Is there really time to do all this?
What goes into a Small Group? With the Five Purposes of a Small Group, along with the practical realities of opening one’s home or office and responding to inquiries, things can get overwhelming pretty quickly. Just look below to see how much time per month you could spend on your Small Group. It’s a lot! That’s why we encourage the group to be (wait for it. . .) a group!
We recommend a distribution of roles within your Small Group. Here’s an example of what that might look like, and how these roles relate to the Five Purposes of a Small Group:
| Role | Function | Ideas |
| Host | Open his/her home or office for a Small Group, and structure the group around the Five Purposes. | |
| Study the Word | Encourage the group to hear God’s Word together in different ways. | Usually this person is the Host of the Small Group, though you may take turns leading the Study portion of your group time. |
| Worship the Lord | Encourage the group to respond to God in prayer and praise. | Make plans for your group to attend Easter at the Bowl together or to visit The Bridge or one of BAPC’s partner churches. |
| Care for Each Other | Encourage the group to serve and support one another, while setting the tone for accountability. | When someone emails or calls about your Small Group, your Host will respond with details about the group. At that point, the Care person might follow up with them a few times to answer questions, ask how it went, or see if they are going to take part in the group on an ongoing basis. |
| Serve your Neighbor | Encourage the group to embody God’s heart for Los Angeles and the world. | Contact the Outreach department for ideas for service, visit www.smallgroupsla.com to find ideas for how to serve during and after Lent, arrange logistics for serving. |
| Relate as Friends | Encourage the group to build relationships outside of the regular time. | Send out birthday cards to group members, set up a time to go to coffee together, or suggest having a dinner as part of your group meeting. |
