Seven Tools Help Church Welcome Newcomers

When Laura Schlatter began attending Unity Church-Unitarian (818 members) in St. Paul, Minn., some years back she had a hard time making connections. “It’s really amazing that I stayed,” she says. “People didn’t talk to me, and I’d go home from coffee hour literally crying at times, wondering how I was ever supposed to connect with people. Finally, I just elbowed my way in, but it was really difficult.”

The culture at Unity has changed since then, and Schlatter helped change it. She joined the church’s staff four years ago as full-time membership coordinator with much of her energy focused on integrating new and not-so-new members. She has seven tools to help people connect:

• Finding yourself at Unity. Seven hours over three sessions, these newcomer classes tell folks about Unity. Most valuable feature? Two opportunities for reflection and small group discussion. There are typically 18 in a workshop. Those who participate often remain friends.

• Covenant groups. Newcomers are encouraged to join Unity’s covenant group program––groups of 7 to 9 who connect with each other through personal sharing, spiritual exploration, and service projects for the church or community. Places are always open for newcomers.

• Launching Into Unity. A group of 18 new people is assigned one or two longtime members as mentors. The group meets socially three to four times over two to three months and may also do a service project. After these goals are met the group can continue to meet, or not, as it chooses.

• Gifts, talents, and interests survey. A check-off survey so Schlatter can identify the gifts and interests that newcomers bring. The information goes into a database. “This helps us reach out to people in ways that are meaningful to them,” says Schlatter.

• Circle Suppers. Groups are together four months, then mixed up.

• Sunday morning welcome teams. Teams usher, do coffee, and staff welcome tables. There is an annual potluck and training for participants. Each team is encouraged to get together socially a couple times a year. A good way to get newcomers involved in a small, but vital way. “You can’t be lonely if you’re pouring coffee,” says Schlatter.

• OpportUNITY sheets. Seven-page handout with listings of all of the ministry teams (a.k.a. committees) and small groups. Includes contact persons for each group.

Do these tools work? Schlatter says the growth rate has been around 4 percent for several years, compared to a static membership previously. “We’ve not closed the back door, but we’ve narrowed it,” she says. “People are getting involved and staying.”

Schlatter goes down the list of friends and members every few months “to check in with myself about what I know about what folks are doing.” She also invites specific people to activities she thinks they’d like.

Information about people’s interests and activities is kept in the church database, and that’s helpful, says Schlatter, “but talking to people is still the best way to find out how they’re doing.”

She adds, “A key thing to remember about these tools is to make them as accessible as possible. Our welcome table is set up every Sunday, no matter what, with information on all our opportunities for involvement.

“The image I hold as I think about newcomers is one of embrace—I want people to feel the open arms as they walk in, and to feel that there are paths to help them connect to the right small community within our larger religious community.”

For more information contact Laura Schlatter at lauras@unityunitarian.org.