Basically, small groups happen every other week in place of a large group gathering. You can have kids come to the same place you meet for large group and then just have them split up into groups. Or you can have them meet in homes at the same time you would meet for large group. Either way, small groups happen on the same night/time of your large group. This way, students don’t have to give up another night. It allows you to accomplish both large and small group ministry in one night a week.
The downside to this format? You may scare away non-Christian students who don’t want to be in a small group yet. Also, students may not want to invite non-Christian friends because they know they’ll be split up into small groups and it may feel uncomfortable for them.
3. Small groups every week as part of your midweek or weekend program.
Basically, you make small groups part of your large group gathering. Most student ministries that do this have small group following the teaching time so students can discuss what they just heard. Again, this is a great way to not make students give up another night. Also, it helps every student enjoy a form of small group ministry. I like this small group structure because it allows students to instantly discuss a lesson.
The downside? You usually don’t have a ton of time for small groups, so it may not accomplish their community goal. Also, students are discussing only what they heard instead of actually digging into Scripture.
A ton of other small group structure ideas exist for student ministry. But these three approaches are quite effective. How does your youth ministry program structure its small groups?
