One thing that always made me feel welcomed and comfortable in a group was when the youth pastor would ask me to stand up during the group time and single me out as a visitor.

Just kidding. ;)

Tim – to further your 2nd point, I learned a small trick from a y.min. seminar/training I’ve shared with my student and adult leadership teams every year to help engage in conversation with new visitors. Basically: get to know where they are F.R.O.M. and ask questions along these lines (almost always guaranteed to springboard into other questions and keep the convo flowing)

F = Family: what is their family like? Do they have any brothers? Sisters? Pets? Are they the oldest? Youngest? Middle?

R = Recreation: what do they like to do in their spare time? Are they involved in any sports? Band? Movies? Video games?

O = Occupation/School: what do they enjoy in school? Favorite class/least favorite class? When do they plan to graduate?

M = Most Memorable Moment: Tell me your favorite memory from _________ (last summer, last school year, last week, etc).

It’s simple, memorable, and non-threatening to visitors and opens the door to learning about that student and helping them feel welcome.

I’ve had students come back and tell me how effective this has been in getting to know new people who visit – especially when they are unfamiliar and they aren’t sure how to connect with them or what to say. It’s been a great tool for us to use to remind students and adults of how important this is in our ministry!

Tim,

Your videos look really good. What are the compression settings you are using? Thanks!
Steve