Why Small Groups Work for Our Ministry

 

Small groups can seem to be an enigma for some ministries. I know each ministry setting is different, with specific regional, cultural, and even personality differences. For me, small groups have been a “no-brainer.” There’s so much to small groups, but these are four big-picture reasons that continually stand out to me of why small groups are important.

 

We emphasize that a key part of small groups is to help build a student community so students know each other as more than a face with a name. Our small groups are intentionally designed to be a place where conversation and connection are at a high standard. Our students, who plug into small groups connect to a place where they can belong, and be known and loved as a child of God. Not just a teenager in a crowd of other teenagers.

 

Small groups allow students who aren’t always “crowd” people to talk and share about life. It’s great to hear how the quiet type kids gets a chance to open up and share thoughts on life and faith. Small groups give students a chance to be known by each other because it gives them a chance to share who they are and what they are wrestling with.

 

I can’t meet with all the students in my ministry. But I can meet with the small group leaders in my ministry. By phone, email, or face-to-face I can get a feel for what is going on in the lives of our students from their small groups leaders. I get to share ministry with leaders who want to invest in the spiritual growth of teenagers. I get to team with others who have gifts I don’t have, to impact our students and their friends. Our ministry impact expands because of the amount of leaders involved in youth ministry reaching into students’ lives.

 

Over the course of 10 years of youth ministry, the students who I still know personally and are walking with Christ passionately were those plugged into a small group consistently. They’re the ones who were challenged to take faith steps, held others accountable to growing, and were willing to share life with their peers. Small groups seem to help students be motivated to take faith steps, step up to serve, think about the bigger picture of community, and be encouraged to share their faith.