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

10 Summer Activities To Keep Your Small Group Connected

I just sent an email to all our small group leaders (I do this 3-4 times each month). This week's focus was STAYING CONNECTED THROUGH THE SUMMER. Below is a list of 10 summer activities a small group can use to stay connected. These are specifically created for groups at The Gathering, but you can pretty easily modify the list to fit your church or your community. Go to a Dragon's Game together. You can buy tickets as a group from the church for the game on July 11. Design a Progressive Dinner. Have appetizers at one house, salad at another, the main course somewhere else and dessert at a final destination. Have a monthly barbecue party. Serve together. Pick a place (Good Neighbor House, St. Vincents, Victory Project, Pirate Packs, Caring Partners International, One Bistro) and sign up to serve as a group one afternoon or evening. Meet up at the Family Movie Night on June 15. Spend a day at King's Island. Work at the church for an afternoon. We have many proj...
Post a Comment
Read more

20 Questions to Build Group Connections

Here is a great exercise for a new group. The instructions are pretty simple. Go around the group giving each person the opportunity to choose one question and answer it honestly. Anyone can follow-up with an opinion or clarifying question (no critiquing each other's answers, though). Once a question has been answered, no one else may answer that question. If your group is larger, you may want to alter the rule and allow each question to be answered 2 or 3 times. Ideally, each person should end up answering 3-5 questions. As the leader, pay attention to the conversation. Let the discussion run its course as this is how people in the group build their relationships with one another. You can use these questions, modify them or create your own.
Post a Comment
Read more

5 Conversations Every Small Group Should Have

Small group gatherings are not business meetings. They need not have rigid agendas or strict time constraints. Although effective groups often follow set curriculum, there are times when they can take a break from their plans and have conversations about their group’s health. These five questions can be used together or one at a time. They are designed to help groups’ determine their identity, diagnoses their health and develop a plan for the future. How can we meet one another’s needs? Acts is full of stories about Christians finding creative means by which they can meet each other’s needs. Some even sold their properties and possessions. The small group is the ideal lab in which we can work out what it truly means to love one another as Jesus loved us. If the greatest love of all is laying down our lives for each other (and it is), then meeting the needs of others in our group should be one of our first and highest priorities. How can we encourage one another? 1...
Post a Comment
Read more