Group Leader Resources

Hi Group Leaders! Here are some exciting updates and announcements from across our campuses that we wanted to make you aware of:

5 Summer Strategies for Small Groups

(adapted from smallgroups.com, Allen White author)

Preserve group strength and cohesion during the summer. Summer can be a tricky season for groups. Once the days get longer and the temperatures rise, participation tends to decline. With more outdoor activities, indoor group studies can easily go by the wayside. Still, let’s not throw away our summer group plans just yet. Most people take a couple of weeks for vacation, but few people have the luxury of taking off the entire summer.

1. Continue On As Usual

I started a men’s group about 10 years ago and we continue to meet year-round. We get together every Wednesday for lunch at a restaurant, and use a sermon-based discussion guide from the previous Sunday to focus our conversation. Attendance is up and down, but even with the fluctuations of summer schedules, most of the men still work on Wednesdays, and eat lunch as well. There are positive implications for continuing as normal throughout the summer. In the spontaneous ups-and-downs of the season, the group could be a welcome stabilizing factor.

2. Focus on Relationships

While some groups will decide to continue their study, other groups will turn from formal meetings to informal get-togethers over the summer months. These groups will have barbecues and arrange other social activities just to relax and stay connected. Many churches encourage their groups to meet together socially at least once a month over the summer, and then prepare to dive into another study in the fall. Another idea is to go on a trip together. With a little patience and understanding, very deep bonds are likely to form.

3. Commit to Summer Service Projects

If groups plan to change up their meeting pattern over the summer, a service project might be a great opportunity for the group to serve, learn, and grow together. Opportunities exist for group members to serve in one of the church’s ministries, with a non-profit organization, or even find a need in their own neighborhood and fill it.

4. (Don’t) Take a Break for the Summer

Foregoing meeting over the summer could have negative implications when starting back up in the fall. A complete lack of connection and interaction with one another might cause a divide too great to easily overcome. Once fall arrives, the new task may be starting completely over and forming new groups. To avoid this, it might be easier to encourage groups to continue through the summer in a way that best suits the members.

—Allen White is a pastor, teacher, writer, and speaker.

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