How to Run Small Groups Home | Small Groups | Beyond the ChristLife Courses Small Groups Beyond the ChristLife CoursesRunning Small Groups When the ChristLife process ends, participants who experienced the grace of spiritual sharing and support often desire to keep meeting in small groups to grow as missionary disciples. Many times, small groups do continue to meet. The parish or the ChristLife ministry team, recognizing the benefit of small groups, may create a formal structure for the organization and support of small groups. Made for Relationships We are made for communion with God and relationship with others. Relationship with brothers and sisters in Christ is a gift the Lord gives to help us follow him as members of his Body, the Church. We need Christian friends and fellow disciples. We need to mentor people who are new to following Jesus. Small groups are an excellent way to grow in our relationship with and in the Lord Jesus: “That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” — 1 John 1:3 When we look at the Lord Jesus, his Church, Scripture and the saints, it is clear that we are called to ongoing relationships as brothers and sisters in Christ. Consider these examples: The Lord Jesus had his Apostles and disciples who were with him. St. Paul normally traveled with missionary companions. St. Patrick traveled with a missionary community. St. Teresa of Avila, while in a monastery, still felt the need/value of having a small group (two priests, a married man, a widow, and herself!) with the explicit desire for Christ to reign in their lives. St. Catherine of Siena shared the same commitment to a small community. Mission Focus Christians have lived as missionary disciples from the beginning. They supported one another in living as brothers and sisters in Christ, and in sharing the Good News: “And all who believed were together and had all things in common… And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes… And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” — Acts 2:44-47 Small groups can be tempted to become insular and lose the impulse to evangelize. Care should be taken to ensure the small group focuses on both growing the interior life and helping one another to evangelize. This may mean serving in Discovering Christ when the parish offers it again. Group members may serve together on the team or adjust their meeting frequency to allow for service and evangelization. Practical Considerations As a small group you can choose from a variety of recommended resources here on our website. These resources will reinforce the discipleship topics that were introduced to you in the ChristLife courses. Together with prayer, Scripture and fellowship, these resources can aid in your group’s spiritual growth and commitment to evangelize. A complement to formal studies is a simple faith-sharing format. Group members share about their own spiritual life and how they are responding personally to the call to evangelization. This serves to hold one another accountable, support one another through the ups and downs of life and to spur one another on “to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24). This can be especially appropriate for smaller gender-based groups. Here are several suggested questions that can guide your sharing: What has the Lord taught me in my prayer times since we last met? What is the Lord saying to me? What am I reading in Scripture or from the saints? What are key insights from your Scripture reading? How am I doing in my desire for others to know Jesus? Who am I praying for? What am I planning to do to reach others? What have I done to bring others to the Lord since we last met? How are we doing in the priorities and responsibilities of our state of life? In Closing Small relational groups are essential for a healthy Christian life. Throughout your life the size and nature of these groups will change, but staying rooted in Christian relationships shouldn’t change. At age 91, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI expressed how important small groups were to him: “One of the great and essential tasks of our evangelization is, as far as we can, to establish habitats of Faith and, above all, to find and recognize them. I live in a house, in a small community of people who discover such witnesses of the living God again and again in everyday life and who joyfully point this out to me as well. To see and find the living Church is a wonderful task which strengthens us and makes us joyful in our Faith time and again.” (April 10, 2019) May you be encouraged to continue or to begin a “habitat of Faith” in your life. And don’t be discouraged if you aren’t a part of a formal small group right now. Ask the Lord to provide for you and lead you to healthy Christian relationships. He is faithful and He will help you find support and encouragement in living out a Christ-centered life! START TODAY Small Group Resources Use our recommended resources, together with prayer, to grow as a group of missionary disciples. Learn More
