How to lead a small group Bible study: a first-meeting guide

Your first meeting doesn't need to be impressive. It needs to be welcoming, centered on Scripture, and over on time. Here's a simple plan drawn from trusted church and seminary sources.

1. Before the meeting

• Pray and invite personally. Ask the Lord whom to invite, then invite people one by one and confirm a time and place. Cru recommends a personal conversation or call, then a reminder the day before. [Next Step Disciple; Cru]
• Keep the group a size where everyone can talk. Denton Bible Church's Life Groups meet weekly in homes with 6–18 people. [Denton Bible Church]
• Do the study yourself first. "You can't feed others if you're hungry," as Insight for Living (Chuck Swindoll's ministry) puts it. Pick your favorite insights, since you won't cover everything. [Insight for Living]
• Choose about seven open-ended questions and star the one that reaches the main point of the passage. [Next Step Disciple]

2. A sample first-meeting schedule (about 60 minutes)

1. Welcome and introductions (10 min). Arrive early and learn names. [Cru]
2. Short opening prayer, by you (1 min). [Cru]
3. A light icebreaker that doesn't require a spiritual answer (10–15 min). [Next Step Disciple; Cru]
4. The group's purpose and simple norms: confidentiality and respect (5 min). [Cru]
5. Read a short passage aloud and discuss (20 min). Try Luke 24:13–35, the Road to Emmaus.
6. Next week's plan and a closing prayer (5 min). [Cru]

3. During discussion

• Let the text lead. Spend most of the time on what the Bible says, not on a lecture. [Next Step Disciple]
• Don't put people on the spot. Don't ask for testimonies or make anyone pray aloud the first week. [Cru]
• Park rabbit trails. If a complicated question comes up, offer to look into it together afterward. [Insight for Living]

4. After the meeting

Thank God for the group, check in with each person before next week, and send a reminder the day before for the first few weeks. [Cru]

How Lampstead Groups helps (only what the app does today)

The web app is free to use during the beta: an invite code or link, a shared prayer list, and optional reminders, plus ready-made studies. Road to Emmaus is a free series. Philippians and Jonah each have a free sample week on this site; the rest of those series is part of Lampstead Plus. iPhone and Android apps are coming soon. Free study: The Road to Emmaus.

Plans for a church

Members stay free for basic group use. These prices are for the upcoming iOS and Android apps. Nothing is sold on this website, and the product ids are not in the stores yet.

• Lampstead Plus: $5.99/month or $39.99/year. Lampstead Plus for the leader. It unlocks Lampstead, Groups, Prayer, Kids, and Memory.
• Lampstead Plus Leader: $9.99/month or $79.99/year. Includes Lampstead Plus for the leader and one co-leader, unlimited groups, and leader tools (insights, handouts, and the weekly recap).
• Lampstead Plus Church: $29.99/month or $299/year. Up to 25 leaders. Every member of their groups gets Lampstead Plus, plus a church admin page. Bigger churches email support@montgomeryappworks.com for a quote.

Each tier includes Lampstead Plus, a 7-day free trial for new subscribers, and 50% off the first year for founding leaders.

Lampstead Groups is built by Justin Montgomery, a radiation therapist who loves deep Bible study.

Sources

• Cru, "Your First Group Meeting: Tips for Success": https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/help-others-grow/leading-small-groups/your-first-group-meeting.html
• Next Step Disciple, "How to Lead a Small Group Bible Study": https://nextstepdisciple.org/article/how-to-lead-a-small-group-bible-study
• Insight for Living Ministries, "How to Lead a Bible Study": https://insight.org/resources/article-library/how-to-lead-a-bible-study
• Denton Bible Church, Life Groups: https://dentonbible.org/lifegroups/
• Scripture: World English Bible (public domain).