I’ve asked myself, every year for twenty years, should I be in a small group? The invitation from the church comes out every year and I’m faced with the decision to either be introverted and selfish with my time or instead engage with other people with authenticity and transparency. Here are my recurring answers when asking myself if I should be in a small group.

Should you be a part of a small group? You should be in a small group if you want to grow in obedience in Christ, grow in your faith, feel more connected to the church, and be blessed with the gift of deep meaningful relationships.

In addition, the Bible clearly commands us to “not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:25

Showing up to church can sometimes feel like checking a box. We show up to church to hear the pastor speak and learn about God. The church isn’t just the building or the teaching, it’s the people. And to grow deeper in our faith and have a whole new level of church to complement the teaching, is what small groups do. It will take time, energy and sacrifice, but here are the reasons why you should join a small group.

Benefits of Small Group

Want to group in obedience? Join a small group.

We see in the New Testament that people who believed in Jesus met together often, meeting in homes, and sharing meals. The Bible shows us in Hebrews 10:25 “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. “

Small Groups allow us to practice loving one another. John 13:34 – 35 says “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love for one another.”

Loving people in small group allows you to practice loving others by loving brothers and sisters in Christ. It also allows you to practice being hurt and forgiving because when we feel like the people the closest to us wronged us it can hurt worse than someone not close to us. We need to push into this pain here, obey this command of loving one another – just as Christ loved us, and pursue unity through forgiveness. This training ground grows us to be ready and willing to go and love the world.

Small groups are encouraging. Even when you don’t agree on everything, we’re told to encourage one another. This is one of the few areas in my life I receive a lot of encouragement. Encouragement to do things I’m scared of doing, to keep doing the hard things, and to keep reading the Bible. I’m often even encouraged in areas I didn’t expect it. Like when someone encourages and compliments a gift, talent, or ability in me that I hadn’t considered. This will happen to you too.

Want to grow in your faith? Join a  small group.

Faith is believing something you can’t see. Getting together with other believers is uncomfortable at first, painful in the middle, and wonderful in the end. You’ll be reading God’s word or a book, and discussing this material together. You’ll be sharing your thoughts and opinions and laying them out in front of everyone to see. Sometimes, someone might step on your idea, or challenge it. You will need to have faith that this challenge will grow you. It can either cause you to revisit your opinion and change it, or solidify your position. Both outcomes are great ones.


Maybe you’re in a place where you haven’t accepted Jesus as your savior but have been invited into a small group. In this situation, your obedience to Christ and your faith will not be enough for you to commit. In this situation, I still encourage you to join a small group for two reasons:

1. Your character – No matter what philosophy you’ve adopted, you probably know that getting out of your comfort zone, reading a book, and sharing thoughts and opinions is a very healthy and positive thing to do. Small groups are a great opportunity to discuss material in depth and talk about not only ‘what it says’, but ‘what it means‘, and ‘what it means to you personally’. Even if you don’t believe in the Bible, it has tremendous wisdom that makes for a great discussion and a platform to learn more about yourself as people you can trust encourage and challenge you.

2. To Taste and See – So many people I’ve met that have a negative opinion about Christians. They say things like they’re hypocrites, judgemental, and clicky. Joining a small group is your opportunity to see who these people really are. Come into their homes and see how they act, what’s important to them, how they love others and most importantly learn how Jesus Christ has changed their lives. If you want an in-depth, unfiltered look at people who have put their faith in Christ, this is the absolute best opportunity. You should really take advantage of this.

If you’re still asking the question, ‘Should I join a small group’, I highly encourage to you pray about it and then take the step of faith and do it! It will be one of the most rewarding blessings of being a part of the church and will encourage you to grow in faith.

Signing up for a small group

Typically you’ll be invited into a small group either from a personal invite or by a corporate invitation supported by an annual church sign up based on small groups seasons. When invited personally, follow up with that person and ask them what kind of commitment they want from you. Can you try it one or two times before making a commitment to the whole season or not?

When invited by the church they will usually host a weekend or small group workshop to provide an opportunity for you learn about the small group leaders, the material they will use for learning and growing, and when and how often they meet. Sometimes the geographic location can be important too. Being close to someone can help to fulfill a commitment to getting together on a regular basis.

Make the commitment

In this article, we’ve talked about all the benefits you’ll get out of joining a small group. It’s important to remember to get something out of it, you’ll need to put into it. When you make the decision to join a small group, stick with it. There will be times you don’t feel like going. Unless you’re truly sick, still go. There will be times that someone else might dominate the discussion and no one else gets to share and talk. That’s alright, keep going. Because among all these challenges there will be a great fruit and reward from going. But this will only happen when you are committed, show up, and contribute. Through this, the trust and authenticity will grow between you and others. And because of these traits developing, your relationships will grow deeper together. Before you know it you will feel like family and wonder how you lived life without these people.

Related Questions

What’s the purpose of small groups?

A small group is a group of people who meet together regularly to share their lives,  discuss a reading, and encourage one another. All of this is done with the purpose of learning about God more and loving Jesus with our lives.

What Happens During a Small Group?

During a small group, people will meet at someones home and have an informal social time with snacks or a meal. Then follow up with prayer and discuss recent personal stories or news. After that previously agreed upon reading material will be reviewed and discussed as a group. This material is usually complemented by someone in the group leading by providing discussion questions that keep the dialogue going.