How the right approach to your sessions can make your meetings more meaningful.
by Life Together
Being an effective leader demands a planning and a prayerful heart.
When you go to prepare for each small group meeting, review the session and the leader's notes, and write down your responses to each question. Pay special attention to exercises that ask group members to do something other than engage in discussion. These exercises will help your group live what the Bible teaches, not just talk about ...
This download will equip small-group leaders and coaches on the principles and practices of soul care, both individually and in community. Use it for a group training session or hand it out to leaders as a tool to help them care for others—and themselves.
Participate in an intercessory prayer activity based on Psalm 23.
Tami Rudkin
1. Have someone read Psalm 23.
2. Have these short prayers cut apart and give one to each of your group members.
3. Have each person write his/her name in the blanks.
4. Then have them pass their prayer to the person on their right.
5. Have each person pray the praise/prayer they received; they will be praying for each other.
6. Make sure everyone gets one but you do not have to ...
A reading based on Psalm 23 that focuses on contentment.
Tami Rudkin
Begin your worship time asking your group to make a list of the things they have in their lives because of God, i.e. peace, joy, sense of security, etc. After you have given them a couple of minutes to do that, ask them to share one of the things they wrote down. Have someone in your group read Psalm 23 and follow that up with the, I shall not want, reading. Highlight different lines and paragraphs ...
One characteristic of a small group that is struggling is that there is little or no discussion. Sometimes this occurs when a group is very small, or is comprised of people who have varied knowledge levels and/or methods of learning. I have witnessed small group leaders try to remedy this situation by developing questions for the group to answer in order to foster discussion. I have observed this ...
The small groups would seem to be the ideal place for families to come together.
Daphne Kirk
Isaiah 41:4 says, "Who has prepared and done this, calling forth and guiding the destinies of the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord—the first and with the last—I am He" (Amplified Bible). As the generations were created by the Almighty God, "what God has joined together, let no man put asunder"!
From generation to generation, the responsibility of every believer is to pass on ...
Download this hymn for free to enhance your group worship time.
The Hymn Project
Worship should be an essential part of most small groups. However, few group leaders are professional musicians, and many feel nervous or inadequate when it comes to leading other people in song. Fortunately, SmallGroups.com has partnered with The Hymn Project to bring you a variety of classic hymns that can be used in your group. Each hymn includes an MP3 track played on solo piano, as well as the ...
As Christians, we look forward to eternal life with Christ.
Perhaps Christians don't spend enough time thinking about dying and going to heaven. The preacher of Ecclesiastes tells us "He has also set eternity in hearts of men…" This 12-session course will help you think about the many aspects of this. Use it with your Sunday school class, small group, or as a personal study to explore a topic we all should face.
God provides comfort when you need it most, and the power to persevere.
"The following 6-session course is by Marshall Shelley, written within a year after the deaths of two of his children. During Marshall and his wife's desperate turning to Scripture, they discovered how God gives strength to his people in difficult times. These six studies focus on six sections of the Bible that offered them fresh glimpses of how God works.
This six-session course helps single parents navigate the struggles and joys of parenting on their own.
Being a single parent is one of the tougher jobs a person can be given. This six-session course gives perspective on unique problems that a single parent faces, such as: tight budgets, parental visits, time for yourself, spiritual encouragement, dating again, and loving your job as a parent. Written by a single parent, this course will encourage you that although the job is tough, it's not impossible ...