Dive Deeper with Non-Traditional Meeting Formats
In my in-person meeting, we have been experimenting with a few departures from the traditional meeting format. These departures were always done for a reason - in this case, to encourage guys to become open and transparent with their brothers in the meeting.
VARIATION #1: STORY TIME
Our first experiment was getting people to tell their story to their brothers. All of it. Unvarnished. This is a firghtening proposition for some people, but an important step in your recovery.
The second week of every month is "story time." Someone volunteers to tell their story in the meeting, usually a week or two in advance. We do an abbreviated opening to the meeting. We make sure to pray and remind everyone about strictest confidence. Then the story teller for the evening has the floor - for the remainder of the hour if he wants. Everyone else gets to listen while he shares and throws everything he can out on the table for all to see.
In whatever time is left (we seem to run long on story nights), everyone else gets to comment and ask questions, always with nothing but love for the guy that just shared. It's cross talk that wouldn't normally be allowed in a meeting, but we allow it in this setting because it is really important to feel support after you just took the risk of sharing all of your dirt. No one is instructing the storyteller, just supporting him. If someone has a burning need to share something they have going on, that's allowed to.
The amount of honesty and transparency in our meetings has improved since we started sharing our stories. Honesty and transparency breeds more honesty and transparency. The bar is rising with every brave act of sharing.
VARIATION #2: A SILAS CHECK-IN MEETING
Every week we talk about checking in with your Silas and talking about what you're feeling, thinking, doing, and thinking of doing, but some guys don't have a Silas yet. Not every Silas uses those four questions to start a check-in. So we decided to do a Silas check-in meeting: we go around the room and everyone tells the group what they are feelng, thinking, doing, and thinking of doing. We also provide the feelings wheel to help guys put words to their feelings. It was a struggle for some, but a good struggle, and is a useful exercise in being vulnerable and honest. Our hope is that in the process we can get some guys paired up with a Silas if they don't have one already.
If you have any questions about these non-traditional meeting formats, please contact me on Slack (user "Patrick").
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