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Tips for Leading a Better Small Group
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Leading a small group can be exciting and challenging. Small groups can help students deepen their relationship with Christ, experience life change, and have an outward impact on their friends. But it is also challenging to depend on God each week as you lead discussions and work to create a great small group environment. Some students will transform into spiritual giants, others will let you down.

We want your small group experience to be the best it can be so we put together a few principles to help you lead a life-changing small group for your students.

Lead from a Personal Dependence on God

Your own walk with the Lord will be the foundation for your leadership with your small group. As you lead by example and involve your students in ministry, you are developing leaders for your movement. If you depend on your own abilities it will be seen by the students in your group. Likewise, they will see when you depend on God in everything you do.

“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”

– 1 Corinthians 11:1

Your Personal Study Preparation Is Essential

There are some amazing resources out there. Thrive Studies is one of them. Thrive Studies come with a leaders guide, complete with step-by-step instructions on how to begin each study, how to explore the verses, and how to apply the truth in practical ways. But amazing resources cannot overcome a lack of preparation.

Be sure to work through each lesson prior to leading your small group. Read and meditate on the referenced scripture passages. Imagine your students answering the questions. Are there some questions you should not ask? Are there some of your own you would like to add? Every group is different and only you know how to best lead your group. Your advanced preparation is one way you can show love to your students as your familiarity with the material will allow them to have a more meaningful group experience.

Remember, the lesson is not just for your students, it is also for you. Ask the Lord how it applies to your own relationship with Him. Often a leader will find the lesson is timely for them. No matter how much we know or experience with God, there is always room to grow. Look for what God might want to say to you through the study.

No matter how much we know or experience with God, there is always room to grow.

Lead Your Group by Creating a Learning Environment

While leading a small group may feel daunting, your role as a small group leader is more of a facilitator than a teacher. Students will not learn simply because you have taught them the truth. 

 

Learning Involves Active Engagement

 Studies show that we only retain 20% of what we hear in a presentation, but when we are actively involved in the process of learning, our retention skyrockets to 90%. For example, imagine yourself in a science class teaching students about mining for gold. You might give them an instruction booklet and perhaps show a picture or two. But what if you could take your students to an actual mine and let them experience digging for gold? Their five senses would come alive, and they would be able to see and touch the damp stones, hear the slow drip of water, smell the moisture and dust, and taste the mineral powder in the air. Once they discover gold for themselves, they would be motivated to keep digging for more.

Similarly, knowing ABOUT God is a far cry from being in a relationship with Him. You want students’ five senses to come to life as they dig into the character of God and into His Word to discover nuggets of truth for themselves about how to live the life God designed for them. Your time together will actually become a time of discovery. 

 

Learning Involves Asking Questions

Asking questions will engage your students and will help them evaluate and personalize where they are in their walk with God. At the beginning of your study each week, briefly highlight topics you have already covered. Then launch into your time with an activity or discussion question that gets them thinking about the central truth of your study, something that will relate to their world. Again, there are great suggestions in the Thrive Studies leaders guide for you. Each Thrive study comes with review questions to refresh their memories of past studies and activities or discussion questions to kick off the lesson.

Here are some helpful questions to ask your students:

  • What do you think is the main point of this story?
  • Are there any words you do not understand? 
  • What does this story teach us about God and His plan for us? 
  • What does this story teach us about ourselves? 

 

Learning Involves Discovering Where God Is Leading

Students regularly need to locate the “you are here” red dot in their personal walk with God. As they study scripture, you want them to discover where God is leading them. To assess where they are on God’s path and learn how to follow God’s leading, ask questions! Here are some examples of questions to help them process:

  • In light of these verses, where am I in my walk with God? 
  • How does this passage apply to my life right now? 
  • Is there anything standing in the way of me walking this path with God right now?

Create an Environment of Trust and Safety for Your Group

Students will be at different points in their relationship with God. You may have a student who has never seen a Bible and another student who has memorized parts of the Bible. You can still provide great encouragement and camaraderie along the way as you foster an environment of trust and safety.

