FALL 2026 LOOP GROUP OVERVIEW
THE BIG PICTURE
For the first 12 weeks of Fall 2026, Loop Groups will use sermon-based discussions connected to our Sunday teaching through Ephesians. The goal is not simply to review the sermon, but to help people understand Scripture, process it together, and practice what they are learning.
The sermon starts the conversation. The Loop Group helps people live it.
This connects to our Discipleship OS: BELONG → SURRENDER → TRAIN → MULTIPLY. Loop Groups are places where people become known, respond honestly to Jesus, train together to follow him, and increasingly help others do the same.
YOUR ROLE AS A LEADER
You are more of a facilitator than a teacher. You do not need to re-preach Sunday's sermon, prepare another Bible study, or have the answer to every question. Each week, we'll provide a guide with the Scripture, Big Idea, sermon recap, key insights, three discussion questions, application, and prayer prompts.
Use the guide as a baseline, but adapt it to your people. Follow meaningful conversations when they develop.
We'll give you the framework. Your job is to know, love, and lead your people.
YOUR WEEKLY PREP
Keep preparation simple. Read the week's Ephesians passage, review the discussion guide, think about where your people may need support or challenge, identify anyone who may need follow-up, and pray for your group by name.
If you want to study more deeply, that's great. But prioritize people care over heavy preparation.
THE 90-MINUTE RHYTHM
Think of the framework as a pathway rather than a rigid script:
CONNECT → TEXT → GROUPS OF 3–4 → COME BACK TOGETHER → PRACTICE + PRAY
1. CONNECT | 10–15 MINUTES
Start relationally. Welcome people, catch up, laugh, and use the week's low-risk opening question to get everyone talking. Getting people's voices into the room early makes deeper participation easier later.
Don't treat this as wasted time. You're creating belonging.
2. TEXT | 20–25 MINUTES
Read the week's Ephesians passage together and give a brief recap of Sunday's sermon. Assume some people missed Sunday, and help them participate without feeling behind.
Use the biblical insights in the guide when helpful, but keep this section brief. Remember the principle: understand original meaning before personal application. Help people understand what Paul was communicating, then get them talking.
Don't preach another sermon.
3. GROUPS OF 3–4 | 25–30 MINUTES
Break into groups of three or four. Smaller groups increase participation and often make it easier for people to speak honestly.
Each week you will receive exactly three discussion questions that move through this progression:
UNDERSTAND → PERSONALIZE → PRACTICE
The first question helps people understand the passage. The second moves toward personal reflection: What is this revealing about me? The third moves toward a concrete response: What am I going to do with this?
Give groups about 20–25 minutes. Encourage everyone to participate, but don't make them feel pressured to rush through every question. Good conversation is more important than completing the material.
4. COME BACK TOGETHER | 10–15 MINUTES
Bring everyone back together and ask, “What was one thing that stood out from your conversation?”
Let several people share. Listen for themes, affirm what people say, and connect the conversation back to the Scripture and Big Idea when helpful. Use the Leader Toolbox if clarification is needed, but resist turning the debrief into another teaching session.
5. PRACTICE + PRAY | 10–15 MINUTES
Bring the conversation toward action by asking something like, “Based on what we've talked about tonight, what do you want to carry into this week?”
The response may involve BELONG, SURRENDER, TRAIN, or MULTIPLY, depending on the passage. Encourage concrete next steps rather than vague intentions.
Then pray about what surfaced. If someone shares something significant earlier in the evening, you don't have to wait until the end. Simply ask, “Can we pray for you about that right now?”
LEAD WITH SUPPORT + CHALLENGE
Healthy spiritual leadership requires both. Support communicates, “You belong here. You can be honest. We love you.” Challenge asks, “What do you think Jesus is asking you to do about that?”
We want people to experience grace without settling into passivity, and challenge without feeling condemned.
These people love me where I am—and they love me enough to help me grow.
FACILITATE WELL
Ask open-ended questions, allow silence, invite quieter people into the conversation, and affirm participation. If someone gives an answer that needs correction, respond gently. Thank them for sharing, affirm what is helpful, and then add clarification.
Remember: people become what you celebrate. Celebrate honesty, vulnerability, thoughtful questions, prayer, and steps of obedience.
THE CURRICULUM IS EPHESIANS. THE MINISTRY IS PEOPLE.
Don't let sermon-based discussion turn the group into a weekly class. Relationships still matter. Learn people's stories, text during the week, notice when someone is absent, pray for them, and spend time together outside the formal meeting when possible.
The guide may save you preparation time. Use some of that time to care for your people.
DEVELOP ANOTHER LEADER
Don't do everything yourself. Invite others to read Scripture, lead an opening question, facilitate one of the groups of 3–4, pray, organize a social gathering, or follow up with someone who is absent.
Ask yourself throughout the semester:
Who am I developing?
Multiplication begins when we start giving leadership away.
KEEP IT SIMPLE AND END ON TIME
You do not need elaborate hospitality to have a great Loop Group. Keep hosting simple and sustainable.
Honor the 90-minute commitment. Starting and ending on time builds trust and makes participation sustainable.
HOW DO I KNOW IF WE HAD A GOOD LOOP GROUP?
Don't primarily measure success by whether you finished every question. Ask whether people connected, engaged Scripture, participated honestly, experienced support and challenge, prayed for one another, and identified a meaningful next step with Jesus.
If those things are happening, you're doing the work.
KEEP COMING BACK TO THIS
The sermon starts the conversation. The Loop Group helps people live it.
The curriculum is Ephesians. The ministry is people.
CONNECT → TEXT → GROUPS OF 3–4 → COME BACK TOGETHER → PRACTICE + PRAY
UNDERSTAND → PERSONALIZE → PRACTICE
BELONG → SURRENDER → TRAIN → MULTIPLY