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Is your small group a safe environment where relationships can grow, or do you find that you have a hard time getting people to connect?
Connecting with and developing relationships with other believers outside of a weekend service is very important to our spiritual and mental health – God hardwired us to be in relationship with him and with others. But relationship doesn’t just happen by accident – it takes time and effort to develop. It is hard to build relationship with others in just one hour per week, which is one of the reasons it is important to get connected in a small group.
These connections can do several things for your people.
1.) They give people accountability for weekend service attendance. They know someone will notice and care if they are gone.
2.) They strengthen ownership and unity in the church body, and generally increase participation in church activities.
3.) They provide opportunity for discipleship to take place.
Relational connectivity is a vital and key component of a small group. And it doesn’t happen by accident. The group leader must create an intentional relational environment. And a great way to begin is by setting some discussion guidelines for the group.
Having Small Group Guidelines…
- …gives boundaries for people to operate within.
- …helps with the flow and pace of the discussions.
- …helps us value one another.
- …helps people to be more comfortable sharing deep and meaningful things.
Implementing these discussion guidelines in your small group will help you create a safe environment. This will allow group members to foster authentic, open and honest relationships where growth can take place.
These guidelines are effective for all discussions, not just formal ‘small group’ settings.
If you would like a copy of these guidelines and definitions to share with your group, or even to utilize in your own conversations, click link to access a free pdf download CHART
Or you can download our Small Group Guidelines printable bookmark here: Guidelines Bookmark
You may also be interested in this post: We are hardwired for relationship
Check out our guideline explainer video – it is a quick fun way to share the vision behind using these guidelines in your group!
