How to Host a Small Group Bible Study

Have you ever been part of a small group which meets regularly for Bible Study and fellowship? If you haven't you have missed out on a vital component to spiritual growth.

If you have been involved with a few, maybe as many as 8-12, believers who have gathered to have fellowship, study the Bible, pray and grow together, you may be interested in hosting a group yourself.

Jesus gave us an example of what it meant to lead a small group. He chose 12 men to form his "band of disciples." These 12 men went with Jesus everywhere for nearly 3 years. He ate with them, lived with them, traveled with them, ministered with them, prayed with them and he taught them the truth of God.

You will probably not literally live with your band of disciples, but you will become very closely connected with them in the faith. Acts 2:42-47 describes how the early church continued the practice Jesus started with his disciples.

In that passage I found these very valuable points:

• "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (v42).
• "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people" (v46).
• "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" (v47).

Whether by a conscious choice, or by the subtle leading of the Holy Spirit, these early believers came upon the key ingredients to ingredients to spiritual growth.

The purpose of this page is to give you enough information to help you get started and link you to resources which will help you to host a successful small group.

The first step in beginning to build your band of disciples is to examine why you want to lead a group. We have found the most successful groups are those led by people who feel God prompting them to lead others into a deeper Christian walk.

The next step is to decide what kind of a group you want to have. Some build around a common interest like a hobby, others build around age groups. It isn't unusual for people who are already good friends to come together. Sometimes a group is formed from a neighborhood or community.

Ask yourself, "What kind of Group am I being led to lead?"

For a report titled How to Lead Small Group Ministry by Scott Severance  just fill in the form below.

Tell Us Your Small Group Story

If you have already had experience in a small group, or cell, ministry we would love to hear about it. Fill in the form below to tell us and all others who follow this site.

Have you had a humorous experience? Maybe even an embarrassing experiencing? How has meeting in a small group enhanced your spiritual journey? Please tell us you story.