November 2010

In their book Essential Church? , Thom and Sam Rainer explore the reasons why 18-22 year olds drop out of church . They discovered that 70% of churchgoers at this age drop out for a time - usually because of a life change (like going away to college and not getting attached to a church fellowship there). That's bad news. But the good news is that 30% of people in that age group remain active in the church!

The research also discovered that those who stay active (and those who return) share a common characteristic: they study the Bible on their own. In other words, there is a definite correlation between Bible knowledge and church involvement. Those who know the Bible are involved in church!

How can we take this information and make our Small Groups better? We need to be encouraging our folks to learn how to feed themselves. In some Small Groups, there is virtually no expectation that the members come prepared. In fact, they may not even know what the passage or topic will be until they show up. The teacher is well-prepared, but the class is not. Everyone just shows up, hears the lesson, and goes home. If there is discussion, it is typically not very informed.

How can you - as the leader - create the expectation for your people to prepare for Small Group meetings? How can you make vibrant and meaningful discussion happen? The answer: you provide them with Bible study material and reward them for using it. Let them know what's coming this Sunday and next. Creating the opportunity and expectation for members to come prepared will not only help them personally; it will create a more dynamic group discussion. People will understand better what God is saying to them instead of just offering random opinions uniformed by personal Bible study.