What will you DO with your JEW in your PEW? It’s time to talk integration.
After the high holy days is the point in the year when most congregations have seen the largest influx of new members that they are bound to get. We have gained members through outreach, open houses, pre-school and religious school . . . now what?
It seems that so many of our congregations spend (and rightfully so) a large amount of time and resources recruiting new members. We then seek to integrate the new member by bringing them a challah on Shabbat and perhaps even welcoming them at a new member Shabbat dinner in the synagogue. After that, then what? What is your plan? To truly be successful at creating life-long members an integration plan must be developed, nurtured and updated.
The low-hanging fruit of integration includes such things as:
- Make sure new members are entered into the database so they will receive e-mail and snail mail.
- Be sure to make sure that any yahrzeit information has been entered in to your system so notifications can be sent.
- Be sure to enter new members’ Hebrew names onto your Sanctuary rolodex so when they are called for an honor (aliyah) their names are on file.
- Check to see what committees or interests a new member has checked off on his/her application and forward that information along so new members are invited to participate. Follow up with committee chairs to be sure they were.
- Beware of using terms on notices and in articles such as, “after services” and “after minyan” without mentioning what time those services and minyan take place. New members are unlikely to have this information memorized.
Havurot groups (friendship circles) are another way that many synagogues use to integrate people into social groups. These havurot may be based upon common interests, common time in life (singles, young marrieds, married without kids, married with kids, empty nester, single again, senior, GLBT). These groups often become the foundational structure for a synagogue with many groups staying together for decades.
The above steps are great, but they are not enough. If a welcome challah, shabbat dinner, committee work and havurot are the only integration plans at your synagogue I would ask you to do more. I urge you to do more. The above is a good start. But we can do better. Consider the following:
- Give new members an opportunity to have a private or group meeting/meal with the rabbi, cantor, school director, executive director. Developing a relationship with the rabbi and other professionals are key to member integration. It is the best way for people to know that they are recognized, known and appreciated. Further, is lays a groundwork for the future for times when these members will be interacting with them on a more intense and intimate level regarding life cycle events.
- Are you Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative, Orthodox, Modern Orthodox? Do your members know what that means? Take the time to explain what your religious practices are to new members. You would do well to spell out the specific observance customs of your community. For instance, do you do a full Torah reading or are you on the triennial cycle? Do women count for minyan? Are members encouraged to participate as service leaders and Torah and Haftarah readers? Etc.
Take the time to explain to your members your style of worship? Remember, some people actually join your synagogue without ever having attended a service. Different synagogues have different worship customs (for example do you stand for the entire Aleinu or sit down after Ain Od? Does everyone stand for Kaddish or only the mourners and those observing yahrzeit? Are you a synagogue where community members wish each other “l’shana tova” or are you more of a “gut yontiff” community? Knowing the customs of your community will go a long way to making people feel “in the know” or like “insiders.”
Do we provide new members with a map of our building? Doing this helps by explaining your synagogue “jargon” (Not everyone will know what you mean when you refer to “Weinstein Hall,” or “Littman Loge.”). Also, some synagogues only unlock certain doors on Shabbat and even different doors for the high holy days. Walking to the wrong door can be frustrating and embarrassing. Pass this information along. Members should also know where the rest rooms and coat rooms are. I would go so far as to encourage you to communicate fire exits and fire extinguisher locations. The location of first aid and AED devices and your evacuation plan if you have one. Of course, your building should have good signage so it is easy for people to navigate their way once they are in the building.
What great integration techniques are you using in your synagogue? Please feel free to comment so we can learn from eachother.
Edited August 2010
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