Ministry of Small Groups prepares the individual to serve and equip the church to embrace, plan for, implement and evaluate small group ministry. In addition to helping establish a clear biblical basis for small groups, this course is divided into two distinct, but related, topics. The first aspect deals with the issue of organizing and ministering small group ministry. The second aspect deals with the dynamics related to small group leadership. The focus is on one leader and one group.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Jesus told us to “go and make disciples.” This is the clear command from our Lord and Savior. We have the command, and we have principles from the Word of God that help us to understand how to go about the process of making disciples of Jesus Christ. The principles are to love God and love people. The early Church quickly implemented these principles and “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). The Great Commission is still applicable today and so are the principles of God’s Word. Small groups give the church a context for accomplishing the commands of Christ.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Each thread must be 400 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be 200 words. (CLOs: A, B, C, D, E, F)

Written Assignments (4)

The student will compose four written assignments. Each paper must be written in current Turabian format and include at least 5 references. (CLOs: A, B, E)

Small Group Training Manual Assignments

The student will compose a Small Group Training Manual that can be implemented in a small group ministry. Small Group Foundations is the first part and Small Group Conclusion is the second part. The total manual must be 12–15 pages and cover areas detailed within the course. The manual must include at least 10 sources cited in current Turabian format. (CLOs: A, B, C, D, E, F)