Ideas and Tips for Church Leaders of Small Home Group Fellowships

When churches become too big to be warm and friendly, it's imperative that they offer home group fellowships so members can bond and get to know one another. Church members may, at first, be hesitate to lead small group fellowships because they lack confidence in their ability to lead and also don't have enough ideas to make the group interesting. However, they just need to relax and understand that they are simply coordinators and are not expected to answer every question. Here a few suggestions for leading a small home group fellowship.

*Limit the size of the group to 8-10 people---If you have more than ten people, it's not a small group. Also, if the group ceases to be small, it's harder for members to open up and share their lives.

*Delegate jobs---At the first meeting pass around a sign-up sheet, asking people to take on jobs. For example, have someone volunteer to call people, email, etc., reminding them of meetings and other information. Ask someone with the gift of hospitality to open up his or her home for the meetings. (It's wise for the leader to not have to worry about hosting the group, as it gives him more time to lead the meeting.) In addition, pass around a sheet so people can sign up for refreshments----Let everyone have a chance to contribute. Too often, the burden of refreshments falls on the same people.

*Strive to put people in the same groups geographically---The closer the members in your group live together, the more likely they'll attend regularly.

*Stress privacy----Stress that what is shared here, stays here. In other words, assure the other members of the group that they can feel safe here, as whatever they share will not be repeated outside the group.

*Set aside time for "logging in"----Logging in sharing your week, your highs and lows of your life. To make sure everyone gets a turn and you don't spend more time on logging in than you need to, set a five minute time limit on each person. Rather than interrupt, saying, "Your time is up", simply set a timer and when it dings, the long-winded speaker knows his time is over. However, also be sensitive that some weeks there may be people who need to share more as they've had exceptionally hard challenges during their week. Whenever that's the case, the five-minute time rule should be ignored.

*Respect privacy----If a shyer small group member is hesitant to log it, don't force him (or her) to share. With a little respect, acceptance, and love even the more reserved members will eventually open up more about their lives.

*Ask the group what they want to study---Rather than lording it over them, give your small group the opportunity to share what they want to study. However, it's good to give them a choice, of about ten books or topics, and then have them vote. You can find a variety of groups study books at your local Christian bookstore, as well as online.

*Provide "ice breakers" at the first meeting---For example, rather than have everyone just go around the room and introduce themselves, also have each person share their favorite flavor of ice cream.

*Discuss the pastor's Sunday morning sermon----This is an excellent idea to generate discussion. What's more, it takes the pressure off the leader to invest extra time studying for a lesson.

*Provide a sheet for phone numbers and emails----Encourage members to keep in touch throughout the week. If they need prayer, it's easy to call another member or email a prayer request when they have telephone numbers and emails of the other group members.

*Close with prayer---Be sure you close the meeting with prayer. And, it's also a good idea to encourage the other small group members to pray, too.

If you follow these suggestions and others, I'm sure you'll do an excellent job of leading your small home group fellowship. It doesn't take long for members of a small home fellowship group to connect. And, you'll discover that as the leader you'll receive an even great blessing for your service.