Seven steps that bring a small group to a healthy end

1. During the last meeting,talk about your experience as a group and what the group meant to you. Use affirmation questions to get the conversation flowing:

•  If you could give a gift to anyone in the room,what would you give and to whom?
• Pick someone in the room and name a characteristic they have that you are most thankful for.

This ends the group on a positive note and helps members leave with good feelings about their small group experience.

2. Fill out a written evaluation or survey, answering questions like, What did you like most about eh group? What did you like least? In which area of your spiritual life do you feel you grew the most as a result of meeting with this small group?

3. Plan to keep in touch in the future. (Set up a fellowship time once a month after your last meeting, just to see how everyone is doing.)

4. After the group closes, have the leader(s) and host or hostess write a note of appreciation and encouragement to each member.

5. Be sure your church's co-ordinator of groups has a complete list of all the participants for future reference.

6. Make sure that the group leader lets everyone know about alternative small group opportunities. This way interested people can get involved in new groups.

7. At the final meeting the leader should exhort members to continue to pray for each other. The leader can also encourage them to continue getting together- as prayer partners, for example.

• Contributed by Judy Hamlin, Prestonwood Baptist Church, 15720 Hillcrest, Dallas, TX 75248