Lead Each Person to Take Their Next Step With God

Help your students know the Christian life is lived one step at a time, one decision at a time. The next step is always the most important one. To help them apply what they have learned, you may want to close in prayer and have them ask God a few questions like the following:

  • What is my next step?
  • How does God want me to respond and apply these truths right now in my life, my relationships, my decisions? 

Depending on the group, you may want to ask if anyone would share what the next step might be for them and pray for one another in closing. 

Repeat the Process

Lead your small group to experience these things again and again and you will start to see students deepen their relationship with Christ. Leading students to these questions every time you meet, “Where am I, where is God leading me, how do I get there, what are obstacles in my path, and what is my next step?” As you lead your small group, create an environment to build a great internal process they can use in their personal times alone with God. God has much in store for each student and the ministry on your campus. Enjoy this great adventure and time of discovery together.

Next Step
Schedule time to prepare the next Bible study you are leading, intentionally setting a learning environment that will equip students to act on what they have learned.
Next Step
Who are some students you work with that might make good leaders? Make a list of 5 students and begin praying that God would show you opportunities to help them step into leadership.

RECENT POSTS

The Reach Your School Playbook

You want to make a difference at your school. You care about your friends. You see the need. You’ve probably even thought, “Someone should do something.”

What if that someone is you?

The Reach Your School Playbook was created to help students take that step, and to give adults a simple way to support them along the way.

Reach Your School Playbook PDF

Made for Students, Helpful for Adults

This Playbook is designed first for students. It helps you take ownership, lead your friends, and build something that actually reaches your school.

At the same time, if you’re an adult, youth leader, parent, or volunteer, this gives you a clear way to come alongside students without taking over.

  • Students lead
  • Adults support
  • Everyone moves forward together

Why Most People Don’t Start

A lot of students never take the first step. Not because they don’t care, but because they feel stuck.

  • “Where do I even begin?”
  • “What if no one shows up?”
  • “How do I get others involved?”

Uncertainty can keep people from moving. This Playbook breaks that barrier. It gives you a clear path so you can stop overthinking and start doing.

What This Helps You Do

This isn’t just ideas sitting on a page. It’s a practical guide you can actually use right now.

With the Playbook, you can:

  • Start something meaningful, even if you’re on your own
  • Gather a few friends and build momentum
  • Share your faith in natural, real ways
  • Lead with confidence, even if you’ve never led before
  • Build something that lasts beyond you

You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just need a place to start.

“Start where you are, use what you have, take the first step.”

A Simple Path to Follow

The Playbook walks you through five clear steps. Each one is simple, practical, and designed to help you take action.

  • DREAM: Start with a vision for your school and what God could do there
  • PRAY: Learn how to pray for your campus in real, meaningful ways
  • GO: Take action, gather a team, and begin reaching people
  • GROW: Build a group that develops leaders and multiplies
  • SEND: Help others step out and reach their friends too

You don’t have to guess what to do next. It’s right there in front of you.

Built to Be Used, Not Just Read

This isn’t a long manual you’ll never finish. It’s short. It’s simple. It’s designed to move you forward.

  • Easy to read
  • Clear next steps
  • Real examples
  • Space to think and act

You can go through it on your own, or walk through it with a couple of friends. Adults can use it to guide conversations and help students take ownership.

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

Starting something can feel intimidating. But you’re not on your own. The Playbook connects you to tools, coaching, and a bigger movement of people who are doing the same thing. Take one step, and you’ll find support along the way.

Start Today

You don’t need a perfect plan. You just need a first step.

Reach Your School Playbook PDF
Next Step
Download the Playbook with the button above and walk through the first section this week with a friend!
Comment Cards 101: Capture Interest, Build Relationships

Why Comment Cards Matter

The most important thing you do in ministry isn’t running events, it’s building relationships. Big gatherings are great, but they aren’t personal. Comment cards help you bridge that gap. They give students a simple way to raise their hand and say:

  • “I’m interested”
  • “I want to get involved”
  • “I want to talk”
  • “I made a decision”

A comment card is more than a form. It’s a filter. The event gathers the crowd, but the comment cards reveal the ones who are ready. Instead of guessing who’s interested, students tell you. And that’s what allows you to follow up personally and meaningfully.

