Small Group Facilitation Skills

SMALL GROUPS
Simply put, because “my small group” is often the number one answer young people give to the question “What did you like best about the youth ministry program?”

Youth Minister Leaders and Core Members often cite small group discussions as one of the most powerful faith sharing experiences of the entire program. It is in small groups that participants get to know and be known by others; where they can build trust and accountability; share their faith and learn from others about how God is active in theirs and others’ lives; where they can process what they’ve learned; and be affirmed and challenged to grow in faith and discipleship.

Youth Ministry can be “small group intensive,” that is, they rely heavily on the accomplishment of certain goals and tasks that may build on one another throughout the year. The tasks may include icebreakers, building community, faith sharing, collecting or relaying information, completing a project, etc. In addition, selfdisclosure is at the heart of small group discussion. Building trust among small group members while maintaining a level of appropriate self-disclosure is hallmark of effective small group facilitators.

One caveat if your Youth Ministry Program is made up of both youth and adults: sometimes small groups have the potential to evoke intense emotions, can be complicated by challenging group dynamics, struggle with painful and difficult content, and/or require a follow-up or a referral. For these reasons, small groups should be led by trained adults, or perhaps co-led by an adult and a youth. (Even with training, youth generally

Go ahead and download the Small Group Packet Handout for this training.