Plan a K-Group

Download a Planning Worksheet Submit a K Group

Interested in planning a K-group? Here's everything to consider for a successful trimester.

Are you going to facilitate a Growth Group, a Help Group or a Play Group?

If you want to plan a Help Group or a Play Group, you can plan that on your own. If it’s a Growth Group (small group Bible Study), the pastors can help you locate good Bible study material. One simple option for Growth Groups is to do a Digging Deeper group. Digging Deeper groups study the sermon and lessons from the previous week. Sunday afternoon a study with answer guide is made available by the pastor who gave that week’s message. The group then meets at their convenience to discuss it.
How often is the K-group going to meet?

K-groups run approximately 12 to 13 weeks. We want K-groups to meet a minimum of three times, i.e. monthly meetings, but they could meet as much as weekly. You will need to list every meeting date and time when you submit your K-group idea.
When is the K-group going to meet?

Say you determine your K-group is going to meet six times throughout the trimester. You now need to pick when that will be. Evenings or mornings? Weekend or weekday? It is entirely up to you. It is advisable to keep the day of the week and time consistent.
How long will your K-group meet when it assembles?

If it’s a Play Group that is meeting for game night which begins at 7 PM on Fridays, does that night end at 9PM or midnight? People need to know exactly what they are committing to.
Where is the K-group going to meet?

K-groups might meet at multiple locations. For example, a monthly golf K-group might meet at three different courses. But many K-groups, particularly Growth Groups, will meet in the same location each time. The ideal place for this is in your home. Studies of church small groups have consistently shown that if the goal of the group is to knit Christian’s together in family, meeting in the facilitator’s home is ideal. “Practice hospitality” (Romans 12:13).

Another possibility is to meet somewhere in the community. For example, A Growth Group of six meeting at a coffee shop for Bible study can give public testimony to the community of the importance of being in the Word.

If meeting in-home or off-site is simply not feasible, it is possible to have a K-group meet at church. Please coordinate this option with Pastor and/or the Executive Council to ensure access and that you aren't double booking with another event.
For whom is the K-group intended?

There is nothing wrong with creating K-groups for a certain demographic. Examples: a senior’s K-group that visits various historic sites, a women’s K-group book club, a single’s K-group. You limit the number of possible participants, but that’s OK. K-groups shouldn’t be more than 12 people anyways.
What are the costs (or potential costs) of participation in the K-group?

It is not wise for there to be surprise expenses for K-group participants. Thus, if participants need to purchase materials, please list those costs on the when you submit your K-group idea.
What will it be called?

Digging Deeper is the name for our sermon-based Growth Group. Sunday Sunrisers met on Sundays at sunrise to walk and then enjoy breakfast together. For others, you need to come up with a name. The catchier, the better!

K-Group Planning FAQs

I’ve never run a small group. How will I know what to do?

We will provide you with a short manual that lays out how to plan for a K-group. No matter what type of group you would run — Growth, Help or Play — it’s not hard!
Are K-groups just for Beautiful Savior members, or may non-members attend?

Of course non-members may attend! That would be encouraged. Some churches even use K-groups as their primary avenue of outreach, encouraging groups to “grow and divide.” We do not do that at Beautiful Savior. Our primary purpose is simply to knit people together into a true Christian family. But by all means, invite unchurched friends and family.
Why don’t K-groups run year round? Why break them up into trimesters?
There are three compelling reasons to break groups up that are provided by most experts on running small groups in the church.
1. Without a definite begin date, people assume they are “jumping in the middle” of something, even if you tell them it’s a week-by-week Bible study. People don’t want to jump into the middle of something.
2. Without a definite end date, people assume they are supposed to continue in the group indefinitely. People tend to not commit to something that is open-ended.
3. If people stay in classes that go on indefinitely, they only get to know those who are in their group. If the primary purpose of K-groups is to knit together a body of believers, having individuals stay in a group with the same people indefinitely goes counter to that purpose.
The same group may be scheduled for every trimester. That group may even meet in the off month between trimesters. But it will be promoted as three distinct trimesters, for the reasons listed above.
Why have identical K-groups on the same topic? For example, why would we have three Digging Deeper groups? Why not combine them into one?

Remember that the primary goal of K-groups is koinonia, the sharing of lives. Small group experts will say that is harder to do when you get above a dozen people. In a larger group, people can “hide,” not participate. When there’s four to eight, everyone participates.
In addition, having a variety of groups helps with schedules. One group means one meeting time. That might not fit everyone.
What if I plan to host a K-group and no one signs up?

Small group experts will tell you that is likely to happen every time a church begins a K-group series. At least one “fizzles.” Some thoughts on this.

First of all, be careful how you define “no one.” If you have one person sign up, you have a group. Those same small group experts will tell you that meeting in a group of two or three is a very powerful way for Christians to grow together.

Secondly, if zero sign up, realize it demonstrates either a lack of interest in your suggested topic or that your topic was of lower interest than the others promoted that trimester. It’s not a lack of interest in you! Everyone who has hosted K-groups has it happen that, from time to time, that one of their K-groups generates no interest. So give it a try! Don’t be afraid.

Plan a K Group

Submit Your K-Group Idea

Once you've accounted for all the details to help promote your K-Group, it's time to submit!

Each of the fields below are required for submission. The information provided here will be used to auto-populate our website as we showcase upcoming K-group options.