The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 303- small group participation
Struggling to boost small group participation in your church? You’re not alone. Many pastors find themselves frustrated when they launch small groups ministry only to see low engagement and empty chairs. The problem isn’t usually with your small groups program itself—it’s with how you’re communicating the need for deeper fellowship to your congregation.
According to the UN, one hundred people die of loneliness-related causes every hour. In our increasingly isolated world, the need for authentic community has never been greater. Yet many church members remain content with Sunday-morning-only engagement, missing out on the biblical fellowship that leads to spiritual maturity.
The key to increasing small group participation lies in effective communication. Here are three proven strategies that will help you motivate your congregation to move from passive attendance to active community engagement.
1. Speak to the Heart: Focus on Our Innate Need for Relationships
The most effective way to increase small group participation starts with addressing the fundamental human need for authentic relationships. Too many church leaders make the mistake of leading with program details or scheduling logistics. Instead, begin with the heart.
Address the Loneliness Epidemic in Your Congregation
Modern life has created a crisis of connection. People substitute real relationships with online engagement, creating what one pastor calls “a patina of social relationship that’s not real—it’s so shallow.” Your congregation members may not even realize they’re experiencing loneliness, but they’re feeling its effects.
When communicating about small group participation, help people recognize that the restlessness, anxiety, or emptiness they might be experiencing could actually be loneliness manifesting in different ways. Life gets complicated and busy, with work, family, and endless distractions creating a cycle where people wake up one day and realize they don’t actually engage deeply with anyone.
Ground Your Message in Scripture
Connect this human need to God’s design by referencing Genesis 2:18: “It is not good for man to be alone.” This isn’t just about marriage—it’s about God’s fundamental design for human flourishing through relationship and community.
When you communicate about small groups, frame them as environments where authentic relationships happen, not as “another church program.” This distinction is crucial for increasing small group participation because people are already overwhelmed with activities. They need to understand that small groups meet a core human need that God designed into them.
Practical Communication Tip: Use Real People’s Stories
One of the most powerful ways to encourage small group participation is through authentic testimonies. However, avoid the common mistake of having the same Sunday speakers share these stories. Instead, invite “real people”—congregation members who aren’t typically in the spotlight—to share how small groups changed their lives.
Have someone who was initially hesitant about joining a group share their experience. Let them tell the story of the life-changing friendships they formed or how their group supported them through a difficult season. These authentic testimonies from relatable people will be more impactful than pastoral endorsements because they remove the “that’s what the pastor is supposed to say” barrier.
2. Clarify the Biblical Imperative of Fellowship
Once you’ve addressed the heart-level need for relationship, it’s time to provide the theological foundation that makes small group participation a matter of spiritual maturity, not personal preference.
Teach About Koinonia
Take time to educate your congregation about the Greek word koinonia (fellowship) and its essential role in spiritual development. Reference key passages like Acts 2:42 and Hebrews 10:24-25 to show how fellowship was central to the early church’s life and growth.
The author of Hebrews warns against “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.” This verse directly addresses the tendency to skip deeper fellowship in favor of surface-level church attendance.
Distinguish Between Sunday Morning and True Fellowship
Help your congregation understand that what happens during Sunday morning worship is good and necessary, but it’s not koinonia. If you can clearly define what biblical fellowship looks like and then describe what Sunday morning provides, people will see they’re not the same thing.
Be direct with your congregation: “Until you’re engaged in deep spiritual friendship, you’re not spiritually mature.” This might seem harsh, but it’s biblically accurate. Fellowship isn’t optional for spiritual growth—it’s essential.
Position Small Groups Within Your Discipleship Pathway
Small group participation shouldn’t exist in isolation. It should be clearly positioned as one essential component of a comprehensive discipleship pathway. Acts 2:41-47 shows us that the early church engaged in multiple practices: fellowship was just one piece alongside teaching, worship, prayer, generosity, and evangelism.
Practical Communication Tip: Consistently Communicate Your Discipleship Pathway
Don’t just talk about small groups—continuously communicate your entire discipleship pathway and show how small group participation fits within the bigger picture of spiritual maturity. This helps people see that joining a small group isn’t just about attending another meeting; it’s about taking the next step in their spiritual journey.
When you communicate this way, small group participation becomes part of a clear progression toward spiritual maturity rather than an optional add-on to Sunday attendance.
