The Critical First Five Minutes of Your Small Group

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The first five minutes of your small group are the most important. It is a good idea to start with some kind of icebreaker—a get-to-know-you question. Ideally, this will tie in to the lesson itself. For example, if you are teaching the story of the Prodigal Son, you might ask everyone where they fit in the birth order of their family. The story specifically mentions an elder brother and a younger brother, so birth order is relevant. Once we spend a few minutes with an ice breaker, we dive into the lesson itself, starting with the introduction.

In this article, I want to talk about the introduction to the group Bible study & discussion time. What is a good introduction to do, and why is it important? Why do we need an introduction—or do we? If you use the suggestion in this article, you will never again struggle to keep people’s attention.

The first five minutes should answer the question, “Why should I give you my attention today.” The easiest way to do this is what I call, “Introduction by Promise.” There is an example in the paragraph above. (It is intentionally overstated.) Perhaps some more examples would clarify:

Great Introductions for Your First Five Minutes:

  • If you will give me attention today, I will show you how to forgive when forgiving is hard.

  • Thirty minutes from now, you will be able to enjoy an absolute assurance of your salvation.

  • I want us to discuss today how we can worry less than we do.

  • I want to talk to you today about how we can break destructive habits in our lives.

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joshhunt@churchleaders.com'
Josh Hunthttp://www.joshhunt.com/
Josh Hunt loves small groups. He travels extensively training group leaders. He has spoken in some of America's leading churches including First Baptist Church Atlanta and Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, VA. He has written several books on group life including You Can Double Your Class in Two Years or Less, Disciplemaking Teachers and Make Your Group Grow. He writes a popular online curriculum called Good Questions Have Groups Talking. His website is www.joshhunt.com

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