4. Holy Reading Groups
These are a growing trend in church youth groups. What I mean by “holy reading” is a way of reading the Bible as a whole group that allows is to be authoritative and formative. Others call this a “communal hermeneutic.”
Another way of saying it is that the group seeks a way of reading the Bible with, as Alan Jacobs says, the “hermeneutics of love.” A holy reading of the Bible is characterized by reading the text multiple times because it shouldn’t just be consumed. Members read with humility and do justice to the text by searching for the truth in it. The group typically has a leader who models for the whole group this way of reading Scripture.
The group’s purpose is to acquire the virtues of Christ while reading and practicing God’s Word together. These groups typically seek to multiply by inviting others into the groups to learn from Scripture with them. I’ve heard youth workers refer to these as community groups. But most church youth groups simply call them small groups.
5. Affinity Groups & Social (fellowship) Groups
These groups gather around common interests. Kids build friendships while exploring a particular activity (biking, art, softball, paint ball, etc.). These groups typically have a leader who organizes the gatherings.
The purpose of these groups is to attract folks to the youth ministry and/or to build relationships within the group. These groups can have the goal of multiplying, but most of the time they don’t. Leaders emerge in these groups to take over the organizing of the gatherings.
6. Activist Groups
These exist because of some social issue or community need. A leader may or may not be in place. The purpose is to work to bring funding, awareness, and help to a social issue or community need. These groups can multiply within a youth ministry, but they typically build from small to large groups (if they grow). Some youth workers refer to these groups as justice groups, Freedom Fighters, and Good Neighbor groups.
Questions to Consider:
- How do you get your group on?
- What type(s) of small group(s) do you have?
- What type of small group would you add? Please describe it in the comments.
