Why you should join a small group

1. Time in the word – First and for most, any time that you spend in the word or deepening your faith will most definitely be time well spent! James 4:8 says Draw near to me and I will draw near to you. And really, who doesn’t want to be closer to God!?

2. New Friends – 1 Samuel 18:1 says "After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself." There is nothing better than a great friend. Especially one that feels closer than your siblings. What a blessing if that person is also a brother or sister in Christ that cares just as much, if not more, about your spiritual well-being!

3. Sharpening your iron -  This item actually refers to another verse but first I want to share a comment from a book that I am reading: (Acts 8:26-40 tells of Philip's encounter with an Ethiopian official, who was reading aloud the prophet Isaiah. "Do you really understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. The Ethiopian replied, "Without someone to guide me, how could I?" Acts 8:30-31). Quite simply, we are needed to guide each other.

Not only that, there's another passage that talks about the gifts of the spirit & functions of the body of Christ. None of us have all of the gifts. Nor are we all made to do the same things. Just like in the small group study you attend; some of the participants will be able to give you more doctrine, more details and/or facts to give you a better understanding of what was happening then; while others will have more insight on how to apply it to daily living. 

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. -Proverbs 27:17

4. Learn about Tips and Tools – When I first joined a study group myself, my friend Randy kept reading commentary from his Bible. Everything he said was like an “ah ha” to me. But my Bible didn’t have the same kind of information that he was reading. He told me that he used a Life Application Bible. I purchased one for myself and it made a huge difference in how I spent my time reading my own. In a group you can learn about tools, resources or other activities that you might not have known about otherwise.

5.You can ask your questions - Have you ever sat through a service and the preacher said something that you missed or didn't understand? You wanted to raise your hand to ask a question but you knew that it would interrupt.  Well in a group you can!  "Hey can you repeat that?  What the heck does that mean....?"  If you have your own "ah has", you can also share those too. In fact, whatever surprising tidbit you discovered might also be something that someone else finds exciting too!  (Oh and by the way, most preachers will be glad to go more in depth with you after the service.)

6. Facilitates unity between members – Small groups do build unity because of all of the above and because they offer a much more personal setting. 

7. Access to prayer warriors - Amen!

8. Connection - Bishop Robert Schnase, author of Five Practices says "Most new members will not feel like they really belong to the church until they find meaningful connections in small groups beyond the worship experience."  Just like in #6 except that it will help you connect to the church as a whole.

It is also much easier to go deeper in your faith or devote yourself to God when you are among others that are devoted to him. Let's also not forget that the Devil seeks out those who are isolated or alone. 

9. A place to talk about God - Yes, we are to share our testimony everywhere but it takes a while for a lot of us to get started or get comfortable doing it. A small group allows us to acclimate slowly to sharing ideas, knowledge and experiences.

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Questions - Are you thinking about joining a church but can't figure out which one to start or where? Consider a small group. The following questions might help you determine the group that's right for you.

1. What small groups does your church offer?  Who leads them and are they separated by men, women, children or by subject?

2. Are they at the church or at some ones home?

3. Can you bring a friend?

4. Is there childcare or can you bring children?

5. Is a meal (usually covered dish) offered?

6. What is the subject of the study? Is it based off of a topic or a book of the Bible?

7. Are there additional books or material that I might be interested in for this study?

8. Are there any fees for meals, books, etc?

9. Dates, times & locations?

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