1. Know that you will fail at leading your group as much as you will succeed. You must trust the work of the Holy Spirit. There are many times when I finish leading a Bible study and I think it was an utter failure. Then a someone tells me God spoke to them through it. Who are we to judge what God is doing? Be faithful in your studies, pray, trust the Holy Spirit is moving, and then don’t beat yourself up when things go south temporarily

2. Your group doesn’t need another friend, they need a leader. Sure, you will listen to their struggles, encourage them continuously, and hopefully become life-long friends. But, what they need is a leader. So be confident and lead them! Be an adult. Show them Jesus. Speak truth into their lives. And always believe in them and the group in general when they don’t. I tell all my college freshmen groups at our first small group, “Look around because these people are your new best friends.” You can imagine the reactions, but the point is I am injecting them with belief.

3. When you have a low turn out at small group never say the phrase, “Where is everybody?”. I learned this one the hard way. This sends the message to the people who actually did come that they aren’t important to you. And let’s face it, that’s just our own insecurity speaking anyway.

4. Always be asking yourself, “What does this group need right now?” As your group evolves, needs change. Sometimes a group needs a good dose of fun and fellowship to encourage them through a tough season. Maybe that means chunking small group one day and going to get snow cones. But, always remember the greatest and most unique thing we can offer them is Jesus.

5. Don’t fear. Dive into the Word. One crucial mistake I have made in the past is allowing fear to delay how quickly I dive into the Word with the group. Small group starts, the group is talking, enjoying themselves, and then you open the Bible and crickets chirp. It’s difficult to push through that, but I always regretted it by the end of the group when everyone was engaged in scripture and we were out of time. Set a specific amount of time for socializing and share time (say 30 minutes) and then plan to start bible study when that time is up.

6. Set expectations early, and then always offer grace. At my first small group of the year I tell the group what I expect of them (depending on the group this could be anything from memorizing verse to just asking them to show up every week). Once those ground rules are laid, I always offer grace, especially to new/non believers. For example, if someone texts me and says they’re not coming to group, I say, “We will miss you!” Guilt trips don’t usually work, and they’re not Christ-like. We have to learn to let it go!

Be faithful and trust the Lord. Our job is to be faithful and committed to him. He’s in charge of changing hearts.

Love,