Hi Diana,
I have a question I would like your readers to address.
"What techniques do you use to recruit new members to your group?"
I'll be interested in their approaches. Thanks!

I am a facilitator of a small group, and have also been a facilitator in the past. To the question: "What role does a facilitator need a minister to play for SGM?", the answer for me is the role of mentor. I think of myself as a junior assistant minister :-), so some input on how to handle different things that come up is very useful. I attended a few facilitator meetings in the past, and it was also good to hear how other facilitators were handling things, but I think that group met too often (once a month). Usually, there are not a lot of problems.

Of course, the minister needs to be available if one of the group members is having a crisis or serious difficulty in their personal life. It's important that the facilitators keep the minister informed about that kind of thing.

Hope that's helpful.

The Network will present Facilitator Training: The Key to Small Group Ministry Success with Diana Dorroh, Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer, Rev. Dr. Justin Osterman, and Rev. Bret Lortie. The workshop will provide a concrete plan for designing and implementing a comprehensive training program. The minister's role in sharing and blessing this ministry will be a special focus. Visit the Network booth in the Exhibit Hall where our newest publications and resources will be available.

Join us in the majestic Appalachian Mountains for a week-long immersion in small group ministry! The Institute offers general and in-depth sessions to match every program, and features daily small group experiences plus a take-home plan. Emerging resources and developments included. Discounts for early registration and UU SGM Network membership. Flier and registration form available on the Events Page of the UU Small Group Ministry Network website. http://www.smallgroupministry.net/events.html.

Peter Bowden, co-founder of our Network, has launched a new small group ministry video series, making the content of his consulting and trainings available to all our congregations, a boon to church budgets. Find the new videos and subscribe to the video channel on Youtube™ at http://www.youtube.com/smallgroupministry.

The SGM Quarterly journal is distributed to members of the UU Small Group Ministry Network four times a year. Issues are added to the web site after the subsequent issue has been sent to members. The Quarterly features articles by ministers, program leaders and facilitators, as well as tips and other resources on Unitarian Universalist small group ministry and covenant groups. Join the Network to subscribe. Download a membership form from www.smallgroupministry.net.

Coming Soon: Ten Years of UU Small Group Ministry. The Network's 5^th anniversary compilation of SGM articles published throughout 2008-2009, plus rediscovered articles from the earliest years of Covenant Group News, beginning in 1999. Available late June 2009.

Facilitator Training and Development Manual, UU SGM Network, December 2008
The guide to implementing in-house training programs. Covers facilitator selection, initial training, and on-going facilitator support. Includes the Facilitator's Guide to customize for your program, use in training sessions and distribute to all group leaders.

Unitarian Universalist Small Group Ministry, UU SGM Network, June 2008
A compilation of more than fifty articles from five years of the Network's website and newsletters. Arranged by topic: basic elements of SGM, program structure and design, starting and promoting your program, the minister's role in shared ministry, facilitation, group development, session plans, and the application of SGM principles in multiple aspects of congregational life.

To order: http://www.smallgroupministry.net/forsale.html.