Download Comment Cards

Tip: Start simple. You can always customize later.

Physical vs. Digital Comment Cards

You can collect information digitally, but physical cards still win.

Physical Cards

  • Higher response rate
  • Easier to complete in the moment
  • No distractions
  • Feels more intentional

Digital Options

  • Students are less likely to fill them out
  • Distractions
  • Technical glitches

Digital can work, but many ministries find they get about half the responses compared to physical cards. Even in a digital world, physical cards often get better results. If you want the most responses, go physical first.

“The card isn’t the win, the conversation is.”

How to Use Comment Cards

1. Pass Them Out at the Right Moment
Usually at the end of a meeting or outreach, when interest is highest.

2. Give Everyone a Pen or Pencil
Don’t assume students have one. They won’t.

3. Walk Through the Card Together
This is huge. Once everyone has a card, read each section out loud and guide them:

  • “Write your name here”
  • “Check this if you want to get involved”
  • “Check this if you prayed to receive Christ”

If you don’t do this, students rush through and check random boxes.

4. Give Them Time to Complete It
Pause. Let them actually fill it out.

5. Collect Them Immediately
Don’t leave it optional or vague.

Use Incentives to Increase Response

Want more cards turned in? Use prizes.

  • Gift cards
  • Snacks
  • Fast food coupons
  • Free merch

Tell them:
“Turn in your card, we’ll draw for prizes.”

It works. A simple prize can double your response rate.

Best Practices That Make a Big Difference

Use cardstock
Regular paper tears or gets ruined. Cardstock holds up better.

Keep it simple
Too many options overwhelm students.

Look through cards immediately
Scan for:

  • Students who want to get involved
  • Spiritual decisions
  • Urgent needs

If possible, connect with them before they leave the meeting. The best practice is to follow up within 24–48 hours. After that, interest fades fast. So if. you can talk with them before they leave and set up a time to connect again in the next day or so, you will get your best results.

Turning Cards Into Conversations

A comment card is just the beginning. The goal isn’t collecting information. The goal is connection. Use what they checked to guide your follow-up:

  • Grab lunch
  • Meet after school
  • Start a Bible study
  • Have a gospel conversation

Final Thought

Comment cards can feel like a small detail, but they might be one of the most important things you do at an event. They help you move from a crowd, to a conversation, to a changed life.

Next Step
Download a comment card and use it at your next meeting.
Student Leader Application and Covenant

Strong student leadership doesn’t happen by accident.

Whether you’re a student leading your peers or an adult supporting a movement, clarity around leadership can make a huge difference. These simple documents are designed to help you communicate expectations, invite the right students in, and build a healthy leadership culture.

They’re optional tools for any campus movement, not requirements, but many teams find them incredibly helpful.

Student Leadership Application

This application is a simple way for students to express interest in leadership and for you to get to know them better. It creates space for students to share their story, their faith, and why they want to lead. It also helps ensure they understand the purpose and message of your ministry before stepping into a leadership role.

Leaders often use this as a starting point for conversations, discernment, and development, not just as a form to collect.

Student Leadership (Editable Document)
Student Leadership Application (PDF)

“Great leadership starts with clarity, not assumptions.”

Model Student Covenant

This covenant helps define what it means to be a student leader in your group. It clearly communicates expectations, both in character and commitment, and gives students a chance to step in with understanding and ownership. Because it’s customizable, you can adapt it to fit your local context, adding practical expectations that make sense for your team.

Many leaders use this as part of training or onboarding, helping students not just say “yes” to leadership, but understand what they’re saying yes to.

Model Student Covenant (Editable Document)

Next Step
Review these documents and choose one to use with your leadership team this semester:

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