3. Show, Don’t Just Tell: Model a Culture of Belonging
The most effective way to increase small group participation is to create a visible culture where belonging is both modeled and celebrated. People are naturally hesitant about joining small groups because they involve the unknown: What will it be like? Will I be comfortable? Am I qualified to participate?
Leadership Must Model Small Group Participation
Your church leadership—especially the pastoral staff—must visibly participate in small groups. However, there’s an important distinction here: pastors should join groups rather than lead them whenever possible.
When a pastor joins a group rather than leading it, it communicates humility and genuine interest in relationship rather than just fulfilling professional duties. It also prevents the problem where everyone wants to join “the pastor’s group,” creating an imbalance in participation.
If you must start by leading a group as a pastor, set a clear timeline (perhaps six months) and actively develop a co-leader who can take over, allowing you to transition to being a participant rather than the teacher.
Make Small Group Participation Visible
Regularly celebrate and highlight groups publicly to reinforce their value in your church culture. Share stories of how groups have supported members through difficult times, celebrated milestones together, or grown in their faith through mutual encouragement.
Consider creating short video testimonials from group members, highlighting different groups throughout the year, or featuring group prayer requests and celebrations during Sunday services. This ongoing visibility helps normalize small group participation as a standard part of church life rather than something only “super committed” members do.
Start Simple and Build Consistently
Don’t feel pressured to launch a massive small groups program on day one. If small group participation is new to your church culture, start with one or two groups and be consistent. Make participation as easy as possible initially:
- Meet on campus to reduce barriers
- Use sermon-based discussion guides (no teaching preparation required) *use the small groups discussion guide assistant in the Healthy Churches Toolkit.
- Keep the format simple and predictable
- Focus on consistency over impressive numbers
Many churches make the mistake of creating false starts—launching groups with great fanfare, then quietly discontinuing them after one semester. Instead, think long-term: launch one group, run it consistently, then add another group the following semester. Faithful consistency builds more momentum than flashy launches that fizzle out.
Practical Communication Tip: Set Group Size Limits and Develop Leaders
Establish upper limits for group sizes (they’re not small groups if there are 50 people) and be prepared to launch new groups as existing ones grow. This requires ongoing leadership development, but it prevents the bottleneck of everyone wanting to be in the same group.
Consider having pastoral staff visit different groups periodically—not as guest teachers, but as participants who want to hear prayer requests, get to know members better, and show that small group participation is valued at every level of church leadership.
Tools to Support Your Small Group Communication Strategy
Effective communication about small group participation requires consistent, high-quality content. Consider using resources like sermon-based discussion guides that make group participation accessible for both leaders and members. When groups can easily discuss the Sunday message, it removes the intimidation factor for potential leaders and creates natural connection points between Sunday services and small group meetings.
The key is removing barriers that prevent small group participation while consistently communicating the biblical necessity and practical benefits of deeper fellowship. The Healthy Churches Toolkit has an amazing tool included to make your sermon-based discussion guides fast and easy to create.
Building Momentum for Long-Term Small Group Participation
Remember that increasing small group participation is a marathon, not a sprint. Focus on building a sustainable culture where deep relationships and biblical fellowship are normal rather than exceptional.
Start by implementing these three communication strategies consistently:
- Speak to hearts by addressing the universal need for authentic relationships and sharing real testimonies
- Provide biblical foundation by teaching about koinonia and positioning small groups within your discipleship pathway
- Model the culture through visible leadership participation and consistent celebration of group life
Don’t expect immediate, dramatic results. Instead, commit to faithful, consistent communication about why small group participation matters for spiritual maturity and human flourishing. As you create a culture where fellowship is both expected and supported, you’ll see steady growth in meaningful participation.
The goal isn’t just to fill small group rosters—it’s to help your congregation members experience the life-changing power of biblical community. When you communicate effectively about small group participation using these three strategies, you’re not just growing a program; you’re helping people discover the relationships God designed them to need and enjoy.
Also check out:
Small Group Killers: 5 Problems That Plague Small Group Ministries
How to Build a Discipleship Pathway
Revolutionary Small Groups Ministry Training Now Available in The Healthy Churches Toolkit
Watch this episode on YouTube!
A.J. Mathieu is the President of the Malphurs Group. He is passionate about helping churches thrive and travels internationally to teach and train pastors to lead healthy disciple-making churches. A.J. lives in the Ft. Worth, Texas area, enjoys the outdoors, and loves spending time with his wife and two sons. Click here to email A.J.
