Below you’ll find the transcript for episode 33, Creating a Schedule for Discipleship, Small Group, and Bible Study Meetings from the Women’s Ministry Toolbox Podcast.
Please note: This post contains affiliate links.
EP 33: Creating a Schedule for Discipleship, Small Group, and Bible Study Meetings
Intro: Welcome to the Women’s Ministry Toolbox Podcast. I’m Cyndee Ownbey, your host and women’s ministry mentor. I’m the founder of Women’s Ministry Toolbox and the author of Rethinking Women’s Ministry. The Women’s Ministry Toolbox Podcast is a podcast for women’s ministry leaders and team members of all stages (from new to seasoned) serving in their local church community. If you’re looking for hope and inspiration, you’ve come to the right place! In addition to discussing the nuts and bolts of women’s ministry, I’ll be asking seasoned women’s ministry leaders to share their best tips and the lessons they’ve learned. Together we’ll learn to build a flourishing, Christ-focused women’s ministry.
Today I’ll be sharing 3 keys to creating a schedule for your group meetings.
Don’t miss the sample schedules I share at the end of the post!
If you’ve been around awhile, you know I’m a very type-A girl. Give me a checklist or a format to follow, and I am happy. When it comes to discipleship, small group, and Bible study meetings, I am most comfortable with a structure in place. I like to know what’s happening when. If I’m going to have to arrive late or leave early, it helps to know what the group will be doing. Many of your women probably feel the same way.
Creating a plan for your group meetings benefits the group leader by making planning easier and predictable. The group members will settle in quickly when they learn the order of events.
3 Keys to Creating a Schedule for Your Group Meetings
- Time – How much time is allowed for your group meeting? Do you have an hour, an hour and a half, or two hours? Maybe you only have 45 minutes before dismissing your group to attend a large group teaching. Your plans need to fit the time allowed. Squeezing in too much or not planning enough will make your time together less productive and less pleasant. It also means we honor our women’s time by starting and ending when we say we will.
- Goals – What do you want to accomplish during your time together? Is the discussion time the focus? Are you expected to make it through all of the homework questions? Do you need to collect prayer requests, make announcements, play an icebreaker game, or leave time for fellowship?
- Reasonable – Our time and our goals need to be in alignment. If we discover they are not, we need to be willing to make adjustments.
As you think through your small group format, make sure the largest block of time goes to the most essential task. That’s probably going to be your discussion time. I always want women to have time to share what the Holy Spirit revealed to them during the week. Hearing how God spoke to them through His Word is priceless!
For the most part, my experience with small groups has been with weekly meetings. I think we may have been part of a couple’s small group that met every two weeks at one time. I prefer weekly meetings for many reasons.
Weekly meetings:
- Provide regular accountability
- Build community faster
- Establish a rhythm – meeting every other week can be confusing – do we only meet on the first and third Tuesdays? What if there’s a 5th Tuesday that month?
- Most importantly – keep women in the Word week after week
Let’s be honest, we know many group members wait to do their homework so if you’re only meeting once a month, they may only be in the Word once a month.
If women have to miss a meeting, we want them to come back into the fold as soon as possible. If we’re not meeting weekly, we might not see some of our women for over a month.
Before I share some sample Bible study schedules, I want to tell you about a resource that can help you lead your small group well.
Ad: Are you leading a small group or Bible study? Do you sometimes struggle with collecting prayer requests? Would you like some of your quieter group members to share more? As a seasoned Bible study leader, I’ve picked up some great tips and tricks over the years, and I’m sharing them all with you in my Bible Study Facilitator Training Course. This course contains 18 short video lessons, worksheets, email scripts, Bible study group guidelines, and so much more. It’s everything you need to succeed as a small group or Bible study leader this year. Visit bsftraining.com. to register and get more information.
I’ve got 4 sample Bible study schedules to share with you.
Every schedule I’m sharing includes these four pieces:
- Opening and closing prayers
- Icebreaker game or question
- Discussion time
- Prayer requests
Icebreaker questions and collection prayer requests are optional; however, I recommend both. If I had to choose, I might alternate – icebreaker one week, sharing prayer requests the following week.
Icebreaker games and questions prime the pump and help women go deeper during the discussion. Great games and questions will also help your group connect – check out episode 22, How to Select Icebreaker Games that Build Relationships if you want to know more.
Sharing prayer requests also encourages connection. Praying for one another cultivates a special bond between group members. Prayer requests also give us insight into the struggles and celebrations in our women’s lives. Prayer requests need good guard rails to prevent over-sharing and gossiping.
You may have noticed a didn’t include a time for food. Food is optional, and some groups find even if they offer food, it’s not eaten. I’ve learned coffee is always welcome and greatly appreciated in morning Bible study groups. Between dietary restrictions and the cost, you may want to opt-out of providing food unless it’s a special celebration or occasion, such as the first and last meeting for your group.
Sample Bible Study Schedules
1 hour
- 5 Minutes Announcements and Opening Prayer
- 5 Minutes Quick Icebreaker Game or Question
- 45 Minutes Discussion and DVD (if used, 20 minutes or less)
- 5 Minutes Prayer Requests (optional) and Closing Prayer
1 ½ hour
- 5 Minutes Announcements and Opening Prayer
- 15 Minutes Icebreaker Game – alternate every other week with Testimony
- 60 Minutes Discussion and DVD (if used)
- 10 Minutes Prayer Requests (optional) and Closing Prayer
2 Hours – No DVD
- 5 Minutes Announcements and Opening Prayer
- 10 Minutes Worship
- 15 Minutes Icebreaker Game
- 20 Minutes Testimony or Teaching
- 60 Minutes Discussion
- 10 Minutes Prayer Requests (optional) and Closing Prayer
2 Hours – With DVD
- 5 Minutes Announcements and Opening Prayer
- 10 Minutes Worship
- 15 Minutes Icebreaker Game – alternate every other week with Testimony
- 20 Minutes DVD
- 60 Minutes Discussion
- 10 Minutes Prayer Requests (optional) and Closing Prayer
Today’s Toolbox Task:
- Create or review your schedule for your small group time.
- Add a question about your small group schedule to your end of session survey.
I hope you’ve found these tips on creating a schedule for your group to be helpful.
Creating routines for our group can help encourage women to create routines for studying God’s Word.
Outro: Thank you for listening to this episode of the Women’s Ministry Toolbox podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, would you consider leaving us a rating and review in your podcast app? This helps leaders just like you find this podcast, and it also helps them to know whether the podcast would be a good fit. Just open your podcast app, go to the show, and then scroll down until you see the ratings & reviews option. From there you can tap to rate and then write a review. It really is a huge help – thanks so much! May the grace of God carry you through difficult ministry seasons, may He direct your steps as you seek to make Him known, and may your love for the LORD be apparent to every woman you serve.
You may also want to read:
Selecting Discipleship, Bible Study, or Discipleship Materials
What’s the difference between discipleship, Bible studies, and mentoring?
Defining Discipleship
Great Discipleship, Bible Study, and Small Group Leaders
How to Select Icebreaker Games that Build Relationships
The Power of Personal Testimonies
Leave a Reply