ps).

  • Guests comprise 4-5% of a campus's annual attendance statistic (http://bit.ly/2sK0W49).

  • 2019 Grace Church’s total average weekly statistic (https://yearinreview.gracechurchsc.org/2019/). 

  • The 11-Minute Experience Exercise (http://bit.ly/2T4cdqC).

If you have any questions about the Podcast or want us to discuss a topic on a future episode, email us at connectteam@gracechurchsc.org.

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Welcome to the Connect Team Conversations, a resource dedicated to helping encourage Grace Church volunteers to create a welcoming environment and connect people to the mission of our Church.

Living in a world where so many people are only looking out for themselves, it is difficult to recognize what true biblical hospitality looks like.

The scriptures tell us that we are each given a unique set of gifts, talents, and abilities for the specific purpose of serving the Lord and building up the church. Each week on the podcast we will hear from members of our Connect Team as they share their stories, discuss weekly tips and talk about why serving is such a vital role in our discipleship journey.

Consider subscribing on iTunes, or whatever podcast provider you prefer so you can be notified with each new episode. If you have any questions about the show or want us to discuss a topic on a future episode, consider emailing us at connectteam@gracechurchsc.org.