Skip to main content

5 Ways FACEBOOK Can Improve Your Small Group

Facebook: Your Group's Best Friend?

I don't have a hard time taking shots at Facebook, and piously talking about what a time-waster it can be. I know if I'm not careful it can be a big time-waster for me.

But that doesn't mean everything about Facebook is evil. In fact, we should probably recognize that half the world is on Facebook; and probably far more than half our church is on Facebook. In some ways, Facebook has become what email was 15 years ago.

So instead of condemning Facebook, let's try to think about how it can be beneficial. A while back I put together a PRIVATE (that's important) Facebook group for my small group. I invited/added all the members of our group (including those who aren't quite as faithful with their attendance), and have just sat back and watched to see how we used it.

The following list is based mostly on the things for which I've seen our group use Facebook. A few of the items I've added as my own ideas. Here are FIVE WAYS FACEBOOK CAN IMPROVE YOUR SMALL GROUP:

  1. Remind people of upcoming events. We're having a party this Sunday and the host has used Facebook to give directions and remind people what they should bring.
  2. Coordinate missional activities. Every month we serve together at a soup kitchen. We use Facebook to let each other know who will be there and who will be missing.
  3. Share prayer requests. Since the group is private, people feel free to share things with each other that they might not share with all their Facebook friends. Facebook's structure allows people to respond and encourage.
  4. Encourage one another. Sometimes things are shared when we're together that require some "follow-up encouragement." Facebook is a great venue for that.
  5. Sharing teaching material. If I want to, I can send out each week's discussion questions ahead of time so the group can be thinking through the material before we ever come together.

Undoubtedly, we'll continue to see more and more venues for social networking in our lifetime. For now, though, Facebook is king. So tame the beast and use it to your benefit. If successful, you'll grow your community!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Discussion Questions for Easter

Have several people ask the question, “What’s the most important thing you’ve ever done?” Ask other people, “What do you hope to accomplish in the next several years of your life?” Tell your class that today you’ll be talking about “life mission” or the one most important thing you do that drives everything else. Tell them that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the defining moment in history, so it should be the defining moment in our lives. Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. How does the resurrection impact some of the crucial beliefs of Christianity?  How would Christianity be different if there was no resurrection? How would you be different without the resurrection? Read 1 Corinthians 15:50-58. What are some specific ways that the resurrection gives us hope? If you had been a friend of Jesus when he was on earth, how would the resurrection have impacted your life?  How do you think his followers then were effected by the resurrection? Read 1 Corinthian...
3 comments
Read more

FIGHT CLUB! (iron sharpening iron)

Our youth pastor, Keith Sandison, has implemented "Fight Clubs" with the young men of our church. While these teenagers and young adults aren't actually pummeling each other physically, they are using the opportunity to aggressively challenge one another to be more attentive to their spiritual formation. Right now my son is participating in a fight club focusing on Proverbs. I love it. Keith has created a handout he uses for the fight clubs which lists seven different methods of "generic Bible study". I think the idea started with this post a few years ago, but as he often does; Keith took my thoughts and made them immensely more substantive and beneficial. Check out his system below:
1 comment
Read more

Community Killers: Crisis

Here is Part Two in my series on dealing with "Community Killers". Today the topic is "Crisis". Every group experiences crisis at some point. Death, illness, divorce, and financial ruin are just some of the issues that can threaten to destroy a group. These crisis, however, are not to be feared. Rather, they should be embraced as an opportunity for the group to care for one another in unique and deeply meaningful ways. The following are five suggestions (certainly not an exhaustive list) which can help a group handle crisis successfully: Openness. The first step in a group’s efforts to deal with crisis is simply knowing about and understanding the crisis. If a member does not feel comfortable sharing the crisis issues in their life, the group cannot come to their aid. A willingness to share not only the crisis situation, but also the details can significantly impact the degree to which the group can offer assistance. The role of the leader sometimes requires a per...
Post a Comment
Read more