Check Your Pulse!

You’ve enjoyed a great summer! The kids have been crowned T-Ball champs (and they’ve already forgotten about it), you took some great pictures from your beach vacation, your garden is starting to produce, your friends have officially dubbed you "the grill sergeant" for your work on the Weber, and your fantasy football team is taking shape.

Let’s be honest—the summer is over! Labor Day has passed. The kids are back in school. And the temps are dropping. That means it’s time to get serious about your small group again. I’m not suggesting you haven’t met and enjoyed some rich times of community, prayer, and study over the summer months. Most groups do. But most groups also struggle with consistency and commitment during the summer months. Camping trips, vacations, and house guests can prove to be major disruptions to any small group.

So, it’s time to check your pulse. Are you healthy? Is the heartbeat of your group still strong? Or are you in need of some care?

Too many times the summer months—and all the fun that comes with them—can prove to be too much for a group to overcome. Don’t give in to apathy. Don’t allow the challenge of recalibrating schedules to overwhelm you.

Here are three suggestions as you strive to re-energize your group after a fun summer of activities:

1. Catch Up – Be intentional about sharing your family’s summer stories. Even if each couple/person has only missed a couple group meetings during the summer, this can be critical to helping everyone feel connected to the lives of everyone else. (And it’s usually fun, too.)

2. Pray – Thank God together for the blessings that each couple/person received and for the memories and good times you enjoyed during the summer months. This will help each of you to feel a greater connection with everyone in your group. Then, transition into a time of seeking God’s will for your group. Submit yourselves before Him, and ask what He wants to do with your group in the months ahead. Seek God’s direction and leading—together!

3. Plan – If you have a group covenant, pull it out. If you don’t, work to develop one for the new small group year. What are the group’s expectations? What are your goals regarding spiritual growth? Service? Evangelism? Missions? Have the needs and interests of the individual couples/people changed? Be honest with each other as you strive for unity.

Enjoy a great start to another year of small group life!