Fellowship. I always begin with fellowship. It is a great way to transition from the issues and stresses of life into a focused time with God. I like to use a general conversation starter, like "How was your week?" or "Share a high and low from your week." Try to keep the opening conversation to around 10 minutes.
Opening prayer. This is the official beginning of our time. We always want to start and end with prayer. Beginning with prayer is how we put our focus on God.
Scripture memory. Make this a priority from day one. I always start with having everyone quote a verse. No one gets a pass.
Bible reading and Application Journals. Discussing the group's journals drives the majority of the conversation. I typically start this part of the meeting by asking someone to share one of their journals. The leader's role is to guide the conversation, allow the group to interact, and ensure everyone contributes.
Accountability. As the group gets to know each other better, start to model accountability. By the end of the year, one of my goals is for each person to be in an accountable relationship.
Group prayer. Prayer needs to be a priority, but it may take all year to get everyone comfortable praying in a group. I usually start the year by personally leading prayer and slowly move toward group prayer.
The fourth week. Once a month the meeting centers on the book summary and the monthly assignment. Each person should have completed a book summary and listed some big takeaways. The conversation will start on the book, but may end up going in any number of directions.
This is your group. Don't be a slave to the agenda. Use it as a guide, but do what you need to do. Stay on your knees and let the Lord lead in every aspect of this group.
