Life Group Leader Resources
Leading a Life Group might be the most rewarding role in ministry. These leaders participate in discipleship in it’s most natural form as they teach, impart, and encourage others to discover the great joy in knowing and loving God.
On this page you will see a collection of instructional materials to help serve you in your life group ministry. By utilizing these ideas, you will be able to elevate the ministry of your life group.
Feature #1 | January 20, 2025
Venturing Outside Your Meeting Time
What does it feels like to accomplish something great and look up to find a cheering section celebrating your success? We all hope to have people in our circle who will support us.
God made us that way. He intended for us to live out our faith with a community of friends. That’s why the Life Group experience extends far beyond a gathering location, day, and time. The best Life Group experience is created when groups gather outside the normal meeting space. When groups learn to play, laugh, and adventure together time inside the normal meeting becomes more impactful for everyone in the room and everyone is more willing to share openly, ask sincere questions, and explore more challenging truths about God and his Kingdom. You will find that the more your group begins to spend quality time together, the substance and size of your group will begin to grow.
I remember one of the first Life Groups I led. I was in my early twenties and I was leading a group of college men. These young college students were disconnected and wrapped up in their own rhythms of life. As we began to meet, it was clear that each member had a connection to me, but not to one another. One day, after our normal meeting, I asked if anyone wanted to get some ice cream. Only two or three of the six men in the group elected to come along. The next week, I offered again. This time, those who joined the previous week echoed the invitation and a few more joined. By the time the third week arrived the tradition had been formed, and the Wendy’s Frosty Run was something to look forward to. “Team Frosty” became the unofficial name of our set of guys as my Life Group of strangers accelerated to form a band of companions who loved being together and eagerly shared their journey of faith.
Here are a few tips to help you encourage your group to gather outside of the meeting:
Identify one or two things that your members like talking about and ask if they would like to go experience them together (a restaurant, a game, and activity, etc.)
Pictures go a long way. When you get group pictures, or pictures of your people doing things together it tells a story--that your people are more than a meeting time and place. Consider asking someone in your group to get pictures when your group gathers outside of the meeting.
Feature #2 | January 28, 2025
Responding to “dead air” in your meeting.
Awkward…. Nobody likes an awkward moment, and nothing is quite as unpleasant than awkward silence. What’s the best way for a Life Group leader to handle these moments, and is there a way to make silence work in your favor? Here are some things that can help you with the “dead air” in your group.
Firstly, understand that not all silence is bad silence. Many people are internal processors and need a moment to think before they respond. We often assume that if no one is talking, then no one wants to talk, but the reality is that many are willing, even eager to speak but just don’t know how to construct their words right away. A hint is to help your group navigate the internal process. When you ask a question, ask it slowly and then rephrase it and ask it again. Then if it’s helpful, simplify the question a little further. For example: Why do you think Moses was resistant to answering God’s call to return to Egypt? Pause for a few seconds. Repeat again with emphasis on the word resistant. Pause a few seconds more and ask Why do you think Moses may have felt resistant? Then an extended pause to let people respond.
Secondly, a thoughtful invitation to respond goes a long way. Most people don’t like to be put on the spot, but people do appreciate when someone finds value in their opinion. Instead of asking a question and calling on someone to answer, you might try saying something like…I am curious to hear what Gregg has to say about this. The story that you shared last week about your brother seems to tie in well to this idea. What do you think?
Thirdly, try not to repeat one-word answers. If someone answers your question with a one-word response, try affirming the answer and asking for more information. For example…
Facilitator: What is one way that God has shown you his grace? Responder: Forgiveness. Facilitator: Forgiveness.
Instead try responding something like…
Facilitator: Forgiveness is a great answer, how has God’s forgiveness been a grace to you?
When you begin to use these strategies in your group, the “dead air” will start to be filled with thoughtful and meaningful conversation.
Feature #3 | February 13, 2025
Preparing Great Lessons
Drawrof nettirw ere yeht nehw ekil kool sdrow eht tahw si siht. This is what the words look like when they are written forward. But you probably didn’t pick up on that when they were written backward did you? The same is true for great lessons. The people in your life group don’t know that when you constructed this week’s lesson, that you started at the destination and then worked toward the beginning. All they knew was that your lesson built on itself with each question and verse, then landed with a meaningful call to action.
