Life Group Resoucres

Small groups are about mutual discipleship. One of the simplest and most valuable things we do together is help one another listen to God and respond to what he says. In small groups, we can make space for people to share what they’re sensing God saying through Scripture, prayer, conversations, everyday experiences etc – and then encourage one another to put it into practice. 

In Scripture, this is the Hebrew idea of the Shema (the Jewish name for the call to hear and respond to God).  

Questions to try: 

• What do you sense God saying to you in this season? 

• Has something stood out to you in Scripture, prayer or everyday life recently? 

• How might God be inviting you to respond? 

• How can we encourage one another to take that next step? 

A helpful habit:

Come back to things people shared in previous weeks. Asking people encouragingly, “How did that conversation with your neighbour go?” or “How are you getting on with what you felt God was saying?” is both an affirming and challenging way of keeping each other accountable. 

You could also watch [The Bible Project’s video on the Shema] together. 

Discussion is a key part for small groups and our role leading is to help everyone engage. Even if you have someone scheduled to prepare and share something, you want to make sure that discussion opens up, so that everyone gets to participate.  

Here are some ideas of what you might use as point of discussion and getting the group to contribute: 

A few ways to get people talking: 

• Share stories: “Where have you seen God at work this week?” 

• Follow up: Revisit things people have shared about family, work, health or prayer. 

• Reflect together: Talk about Sunday's message, something people have been reading, or an event in church life. 

• Explore Scripture: Give people time to share what they've noticed, including things they find difficult or confusing. 

Try to ask open questions that encourage people to say more. For example: 

• What stood out to you, and why? 

• What surprised you or challenged you? 

• How does this connect with your own life? 

• What might God be inviting us to do? 

• Who else might benefit from hearing or experiencing this? 

A few things that help:  

• Don't be afraid of silence; give people time to think. Ask “What does anyone else think?” before moving on, and try to draw in quieter people without putting anyone on the spot.

• Facilitating great discussion is not about having all the answers (phew!). It's about making room for people to share honestly and learn from one another. 

Prayer is at the heart of our life together. There are loads of ways to engage in prayer in your groups and it doesn't need to be elaborate or elegant! Here are some approaches you could try: 

• Welcome the Holy Spirit: Begin by inviting the Spirit to lead your time together, then leave some space to listen. 

• Pray for one another: Ask what people would like prayer for in their lives and then pray together. 

• Pray in pairs or threes: If the group is large, getting into smaller groups to pray can feel more accessible and allows you to go into greater depth. 

• Listen as well as speak: Allow quiet moments and ask whether anyone has a Scripture, picture or encouragement they feel might be helpful. 

• Encourage spiritual gifts: Make room for people to share words of encouragement, pictures or Scriptures that might strengthen others (1 Corinthians 14:3). Encourage people to discern and weigh up any prophetic words given. 

• Reflective prayer: You could lead people through a simple meditative prayer (reflecting on a piece of scripture), or as a group silently praying through the Examen to process their day (Become aware of God’s presence. Think over the day with thanks. Pray attention to one’s emotions. Choose one aspect God is highlighting to pray over.)