Rejuvenating your small groups for 2021
For many churches, small groups are the spiritual and relational lifeblood for the congregation. It is in these groups that we practice life together through encouragement, Bible study, accountability and relational investment. It is in our small groups that strong friendships form and strengthen. It is here that the Word of God comes to life and we see it applied in our own lives.
So how would you evaluate your small group studies in 2020? Were you able to conform to state rules and regulation in order to continue them despite the pandemic? Did you transition your small groups to an online platform? Were small groups business as usual?
As we continue to contend with the pandemic and some lethargy about reconnecting, consider these actions to jumpstart your small groups this spring.
1. Remember that small groups are about relationships.
Consider connecting with each person or couple prior to get their perspective and ideas for restarting the small groups. Their ideas might include a teaching focus, a new way to meet, a common concern, etc. Be willing to listen and be open to praying about implementing their ideas.
2. Keep in mind that your small group will look different.
During the past year people have been developing new habits and rhythms that will change how we offer ministry in the future. For example, online groups are here to stay. We cannot ignore this option going forward. Find ways to incorporate changes and help your group members take ownership and buy in.
3. Make online options accessible.
Church leadership needs to make sure that their online strategy continues to evolve and that current and future small group participants are schooled in using the technology and are given options to engage (live and pre-recorded). Offer one-on-one help setting up and getting used to the technology. Plan to get into the meeting a few minutes before to help with set up and do a brief orientation about the technology so members will feel more comfortable.
4. Create a mechanism for staying in touch after your group time.
You might consider assigning prayer partners to call each other after group is over. Plan to give them some prayer requests and prompts to help make this time productive. You could also text each other in gender specific group texts or chats to share requests. Suggest using other ways to stay in touch as a group during the week such as texts, a private Facebook group, etc. Help start the dialogue by using questions to engage your group members in conversation or by encouraging prayer requests.
5. Train and retrain your small group leaders to utilize technology to include in-person and online participants.
Recruit other leaders to help facilitate this and make sure that everyone feels included and heard. It can be particularly challenging to facilitate a group and monitor the technology, so the quicker you can recruit someone to help with this the better.
6. Consider one-on-one discipleship.
Even in a pandemic, meeting one-on-one (whether virtually or in-person) continues to be a viable way to connect people for encouragement, Bible study and fellowship. Think about offering this option for those who want something more than a small group. Provide standard resources and a pathway for discipleship. Find an effective way to check in and monitor that these relationships are healthy, growing and multiplying.
Do not let this season’s unique challenges derail your small group ministry. Keep moving forward, and get excited about the new possibilities on the horizon!
Sandy Coelho serves as lay leadership development coordinator at the Baptist Convention of New England.