How to Use Thrive Studies in a Large Group Meeting

If you have more than 20-30 people coming regularly to small groups, consider making these changes to give your meeting a little more energy and help people feel more connected. Bring your small groups into one large meeting that looks something like this…

Leading a large group gathering with Thrive Studies can boost the visibility of your movement and open the door for more students to step into meaningful leadership roles. A setup like this gives you room for a greeter, an emcee, small group leaders, and others to own important moments in the experience. We recommend having an emcee who guides the entire gathering from start to finish, then transitions everyone into small groups for discussion afterward. Here’s how you do it…

Create a Welcoming Atmosphere

Before people start showing up, make sure they feel welcome by…

Have outgoing students at the door greeting people to help them feel welcome.
Use nametags so people can know everyone’s names
Have a few students responsible to talk to new people at the beginning and end of the meeting
Play music on someone’s phone or a Bluetooth speaker
Have snacks out
Use a slide deck if appropriate

Welcome Everyone

Explain what Cru is
Thank the teacher sponsor
Welcome any new people

Start with a Game or Icebreaker

If you have enough leaders, a different person could step in to lead this. If not, have the emcee lead it.
Chose a game or activity that will help people laugh, have a good time, and get to know each other.
Sources for the ideas
- Check the Thrive Studies Idea box
- Ask Chat GPT for ideas
- Icebreaker ideas from the thrive studies app
- Lesson introduction activity
- Minute to Win it games (video instructions)
- Youth Ministry game sites like
  - youthgroupgames.org
  - Dare2share
  - Thesource4ym.comm
  - 25 Ministry to Youth games
  - It is best if this activity connects to the study, but if it doesn’t that’s fine too. The most important thing is that kids have fun together and get to know each other.

Other Elements You Might Include

Before you start the Thrive Studies content you may want to do a few other elements in your meeting. The emcee should step in and help these things happen. Here are some things others have done.

A student’s testimony
Prayer time
Announcements
Worship

You do not need a perfect program, you need a clear flow and trusted leaders.

Start the Thrive Studies Lesson in a Large Group

The emcee or another leader will start the Thrive studies lesson from the front of the room. You should have already chosen and prepared small group leaders to gather and lead their groups when it is time to transition to small groups. Below are the three sections of Thrive studies and how we would suggest you lead them. Tip – many have found the conversation cards at thrivestudies.com to be perfect for leading groups in this way. Print them off and try them out!

What do you think?

Lead from up front
Either the Emcee or someone else can lead this
This is where you help students share what they think about the topic
Use the “What do you think” section in the Thrive Study and ask the group the questions there
Many times the “What do you think” section is a question that you can ask the group, other times it is an activity that you could use for the game.
Also check the Idea Box for games, videos, or other activities that might fit here.

What does God say about this?

Lead from up front
Use the “What does God say about this” section and lead a large group discussion.
This will feel like a combination of teaching and group discussion.
This is the point that you get into the Bible and see what it says.
Read the scriptures or have someone else read them.
Ask the whole group the questions under this section and try to get answers from different people each time
Use a slide deck with the passage and questions to keep people’s attention if it is helpful.
Each question is answered in the leader’s guide. Feel free to read those answers if it is helpful

If you are short on time, use only the questions with an asterisk to make sure you get the most important questions.

Break into Small Groups for Discussion

How do we apply this to our lives?

Break into small groups to discuss the “How this applies to our lives?” section
Each group will need a leader who is ready to lead
Be sure to indicate who those leaders are and help the groups gather.
Either put the questions on the slide deck or have the small group leaders use their phones (with the answers to the questions), or print them out.
If you are short on time, use only the questions with an asterisk to make sure you get the most important questions.
This is a great time for you to also do prayer requests as a group and help each member of the group feel cared for and seen.

Wrap Up

Have the emcee bring the group back together.
Ask people to share some things they learned today
Share any announcements you have
Close in prayer

Next Step

Check out Thrive Studies Conversation Cards. They are printable cards with the picture on one side and the questions on the back. They are perfect go give to your leaders in small groups like this. Check them out!

Thrive Conversation Cards

Starting Spiritual Conversations

Bringing up spiritual topics can be hard, but it’s one of the most important steps in reaching your friends. If no one starts the conversation, most students will never talk about their faith.

Solarium: A deck of picture cards to help you start conversations about life and God.

Sharing Your Testimony

Your story matters. Sharing what God has done in your life can open hearts and help others realize that faith is personal and real.

