Listen well and respond with care.
Someone in your group may share a loss, a marriage struggle, a mental health concern, or another painful situation. You may feel unsure what to say.
You don’t need to have every answer. Begin by listening, showing care, and helping them connect with support.
Pause and listen
Give the person your attention. Let them share without interrupting, rushing toward advice, or trying to explain why something happened.
You can ask a gentle question if it helps you understand, but avoid pressing for details—especially in front of the group.
A simple response can be enough:
“Thank you for telling us. I’m glad you shared that.”
Acknowledge what they’re carrying
Recognize the weight of what they’ve shared without assuming you know exactly how they feel.
You might say:
“That sounds really difficult.”
“Thank you for trusting us with this.”
“You don’t have to have everything figured out to share with us.”
Avoid minimizing their experience, comparing it with someone else’s, or promising that everything will work out a certain way.
Help the group respond with care
If people begin offering quick solutions or asking for personal details, gently guide the conversation.
Try: “Let’s give them room to share without feeling like we need to solve this right now.”
Ask the person what would be helpful: “Would you like us to listen, pray with you, or help you connect with additional support?”
Allow them to choose how much they want to share. If a longer conversation would be helpful, offer to connect privately after group.
Offer prayer
Ask whether they would like prayer. Keep your prayer simple and attentive to what they’ve shared.
You don’t need to use the prayer to give advice or explain their situation. Ask God for comfort, wisdom, and support for the next step.
Connect them with support
Relevant’s Care Team can help support people experiencing grief or loss, marriage or family crisis, mental health struggles, addiction, or ongoing hardship.
Involve additional support whenever a situation is beyond what you feel equipped to handle.
You can say:
“We have a Care Team at Relevant that would love to support you. I can help you get connected if you’d like.”
To help them connect:
Visit relevantcommunity.org/careteam.
Text NEED HELP to 55444.
Contact Nick Petrick, Equipping Director, at nick@relevantcommunity.org.
For a Marriage in crisis, text MARRIAGE to 55444.
Offer to sit with them while they take the next step or check in afterward to see whether they were able to connect.
Follow up personally
After group, reach out with a simple message:
“Thank you again for sharing. How are you doing today, and what would be helpful?”
Ask before sharing their situation or prayer request more broadly, including in the group text. If you’re unsure how to handle sensitive information or what support to involve, reach out to Anna for guidance.
Reach out when you’re unsure
You don’t have to carry a difficult situation alone. Contact Anna when you need help thinking through your response or connecting someone with care.
Anna Thomas
anna@relevantcommunity.org