How do I start a Jesus Group?

It's really easy to do! Keep things simple and easy to manage. Invite a few Christians you know to help start the group. Make it clear right from the beginning the focus of this group will always be on Jesus.

Costs

You don't need to spend money This is about experiencing relationship. As long as you all can fit in the same room you will do well. There are no fees, offerings, collections, donations with this type group. You can each bring a snack to share for social time. You could have coffee, tea, soda and juice drinks available or agree to each bring your own beverage.

Location

Your home or other private place where you can meet that is all you will need for your location. You most likely will have just a few persons to start and will begin to grow over time. When you get up towards 12 persons you may want to birth a new Jesus Group out of yours. A few from your group will probably want to be a part of the birthed group. That will help that group start off solid and begin growing too. You will of course want to all meet together once a month or quarter for fellowship. Those can be held at a location or home that can handle the crowd.

Meeting Times

We recommend you meet at least once a week at a time that is most convenient for your group. Retired persons like to meet on weekdays during the day others will find evenings necessary. Saturday nights work well for some, others prefer weekday evenings. If your group members also attend a traditional church it's wise to not meet during those time slots so they are free of a schedule conflict.

Materials

Everyone can bring their own bibles and can each purchase their own study books if you choose to use one. You could select a book about Jesus as a sharing and conversation foundation. See the "Resource Materials" link for ideas. One of the simplest ways to focus the discussion completely on Jesus is to simply go through the Gospels verse by verse discussing what He taught and did. Read them like a child would read them for the very first time. Look for His wisdom, spiritual insights, teachings, commands and ask yourselves are you hearing, believing and doing what He said. The emphasis in this type meeting is on relationship with Him, hearing Him, being, becoming and doing rather than on head knowledge, debating or doctrines.