How to Share Your Story (article): A step-by-step guide to help you talk about how Jesus has changed your life.

Sharing Your Faith

The gospel is powerful and your friends need to hear it. Learning how to clearly explain the message of Jesus is a huge step in making your faith your own and helping others follow Him.

How to Share the Gospel (article): a step-by-step guide to help you share the gospel with a friend.
Connecting with God Booklet: A short, simple booklet you can read through with a friend to explain how they can know Christ.
The Four Wristband: A wearable tool with four simple symbols to help you talk about God’s love and how to receive Christ.
GodTools App: A free app with interactive ways to share your faith in different languages and styles.

“You don’t have to be perfect to start reaching your school.”

Following Up a New Believer

When someone accepts Christ, they need help knowing what to do next. Helping a new believer grow in their faith is one of the most rewarding things you can do.

Thrive Studies App: Includes the START series—four Bible studies for new believers.

Leading a Small Group

Small groups are a powerful way to build community and help students grow. If you can lead a good conversation, you can lead a small group.

Thrive Studies App: Includes dozens of studies on real-life topics and built-in leader training.

Campus Ministry Training

Reaching students on your campus is one of the most strategic ways to share your faith. Learning a few simple principles can help you start conversations, gather students, and take steps toward building a movement at your school.

Campus Training Videos – Short, practical videos to help you learn how to reach students on your high school campus. These eight trainings cover key topics like meeting students, starting conversations, sharing your faith, and taking simple steps to build a movement.

Other helpful tools

Everystudent.com: articles to help students learn about faith
Gotothecampus.com: ministry training and tools to help you grow your ministry

Next Step

Pick one tool and take a step this week to start a conversation or gather a few friends.

Ask a Coach – Tips from an Expert

Starting a ministry on your campus is an exciting step, but it can also raise a lot of questions. What should you do first? How do you find students who are interested? What if your group is small or things do not go the way you expected?

This is where a coach can help. A campus ministry coach is someone who has experience helping students and leaders start and grow ministries on high school campuses. They listen to what you are facing, help you think through wise next steps, and connect you with helpful tools and resources along the way.

Throughout the Reach Your School Playbook, you will see short insights from coaches who have spent years helping students reach their campuses. This page gathers more of those tips in one place so you can learn from their experience and keep moving forward.

Below are practical coaching tips from leaders who have walked this road before. As you read, look for what applies to your situation right now and take your next step. You can get your own coach by emailing us at coachingcenter@cru.org. We’d love to help.

Starting a ministry on your campus can feel overwhelming, but you do not have to figure it out alone.

Coaching Tips

Ask a few non-Christian friends how they would respond to your ideas, then process those same questions with Christian friends to sharpen your thinking.

Evangelism is the engine of your ministry, and helping students influence others is how you build future leaders.

You don’t have to figure this out alone, there are people with experience who would love to help you gather students and get the word out.

You have rights on campus, learn them, then live them out with confidence.

Many people are looking for something bigger than themselves, so give them a vision worth joining.

You may be walking past someone God is preparing, start a conversation and see what He does.

Pray Scripture, if God says it, you can pray it, and keep prayers short so more people can participate.

Invite a coach to join your team early, it will help you move faster and avoid common mistakes.

Use the tools available to you, there are helpful resources for sponsors, leaders, and teams if you ask.

When meeting with school leaders, bring others with you so it’s clear you’re building something together.

Be curious, kind, helpful, and bold, those four traits open doors.

Work with your school, not against it, staff can often help you more than you expect.

Teams help you reach more people, save time, and build momentum.

If your school allows non-curricular clubs, they must allow a Christian club too.

Use tools and visuals that help people remember and apply what they learn.

Create environments people actually want to be part of, whether on campus or off.

Use social media, simple graphics, and personal invites, everyone plays a role in getting the word out.

Have a clear process for identifying and developing student leaders.

Work within school expectations for roles, but organize your team in a way that actually helps you function.

Start outreach where you already have relationships, teams, clubs, and shared interests.

Use response cards or forms to follow up, gather feedback, and invite people into next steps.

If God is nudging you to take a step, go for it, but bring others with you.

Parents can be powerful allies, don’t be afraid to involve them.

Always have a next step ready so you can invite people while they’re still engaged.

Next Step

Do you have any questions for our coaches? If so, ask your question here, or request a coach for your ministry by emailing us at coachingcenter@cru.org!