3 Solutions to Small Group Commitment Issues

I know that you life is busy and you feel like life is pulling you in 100 different directions, but I am tired of hearing excuses about why you cannot make it to small group. You commitment to being a small group member is very important unless you want your small group to just be a shallow social club. How do you expect to be a part of the community if you are only there occasionally? I was in a small group that met every other week and when we had to miss a meeting, we didn't see anyone for an entire month. So if we missed half then we were only doing small group 12 times a year. Personally, I don't think that is enough to really invest in a community.

So how do you work small group into your already over busy chaotic life? I have a few suggestions that both leaders and members should pay attention to.

1. Put small group on the calendar first. Don't schedule anything that night of the week ever. Learn to say no to other activities because you cannot make everyone happy.


2. If that night of the week is bad, you may need to look for a small group that meets on a different night or time.


3. Don't want a different group? Talk to the leader and see if there is a possibility to change the meeting night. The leader can offer that up to the group and maybe the group will be able to make a change to accommodate you. If this works, you had better show up every meeting because everyone else is sacrificing for you.

Bonus : For Radical small groups only......I would talk to the group leader about planning more frequent meetings. It is easier to recover from missing 1 week if your group meets every week. I would also suggest taking your small group online so that people who miss have a chance to catch up. Make efforts to connect outside of the scheduled meeting to maintain that community connection. It doesn't always have to be deep Bible study. Go do other things with your small group. Take part in some aspects of their chaotic life and maybe you can find ways to serve each other and keep that community connected.