How to Be a Good Small Group Member

Summit small groups exist to make disciples through relationships, so the relationships among small group members are the key to a small group’s disciple-making success. Each person in a small group matters!

Since every member is integral to a small group’s success, here’s a general list of what a healthy, growing small group family member does: 

  1. Commit to being present. Folks that get the most out of their group plan to be there every week. If your small group meets on Tuesday nights, then there is nothing else that will regularly be more important for you and your family on Tuesday night. The question isn’t, “What night of the week are you usually available for small group?” The question is, “What night of the week can you commit to being part of a small group?”
  2. Be family more than friends. Many folks join small groups to make friends, and that’s a good desire. But small groups are more like a family than a friend group. Friend groups connect over shared interests, and people come and go fluidly. Families love, show patience, and cultivate an attachment that friends may quickly abandon when challenges arise. All disciples need committed relationships to thrive—to live with the local church as family.
  3. Use your God-given gifts. God, our Father, created each one of us with unique gifts, passions, and experiences to serve his church family. Healthy small group members proactively seek out opportunities to use their gifts to serve their small group family.
  4. Engage. To “engage” means to do something instead of nothing. Shared experiences and conversations build a base for relationships to develop. The more you engage in relationships, the more you will all grow. Practically, this means participating in group discussions, going on group outings, and caring for group members when they share a need—and these are just a start!  
  5. Be a whole disciple. As you grow in the five identities of a disciple, that growth overflows into your small group family. As you worship God in your personal time and on the weekends, that worship pours into your relationships. As you steward your resources, serve sacrificially, and bear witness to the gospel, God works through you to grow his church to be more like Jesus. As you grow in the five identities of a disciple, God uses you to lead others to grow just like you have.