Tips for Small Groups

by Kaley Ihfe

Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

Small groups are a great tool churches use to help us live out Acts 2:42, providing a natural way for intergenerational relationships to develop. Here are some simple tips that I have learned through the last 25 years as my family and I have made being a part of a small group a priority:

1. Have an organizer – someone who will keep the group communicating and meeting.
2. Be consistent – establish a plan for how often and when you will meet… and stick with it.
3. Keep it simple – don’t make coming a lot of work for anyone. Tip: the food shouldn’t be the main focus or a great deal of work.
4. If children are in your group, include them! You can adapt your Bible study, talk with them while eating, and include them in the prayer time. As the children in our small group all got older, we started having an adult prayer time separate from the teen prayer time, giving teens the opportunity to share and pray with each other.  
5. Be comfortable with change. There may be times you are in an intense, confessional group; but when you have children in the group, it will feel very different. Groups ebb and flow in size – there are times to “birth” new groups and other times to invite others in. There is no one right way to have a group, but whatever way you find works, be ready for it to change as your group evolves.
6. Leaders should model curiosity. This is not the time to have all the answers, but a time for the community to seek God together. 

Small groups are a beautiful way for us to see the Kingdom of God moving in us and among us. Keep these tips in mind as you create community and strengthen relationships in your church family.