Hey all,
Our group was curious how people do new member consent in a circle and if the potential new member is present for those discussions. Some people brought up a concert that people might not feel comfortable sharing concerns they had about a new person if they were there in the meeting.
We allow all members of our org to attend any circle meetings as guests. So basically the flow is that they might attend a meeting or two as a guest, then ask for a proposal to be added to next meeting to add them as a member if they wish. This has been happening already with a few new folks joining the meetings and circles.
I feel like I remember this question coming up in some SoFA training, but I can’t quite remember the response. One option we are considering is having the new member step out for the explore and consent portion of the meeting when they are being considered. But on the other hand, maybe its helpful to have them there if there are objections to help integrate them together.
I am curious what other groups do and the values guiding that choice.