In my post yesterday I talked about the disturbing trend among teens away from involvement in small groups.

There’s so much about that which is surprising… the biggest, for me, is the fact that teens both crave community and also claim to be very ‘spiritually’ inclined.  But as you can see in the latest research put out by Barna, that is clearly not the case.

Today, I want to focus our attention on some ways that we might draw students in to the life-giving community that can be found in intentional, focussed, purpose-driven, faith-forming small groups.

This list will not be exhaustive, so please feel free to add your suggestions in the comment section down below!

1. Communicate the importance of small groups – I don’t know how well you do this, but I am guilty of ‘assuming’ that students know a lot more about what we offer than they often do.  I assume that they will naturally ‘connect the dots’ from ministry to ministry or know how to plug-in to what we offer.  I tend to believe that ‘everyone’ knows about, and understands, the importance of being engaged in a small group that is focussed on the pursuit of Christ, studying and applying His Word to their lives and regularly praying and encouraging one another in the faith.  I’m learning that this is a gross over estimation on my part… and I presume I’m not alone.  We MUST do a better job of communicating to students the significance of regular engagement in groups like these.
2. Embed small groups in every area of your ministry – a great way to naturally plug students into small groups is to embed them in other parts of your ministry.  Have small groups that tie directly into: new student outreach, what’s happening in the large group worship time, local outreach teams and a shared heart for a particular population, mission teams and their preparation and re-entry activities, etc.
3. Provide a wide-variety of opportunities – we cannot take a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to small groups.  When we offer a variety of opportunities the chances are better that students will see something that resonates with where they currently find themselves and choose to plug-in.
4. Use it as a leadership training ground – a great way to do leadership development is through small groups… but it’s also a great place to find, and recruit, future leaders.  Once you identify potential leaders in your groups, find ways to give them some ownership in the group and begin to groom them for future leadership opportunities.  Students love to lead, and if they learn that a prerequisite to leadership within your ministry is involvement in a small group, you may just see more students choosing to engage.
5. Have faculty, staff and student-led small groups – sometimes it simply comes down to the leader of the group.  Some students will decide on participating in a small group if they know it will be led by you, or their favorite prof, or a student that they have come to respect and look up to.
6. Vary the locations and times – by providing groups that meet at different times of the day, in different places – both public and private, you may draw more students in.  We are intentional to have many of our small groups hosted right in the residence halls.  We’ve noticed that convenience is a big deal for our students… so if they walk out of their dorm room and find a group meeting in the room right next door, it might be the deciding factor for them.
7. Publicity is key – whether it’s through announcements up front, word of mouth by students who are leading or choosing to participate (which is by far the best), hanging up posters around campus, doing email blasts, or utilizing social media outlets… getting the word out is paramount… and too often only given minimal consideration.
8. Utilize the beginning of the semester – we all know that we’ve got a small window at the beginning of each semester to get students to commit.  By the end of their second week on campus they’ve pretty much solidified their schedule for the semester.  Groups need to be ready to launch during this time… even if students end up joining after the ‘official start’.

Those are some of my ideas… what are yours?

• How do you look to get students involved in small groups?
• What ideas would you add to this list?