When you write your lessons, the best approach is to know where you want to take your group and then figure out how you want to take them there.
Step 1: Identify your passage of scripture. (ex: Mark 3:13-19)
Step 2: Decide what application you want your group to receive. (ex: Spiritual Authority is granted by Jesus)
Step 3: Build a sequence of questions that lead them to discover what this idea.
Question #1: A personal question about authority
Question #2: An observation question about what’s happening in the passage.
Question #3: An interpretation question about something Jesus did or said.
Question #4: An application question that relates your group to the activity in the passage.
Question #5: An observation question about something else that happened in the passage.
Question #6: An interpretation question about why that thing that happened was important.
Question #8: An application question of how you have seen that important thing in real life.
Question #9: How this message makes you think, feel, or respond in your real life ministry.
A call to respond: A challenge or appeal from the leader to apply what was learned. (Your end goal)
When you work backwards, you set your trajectory for where you want to land, and then plot your course for how you want to arrive there. This is what makes a lesson great. When a leader knows where they want to go and how to get the group to discover it.
Feature #4 | March 28, 2025
To Cancel or to Not to Cancel
I feel like garbage. What do I do about my group? —- A lot of my people are out of town this week, is it worth meeting? —- It’s a holiday week, maybe we should skip our group this time.
For a leader of a life group, especially the kind that meets indefinitely, it can be hard to know how to decide when it’s good to cancel a group, for what reasons, or if there are alternatives. Here are few things to think about when trying to consider when is a good time (or not a good time) to cancel a group meeting.
First, know that if your group is healthy, people will want to come. For some, your life group is the highlight of their week. For others, life group is the primary access point they have to interact with people who love God. Second, know that the people in your group will be more impacted by intentionally being together without their leader or the lesson than by not meeting at all. Third, consider how a cancellation can affect the long-term momentum of your group or how it may unintentionally communicate a lack of importance to the people in your group. If you have a group of six people and four can’t make it, what message does it send to the other two if you cancel it? Someone might interpret that to mean that the group is only worth having if someone besides them can attend. Be careful about the message attached to cancellations.
Here are some good reasons to cancel a group:
When you plan for it. Do your best to communicate plans not to meet as far in advance as possible. This is a way honor your members. If you cancel with short notice, you may not realize what your members sacrificed for the group that is no longer happening. Also, strategic breaks can be impactful. Clear communication of when the group will meet and will not meet will help your group stay strong.
When conditions are unsafe. Sometimes, there is a hail storm, a tornado warning, or a blizzard. Don’t be afraid to skip a week if the conditions are threatening to the traveler. If it’s possible, you may want to consider a delayed start to wait it out. Remember, people still like being together even if the weather is gnarly.
If there is unhealthy relational dynamics. In rare instances, conflict may arise between people in your group. If you gather in these instances, you may find yourself as a conflict mediator or you might lead a discussion where no one feels safe enough to speak up. In these rare cases, it’s best to work to resolve the conflict outside of the group and meet together again the following week.
Here are some ways to avoid cancelling a group.
Be deliberate about developing a co-leader or an assistant. When you are actively empowering someone else in your group, you release yourself from the burden of having to be the only capable leader. When you begin to include someone else in your planning, praying, and facilitating, you’ll find yourself with the flexibility to step away for a week without having to abandon the group.
Pick an alternative activity. If you think your group may be thin one week, or if you just don’t feel great about the content. Instead of shutting things down, consider calling an “audible” and planning an alternative activity like meeting for dinner, or catching a movie. Being together is better than not being together, and it speaks highly of your value for the group when you work to be with them.
Change the lesson. You may have a schedule that you follow for your lessons. If you don’t feel ready to lead, consider going “off the books” for one week. You may find that when done sparingly, these unexpected shifts are particularly meaningful to your group. These alternative moments can help prompt people to step into deeper personal connection.
Feature #5 | April 1, 2025
History Makes Your Future
One of the greatest obstacles for life group leaders is getting consistency from the people you invite. How do you get people to show up week after week? Better, how do you get them to want to show up and to contribute to the life group experience? The answer to these questions is actually quite liberating. The truth is, a healthy life group actually builds greater consistency from relational connection that it does by the leader’s Biblical knowledge. Now, these are not mutually exclusive ideas. You can certainly have the knowledge and wisdom to be a great mentor AND facilitate excellence relational dynamics. And maybe that’s a good goal. But for now, let’s focus on the good news, and that’s that people learn to love your group by your ability to invite THEM to be what’s most important about the group.
