We’ve started a new small group ministry within the bilingual group that I work with at the University Church of Christ. Going on the theory that late is better than never, let me ask for some input.
Have you been involved in small groups? Have you been in an especially successful group? Have you been in a group that was unsuccessful?
What works and what doesn’t in terms of…?
- frequency
- size
- location
- format
- study/discussion materials
- childcare
Any other thoughts or suggestions you’d like to share?
The congregation where we Steve has tried small groups in different ways. Since I am in my 9th month here, I can only tell you what we are doing now.
Groups meet on the 1st & 3rd Sunday evenings.
Groups range in size from 10 to 25. Most seem to think that 12-18 is the best size.
We have 2 groups that meet in homes and the rest scatter around the building in classrooms. (For those at the building there is an abbreviated combined worship. Some choose to leave afterwards and not attend a group.)
Typically the group leader will ask for prayer requests and someone will lead a prayer. A discussion of the day’s lesson will follow. Then the group will discuss any projects of outreach, encouragement, benevolence, etc. they are taking on as a group.
The minister (me) supplies the material based on the sermon(s) from that day. Most of the time, the morning and evening lessons are connected by passage or theme. I provide outlines for the leader by midweek along with discussion questions.
One of the reasons we have groups at the building was to answer the child care issue. Our teens have their own group. Some of our college students lead the children in a class setting.
Where we live there are churches that use the midweek small group time to review and move forward from the current series topic from Sunday. We know this is quite popular in some areas, but my wife and I would rather deal with an alternative topic to what’s happening at weekend services. I like how Mark Batterson’s church in DC takes a “free market” approach and allows people to step up with study theme ideas.
With one exception, any groups we’ve been part of in two different churches have met in homes and the location stays fixed. Others contribute food snacks.
The only group we were ever in that met at the church did so in order to provide child care. I was aware of another group in our city that met in a house with a huge downstairs area while the children were ‘entertained’ upstairs, but most people don’t have a house that big (that noise won’t carry) and these people actually purchased their house planning to host small groups from day one.
The format was basically Open (general question to get discussion going) Study (usually a printed outline or book, but not always) and Prayer (requests.)
I prefer weekly to bi-weekly with breaks for holidays, etc.