Subscribe to the Network4 “Instant” Small Group Lessons to Prep in a Pinch
We’ve all done it … gone into small group unprepared or having prepped at the stoplight and hoping God’s Spirit shows up with an extra dose of His work. If you find yourself in a situation like this – here are 4 quick lessons you can probably give with little or no prep at all:
1) Your Life Verse
Maybe there’s a verse that your parents dedicated you with as a child, or maybe there is a verse that you personally claimed during a particularly challenging stretch of your life. Either way, pull out that special verse and share the story about why it means so much and how you’ve experienced it in real life. Maybe encourage others to share a key verse that has help them in their experiences, too.
2) Your Story of Trusting Christ
There’s nothing more powerful than someone’s story of coming to Christ. It might be a good small group night just talking about when you trusted Christ personally, your journey to faith. Others may also be willing to share, and you might be surprised at the discussion that comes up about faith, unbelief and even doubt. Just share your story and see what happens!
3) A Life Changing-Moment
For each of us as small group leaders there’s no doubt a spiritual moment that defines us. It could be a huge high, or a dreadful low. Whether you share a joy or regret on this low-prep night – students will be riveted hearing how your life changed after that experience. Your failure stories (like getting caught for cheating) will be particularly powerful, though an emotional experience (like holding your first child) might ring well in their ears, too.
4) Finding Your Spouse
One of the guaranteed most interesting small group nights you could ever have is when you talk about God guiding you to your spouse. Even unmarried small group leaders have this interesting story to share about their journey – they’re just still in the middle of it. Students are keenly interested in relationship dynamics and will hang on every detail.
Obviously, I hope you find time to prep your lesson this week – but if you’re just having “one of those weeks” give one of these ideas a try!
JG
Another good one: “What’s God been teaching you this past week/month/year?” Of course, it assumes you’ve been paying attention to what He’s doing in your life.
It usually starts with me sharing about a struggle, failure, or weakness and how it came out during a specific situation. Then I move to how I was convicted, take them to the scripture that convicted me, how I responded to it, and what I did as a result.
I like it because it helps the students see that I’m a real person, that I have struggles just like they do, and most importantly, it helps them see how real life and scripture intersect every day. Risking the vulnerability also helps set the tone for our group and helps the kids feel safe to share similar stories from their own lives. Good times!
You forgot NOOMA, haha! I’ve had a few Sundays in the past that got the Nooma and some commentary afterwards!