Download Host Expectations PDF

Here at North Coast Church, hosts do much more than just provide a home to meet in! They're an important part of the leadership team. Some of their responsibilities are:  

PROVIDE A CLEAN, COMFORTABLE HOME
Key Questions:

• Is my house clean and picked up by meeting time?
  A clean living room, kitchen and bathrooms help people to relax and feel comfortable in your home.
• Do I have enough comfortable chairs?
  Hard chairs make for a long meeting! If needed, you can purchase padded folding chairs from Costco for about $17 apiece.
• Do I have enough lighting?
  A well lit (not glaring!) room energizes a group, while a dark or dim room de-energizes it. Maybe it's time to add a lamp to that dark corner!
• Is my house free of dog or cat odors?
  If you have indoor pets, your house may have odors you've grown used to. Ask a good friend for an honest evaluation of your home. Also, remember that many people are allergic to dogs or cats. It's a good idea to ask your group about this at your first meeting. If it's a problem, you may need to keep your animals out of the house before or during the meeting.
• Are my children interrupting the group?
  It's important that children do not interrupt the flow of the meeting, either by coming out themselves, or by requiring you to leave the meeting. Of course, there will be times in the quarter when this is unavoidable. But these times should be the exception, not the rule.

PROVIDE A WARM AND FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT
As part of the leadership team, your job is to help your members feel loved, accepted, and welcome. This involves things like:

• Introducing them to one another during the first potluck/meeting.
• Providing positive feedback and support to members during the meetings.
• Talking with the shy or less popular members before and after meetings.
• Keeping in touch with group members between meetings.

PROVIDE SUPPORT & FEEDBACK FOR THE LEADER
One of the host's jobs is to discuss and evaluate the group with the leader on a regular basis. This often can be done informally after everyone leaves. For example:

• What's going well in the group? What's not?
• Who's hurting in the group?
• Who's growing?
• How can you help?

Another way to help the leader is to jump-start the discussion when it lags.

ORGANIZE THE GROUP TO MEET PRACTICAL NEEDS, ETC.
One of the host's most important jobs is to organize the group to meet practical needs when they arise in the group. One of the most common needs is for meals during a time of illness or crisis.

ORGANIZE THE WEEKLY REFRESHMENTS, QUARTERLY POTLUCKS & SOCIALS.
Hosts are responsible to organize the weekly refreshments. They also work with their leaders to plan the group's potlucks and socials. Once planned, the hosts are responsible to organize and oversee the details, for example:

• Who's bringing what to the potluck.
• Making reservations for the group's social.
• Calling to remind members about an upcoming social.

ATTEND ALL TRAINING MEETINGS

•  Essentials Training for All New Leaders and Hosts
  Saturday, September 8 - 8:30 AM-12:30 PM
• Kickoff Event for all Leaders and Hosts
  Friday, September 16 – 7:00PM-9:00PM
• Mid Quarter Training – TBA

Do you have any questions about your responsibilities? If so, please contact your "Station-In-Life" leader or the Growth Group Office with your questions. North Coast Church (760) 724-6700