Lead small groups that people actually want to come back to
This practical and guided course walks you through every layer of small group leadership — from your first invitation email to the moment a quiet member finally opens up — so you can shepherd real community starting this week.
My goal isn't to make you a professional facilitator — it's to help you become the kind of leader your group can be honest with.
— Gary R Uremovich MS DMin PhD PA (Emeritus)
What you'll learn
What you'll be able to do
- Design and structure a small group session that balances Scripture, discussion, and prayer without feeling rigid or rushed.
- Ask open-ended questions that invite honest sharing and move a group beyond surface-level answers.
- Handle difficult group dynamics — silence, domineering personalities, or doctrinal disagreements — with grace and confidence.
- Create a culture of psychological safety and genuine belonging so members return week after week.
- Develop a simple discipleship pathway that helps group members grow spiritually between meetings.
- Launch or relaunch a small group from scratch, including recruiting members, setting group agreements, and choosing the right study material.
How it works
A school that adapts to you
This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.
We learn your level
A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.
Lessons adapt as you go
Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.
Your AI coach keeps you moving
Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.
The curriculum
What's inside your school
6 modules · 27 lessons
The Heart of a Small Group Leader
Establishes the biblical foundation and personal posture every effective small group leader needs before touching logistics or curriculum.
- 1.1Why Small Groups MatterIncluded
- 1.2Leading from Servanthood, Not PerformanceIncluded
- 1.3Knowing Your Own TendenciesIncluded
- 1.4Staying Spiritually Fueled as a LeaderIncluded
Launching or Relaunching Your Group
Covers every practical step needed to get a new — or reinvigorated — small group off the ground with the right people, agreements, and materials.
- 2.1Defining Your Group's Purpose and ScopeIncluded
- 2.2Recruiting and Inviting MembersIncluded
- 2.3Setting Group Agreements That StickIncluded
- 2.4Choosing the Right Study MaterialIncluded
- 2.5Planning Your First GatheringIncluded
Designing and Running a Great Session
Teaches you how to plan and lead each weekly gathering so it feels both purposeful and naturally flowing.
- 3.1The Four Elements of a Balanced SessionIncluded
- 3.2Preparing as a Facilitator, Not a PreacherIncluded
- 3.3Managing Time Without Killing MomentumIncluded
- 3.4Closing Well — Prayer and Next StepsIncluded
Asking Questions That Open Hearts
Builds the single most important facilitation skill — crafting and delivering questions that invite authentic sharing and genuine spiritual reflection.
- 4.1The Anatomy of a Great Discussion QuestionIncluded
- 4.2The Question Arc — From Icebreaker to ApplicationIncluded
- 4.3Active Listening and Follow-Up ResponsesIncluded
- 4.4Silence, Tangents, and One-Word AnswersIncluded
Navigating Difficult Dynamics with Grace
Equips you to handle the real-life group situations that unsettle new leaders — from conflict and dominance to grief and doctrinal tension.
- 5.1The Dominator and the WallflowerIncluded
- 5.2When Emotions Run HighIncluded
- 5.3Handling Doctrinal DisagreementsIncluded
- 5.4Addressing Chronic Absence and Low EngagementIncluded
- 5.5When to Involve Your Pastor or Ministry LeaderIncluded
Building Community and a Discipleship Culture
Shows how to cultivate lasting belonging and a simple between-meeting growth pathway so the group becomes a true community of disciples.
- 6.1Creating Psychological Safety in Your GroupIncluded
- 6.2Rituals, Rhythms, and Group IdentityIncluded
- 6.3Designing a Simple Between-Meeting Discipleship PathwayIncluded
- 6.4Caring for Members Beyond the MeetingIncluded
- 6.5Multiplying Your Group and Raising Up New LeadersIncluded
Who it's for
Is this you?
First-time group host
She just agreed to host a home Bible study and wants a clear, confidence-building roadmap before that first gathering arrives.
Church ministry volunteer
He's been serving faithfully for years but has never received real training on how to facilitate discussion or handle group tension.
Women's ministry leader
She leads a group of women at different life stages and needs practical tools for creating safety, depth, and consistent engagement.
Young adult cell leader
He's leading peers his own age and wrestles with how to hold spiritual authority lightly while still moving the group forward.
Seasoned leader, stuck group
She's led groups for years but senses her current one has plateaued — she's looking for fresh language, tools, and renewed vision.
Church staff coordinator
He oversees multiple small groups at a mid-size church and needs a reliable resource he can point new volunteer leaders to with confidence.
Questions
Frequently asked
Your teacher
A note from your teacher
Gary R Uremovich MS DMin PhD PA (Emeritus)
Maybe you said yes to leading a small group because you care about people — and now you're sitting with a quiet knot in your stomach wondering if you're actually equipped to do this well. Or maybe you've been leading for a season and you sense that something is missing: the conversations stay shallow, a couple of people dominate every discussion, and you leave each week feeling like you managed the hour rather than shepherded anyone.
I want you to know: that tension you feel is not a sign you're the wrong person for this. It's actually a sign you take it seriously. And that's exactly where good leadership begins.
I built The Small Group Guide because I've seen what happens when ordinary, willing people are handed a leader's guide and told "you'll figure it out." Sometimes they do. More often, they quietly burn out, or their group quietly dissolves, and both the leader and the members walk away not quite knowing why. The truth is, facilitating a Christ-centered small group is a learnable skill — and when you learn it well, the results are genuinely life-changing for the people around your table.
This course takes you through everything I wish someone had told me early on. We start on the inside — with your own motivations, tendencies, and spiritual health as a leader — because a group can only go as deep as its leader is willing to go. Then we move outward to the practical: how to structure a session that breathes, how to ask the one question that unlocks a room, how to handle the hard moments with grace instead of dread, and how to build the kind of community where people show up not out of obligation but because they genuinely belong there.
I've written this to sound like a conversation with a trusted friend who happens to have walked this road ahead of you — not a lecture, not a seminary course. Every concept is anchored in Scripture and illustrated with the kinds of real situations you'll actually face. My hope is that by the time you finish, you won't just feel more prepared. You'll feel called — settled in the knowledge that God can work through your leadership to change people's lives, one honest conversation at a time.
You don't have to have it all figured out. You just have to be willing to grow. Let's do this together.
— Gary R Uremovich MS DMin PhD PA (Emeritus)
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- 6 modules, 27 lessons
- AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
- Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
- Your own AI learning coach
- Learn on any device, at your pace
- Full access for as long as you're subscribed