Shining Light Technologies Blog

An automatic email notification can be sent when a group member misses multiple weeks in a row.  The following video shows how to configure and use this optional feature.

Attendance Email Alert

Here is a sample of the email notification:

Collections are the starting point for the groups module.  Collections contain sets of related groups.  Examples of collections are Care Groups, Small Groups, Bible Study Groups, Sunday School, Families, Staff, etc.  Every group must be placed into a collection.  Attendance reporting and rosters can be displayed across an entire collection (e.g. all Sunday School attendance).

Ministries are a separate module, and may or may not correlate to collections.  Ministries may contain sets of groups, but a group does not need to be placed into a ministry.  A ministry may contain groups from multiple collections.

The following example shows an example for two collections (Kids Club and Sunday School) and two ministries (children and teens).

Care Groups are small groups of people led by key individuals and couples who understand the overall purpose of the church and are skilled in helping people become active serving members of the church.  Care Groups can make the difference in connecting new members to the church family.  Care Groups provide an opportunity for people to develop close relationships, where people have an opportunity to relate more deeply with a small group of people.  Care Groups are designed for application of truth, with the expectation that truth is being discovered through the regular preaching and teaching of God’s Word.

Qualifications for Care Group Leaders

• Dedicated to the mission of the church – “all in” and ready to apply Biblical council to concerns raised by care group members, involved in weekly outreach activities
• Encouraging – ready with a positive word, Biblical council
• Compassionate – sensitive to the needs of others, expressing concern and seeking to meet needs wherever possible
• Organized – disciplined in regular contact, remembering important dates, following up where necessary

Guidelines for Church Leaders:

• Prepare material for teachers and care group leaders
• Give note cards to care group leaders
• Do not overwhelm care group leaders initially – reduce the initial list to the essentials (Fellowship, Followup, Faithfully Report) and fill in with reminder emails
• Send bi-weekly reminder email with tip, idea, etc
• Conduct quarterly meeting with staff, class leaders, and care group leaders

Guidelines for Class Leaders:

• Look for natural fits between care group leaders and care group members (life stage, career, personality, geography, interests, etc)
• Assign new people to care groups after clearing with church leadership
• Use Shining Light Tech Groups component to form care group rosters
• Constantly reevaluate care group assignments

Guidelines for Care Group Leaders:

• Schedule a fellowship within one month of forming care group (e.g. meet for coffee, game night, pizza after church, etc)
• Contact each member of your care group weekly
• Communication ideas – share a verse, mention an activity, ask a question, share a praise, follow up on a prayer request
• Use a mix of email, phone calls, text messages, handwritten notes, and visits
• Send weekly status email to group leader and church leader, focusing on praises and concerns
• Use social networking to encourage care group members
• Ask for prayer requests and pray faithfully
• Recognize birthdays & anniversaries
• Encourage and disciple care group members
• Invite members to relevant activities
• Seek to form connections between care group members and other members of the church or larger group
• Invite each care group member over or out for a meal one time per year
• Coordinate meals
• Encourage new converts to enroll in discipleship
• Expose care group members to ministry opportunities
• Take on special projects as a care group
• Be patient with people who are less faithful and/or seem less committed
• Encourage care group members to reach others with the Gospel through personal interaction and organized church-wide outreach
• Recommend good material (books, music, websites, etc)
• Facilitate genuine fellowship among the members of the care group
• When concerns arise, share with leadership