People don’t love life group because they believe what you are teaching is important. People love life group because they believe that you make THEM important.
The way to create great consistency in your life group is to involve the voices of those who attend. The simplest way to do this is through history-sharing. History-Sharing is the basic practice of allowing (even prompting) people to talk about themselves—what they like, what they do, where they are from, and who they know. It can involve their spiritual journey with Christ, or even a personal experience they like to talk about. By inviting people to share part of their life with the group, they build trust and form friendships that create a reason for them to want to return again. Take a look at these strategies you can use to encourage history-sharing in your life group.
Find ways to share parts of your own history as an example. Often people don’t know what to expect when they first come to a group. Some anticipate a classroom lecture, other’s predict Hebrew and Greek exploration. When you model the kind of relational interaction you want them to experience, it invites them to do the same. Consider including parts of your own life-experience into a lesson, or create some space before you begin to share part of your own story.
Celebrate personal highlights. Any time someone shares something worth celebrating, then take the space to celebrate it. You can do this by prompting for more details. People may be hesitant to share personal struggles, pains, or uncertainties, but they will be eager to share their successes. You might consider making space for about 5-10 minutes at the beginning of your meeting to ask people to talk about their favorite moments from the past week.
Prepare application questions that feature personal stories. “What is an experience that you’ve had that’s caused you to to possess unreasonable courage?”
Asking questions that prompt personal exploration is an organic method of featuring the stories of the people in your group. Those who share may not even realize they are inviting others into their life but instead, they are simply eager to vocally process the Christian idea you’re teaching.
When you start to add thoughtful history sharing to a well-prepared lesson and prayerful wisdom, you will begin to give a new future to your group. When people share about their lives they are participating in the genuine body of Christ, and this experience is what builds a future of faithful devotion for the future of your group.
Feature #6 | April 10, 2025
How to talk about Baptism
“Any one here decided to follow Jesus?”
“Would you like to respond in the holy Christian ordinance of baptism?”
“Do you want to be dunked in water to tell people you love God?”
How do you start the conversation about Baptism with the people in your life group?
Baptism is a deeply meaningful moment for every Christian believer. Our baptism marks the start of a new life in Christ and an abandonment of sin, selfishness, and shame. It is a physical representation of the believer’s choice to repent—to turn away from worldly desires and to turn toward Jesus. Most people don’t pursue baptism on their own. It is the responsibility of the church to prompt the new believer’s expression of faith. And when the new believer responds to the Gospel and decides to be baptized, it will be a highlight of their life. God delights in our public declarations to follow Christ.
In most cases, it is not the pastor who prompts and individuals’ response to be baptized. It often begins with a conversation with a trust Christian friend. That means the best way to start the conversation about baptism with the people in your group is to ask them personally.
Here are some tips for you to start your conversations.
Ask about Baptism 1-1. You are far less likely to get positive responses when you ask an indirect question to the group about baptism. Instead, if there is someone in your group you’d like to talk to, ask them to meet after the group or sometime throughout the week. You could say something like “Hey Samantha, I have a question for you. Do you have a few minutes to talk after group today?”
Explain the “why”. Many times, when a new believer is prompted about baptism, they have very little understanding of the ordinance. Help them understand how special this decision is by sharing what you see. Consider telling them about how you have seen they way they have personally devoted their life to Christ and encourage them to make it a public expression.
Give an immediate action step. Before you have the conversation, know the response you want to present. If you invite the friend to be baptized but don’t have a action step for next steps, then they may not see the value and importance of the moment the way God does. If you need to talk to your pastors to make plan, make sure to do so before you have the conversation so that the baptism can happen right away. Consider how Phillip leads the Ethiopian traveler in Acts 8.
Ultimately, Life Group leaders are best positioned to lead people into this special decision. The most personalized ministry is experienced in the context of small group discipleship. That’s why you, as the Life Group leader are so well suited to have this conversation. Consider today who in your life group is ready to take the step to declare their faith publicly in baptism.