I’ve been in many small groups, and led small groups in the past, and am in the process of starting a small group right now because there’s a dearth of small groups at my church, particularly for the guys. Sometimes, it feels like the best way to join a small group is to just start one yourself! Why is it so hard to get small groups going? Is it just where I am that it’s like this? What issues do you guys see with small groups that you see need to be changed or improved or done differently so that people are growing?
I understand your struggle, and dont pretend to have the answers. From my experience, the two primary challenges are: 1) time and 2) engaging groups.
With the first challenge, it’s hard to reconcile. It seems, more than ever, people have packed schedules that make it difficult to commit to times throughout the week for meeting. I’d love to be in a small group, but often my work schedule has me getting up at 4-5am and getting home around 6pm. I’m usually very tired by this point and often, after dinner and spending a little time with the family, there just isn’t enough time or energy for driving to a group for an hour or so. And, when you do find people that have a few hours to spare for such small groups, getting those times to line up for everyone is a challenge. One person may have extra time on a Wednesday, while another has more time on Saturdays. It’s a real challenge.
The second issue we can do something about. Unfortunately, when I have made time to attend small group studies, I have found that often they can be very unengaging. Some groups have the small group leader doing most, or nearly all the talking. And maybe the things they are talking about aren’t issues that are impacting the people in the group. Other times, when the leader opens things up for discussion, the questions asked are so superficial that people can feel like the group is a bit boring and that they are not learning anything meaningful. So, the next week when it comes time to try to shoehorn in another meeting, people dont make the effort.
So, my only suggestion is to try to make the group as engaging as possible. Ask questions you dont know the answer to. Tackle tough topics and ask follow up questions like, “What do you mean by that? Tell me more.” Or, “How might this topic we are discussing impact your work tomorrow? What could we do differently? How can you apply this principle in a meaningful way tomorrow?” I think the more we can make the conversation probing with practical applications, the more people will see that it is actually helping them in their walk. And then, at the start of the next group, take time for follow up. We talked about *insert topic* last week, anyone have anything they would like to share about how this helped them or challenges they faced applying those scriptures to their day?”
Anyway, I’ve found that to be somewhat helpful, but certainly doesn’t alleviate all the challenges or guarantee the group will grow or maintain regular attendance. Praying your groups go well at your church.
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