Starting Small Groups in Your Church
Youth 2011 was awesome! You’re back home, feet up, exhausted! Ready to head back into the old youth group routine. If only Youth 2011 could continue (apart from the exhaustion, of course). How can we keep up the energy, enthusiasm, and spiritual growth of our young people?
Small groups are one of the best ways to do this. A group that focuses on genuine friendship, honest discussion, scripture study, and prayer can help keep the flame burning in young people’s lives. Perhaps your church has never organized small groups such as this, or maybe your small groups need a boost. Here are some practical tips to get you moving in the right direction.
Share the Vision
Talk about the possibility of small groups with your pastor and other youth leaders. Be enthusiastic! Work through the following steps to draw up a plan and a timetable. Seek approval from your pastor to begin work on the plan right away. Most churches will be happy with this, and you can report to the church council on your progress at regular intervals.
Recruit Small Group Leaders
Talk with your pastor and other key leaders about who could lead small groups. Also get input from the youth in your group about adults that they would like to see involved. The main qualities needed by small group leaders are a sincere faith, a love for young people, and a willingness to listen to and to encourage youth. These people can be adults of any age. Recruit leaders by personal invitation, not through the church bulletin! Plan a get-together to discuss your plan with them. People will be most likely to say yes if you offer them continuing support, resources, and training.
Offer a Range of Meeting Times and Places
Young people have busy lives, so it’s best to offer some choices about meeting times. If you only offer one meeting time, you will exclude some people. It’s better to have several small groups meeting at different times than to try to keep everyone together in one group and end up excluding persons who can’t fit into your schedule. Don’t forget breakfast and before-school times as possibilities. It is best to meet weekly, if possible, although some small groups meet every two weeks.
Where to Meet
The meeting place may be at the church or in someone’s home, as long as it is a comfortable setting and you can meet without interruption. One advantage of meeting in a home is that the young people get to interact with the adults who live there—perhaps over a meal at times. However, some groups meet in fast-food restaurants before or after school. Establish a regular meeting place so that group members and parents know where you will be.
Group Ages and Sizes
Small groups can have as few as three people and preferably no more than eight. Four to six people is a good size. If your group is larger than eight, you may want to meet together at the beginning and end of your session for prayer and announcements but form smaller groups for your sharing and discussion times. (NOTE: If it takes some time to recruit enough small group leaders to have groups of optimum size, use the option above with larger groups in the meantime.) Small groups tend to work best if group members are of a similar age. With younger teenagers, girls tend to be more socially mature than boys, so it may be worth considering separate groups for boys and girls.
Start with a Celebration
Plan a local “More Than Celebration” two to four weeks after folks arrive back home. Be sure to encourage young people who did not attend Youth 2011 to come as well. At this event explain the opportunity of small groups for ongoing support and spiritual growth. Schedule a time and place for interested people to meet, preferably within four weeks. Be aware that some will say yes immediately, while others will want time to think about it. Come back to them later with another invitation. Once again, a personal visit is the best invitation.
The First Meeting
If you start with a combined gathering, it’s better to make it an actual experience of small group life than a meeting to discuss small groups. Begin with some games and group-building activities; then move on to some personal sharing, Bible discussion, and prayer. You may want to use the same style of meeting that you used for Devo Time at Youth 2011. If your Devo Time has been a positive experience, the young people will want more of it. Involve the adult leaders in planning this initial meeting. In the future you may involve the youth in planning as well. And don’t forget to have some food!
Small Group Resources
A wide range of excellent small group resources is available for youth ministry. You may want to put together your own meeting models based on topics with which your youth are dealing. We recommend using devozine, a devotional magazine for teens from The Upper Room, and the “In the Habit” blog, a FREE companion resource for leaders. The magazine will help young people to develop their daily devotional life and can be the springboard for your weekly group sharing. The “In the Habit” blog offers easy-to-use outlines for your small group sessions focusing on the devozine themes which the youth have been reflecting on during the week. [NOTE: The “More Than Celebration” session designed for use once you are back home from Youth 2011 is one example of an “In the Habit” session.]
Support for Leaders
Leaders say that what they need most is encouragement. Ask your church to designate someone as the small group coordinator. This person can offer encouragement to leaders and help to recruit new members. Your groups will be most effective if leaders are given some clear expectations and guidance regarding preparation, group leadership, and confidentiality. It is important for the small group leaders to meet together every 6 to 8 weeks to see how they are doing, to check on their group’s progress, to share ideas and learnings, and to talk about issues of concern. If your Conference or District offers training sessions for small group leaders, encourage your church to help pay for small group leaders to attend.
Share the Story
Youth ministry is a ministry of the whole church. Invite adults in the church to pray for small groups and their leaders. Find opportunities in the church bulletin and in worship services for young people to tell the story of how the groups are going. Put up a photo display of groups to encourage others to join. Seek the continuing support of your pastor. Try to keep the enthusiasm building so that small groups are seen as a vital dimension of your church’s ministry with young people. Have faith that God will use your commitment and planning to enable young people to grow in their relationship with Christ and with one another. Go for it!
—from devozine. Copyright © 2011 The Upper Room®. All rights reserved.
Craig Mitchell, a youth minister, Christian educator, and college professor, is currently undertaking a national research project for the Uniting Church in Australia. In his spare time, he writes devozine articles and “In the Habit” blog sessions.