We had our small group leader training last night for our middle and high school ministry. It’s always a couple weeks before the launch of small groups and each time we do it, we tweak it a little. We have new ministry changes to communicate and a variety of things that are important to us that we communicate to them.
I’ll take the next 3 blog posts to unload a few of the things we pass out.
Here’s FOUR REASONS WE DO SMALL GROUPS. What are yours?
QUESTIONS: Small groups are a great place for students to express their doubts and ask their questions about faith. A good leader is one who flips a faith rock over and causes students to wrestle with the real questions of life. If our small groups are not asking the hard questions, they’re missing a huge piece of their potential. This requires intentionality on the leaders part, asking wise questions, and giving students enough time to both think and ask their own.
IDENTITY: Our church and our student ministries are too large for everyone to be known by everyone. So, small groups are an intentional space for our students know and be known by a few. Small groups are a place where people can truly know they matter and their story has a place in God’s Kingdom.
BONDING: There is nothing like a shared experience for bonding. When you share food, stories, activities, and life together, small groups thrive and students bond. Small groups can and should be fun spaces for students to grow.
SPIRITUAL GROWTH: The best place for us to consistently and specifically impact the life of a student in regards to their spiritual development is through small groups. The chances we have to consistently encourage and challenge a student to continue to grow in their faith are unparalleled in our ministry through this context.
