Home Groups - Resourcing the Church for the Future

Homegroups supports the mission and growth of the church by providing a hub of free resources and reflections written by theological and subject experts.

• Supports the mission and growth of the church providing a hub of free resources and reflections written by theological and subject experts.
• By creating a reliable bank of study materials, we empower leaders of all denominations regardless of training, to lead inspiring Bible studies with confidence. 

“Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home”      Acts 2v46

What are Home Groups?

Home Groups are an increasingly vital part of a vibrant and dynamic church community. Whilst gathering the whole church together on a Sunday continues to be essential, more and more we are seeing the importance of small groups.

These usually have 6-12 members who meet once a week in someone’s home or online, often sharing a meal, to study God’s Word and think about how to apply it in day-to-day life.

The results of a 2018 ComRes survey revealed that local churches are more likely to grow, engage with the local community and broaden the perspectives of their members when they have active home groups.

67% of people surveyed said that their faith is strengthened by being part of the home group.

During this research, we heard from Juliet, who has recently married and is living in London. She said that:

'my home group inspires me to pray more, to be bolder in my faith and to open up to others about the joys and struggles of life. It also helps me think through faith questions and aspects of culture, as it feels like a safe space to think out loud.'

And Juliet is certainly not alone here. Younger Christians are most likely to be part of a small group and benefit from the sense of family that these create. Home Groups are an important way of nurturing friendships within a church, and according to the authors of Home Groups: The Authentic Guide, 'the more friendships people have within a church, the less likely they are to leave.'

Home Groups are a key part of encouraging young people to stay within the church and they help the whole church to grow in their faith.

So, what’s the problem?

Home Groups have a huge amount of unrealised potential. We spoke to Michael, from Sussex, who said:

'I’ve been in a home group for thirty years, but I wish I could leave – the studies picked for us by our church are uninspiring when they should be the reverse!'

Some Home Groups are fantastic and provide a wonderful opportunity to connect with other Christians on a more personal level. But, this is not the case across the board for a number of reasons:

• There is little good-quality material available for home group study; much of the content on the Internet is unreliable, and formal courses can be very expensive
• Home group leaders often have full-time jobs and so don’t have time to prepare materials
• Home groups are often run by lay people with little training; church leaders are concerned that there are not enough people in the church with the time and expertise to lead home groups

We have created an online hub so that every home group is properly resourced to inspire and encourage.

Homegroups.org.uk is the first centralised online hub for home group materials.

We are adding new content each month and aim to have 2000 home group sessions available completely free!

Home Groups has something for everyone. SPCK is the oldest Anglican mission in the UK, but we aim to provide resources for Christians across all denominations. We are partnering with a wide range of organisations and all denominations to ensure that we have resources for every home group. Equally, we are providing the material in a range of formats, including video courses.

The resources on the website are complete. They are easy-to-follow, reliable and work straight off the page. This is to address the challenge of lack of time that Home Group leaders often struggle with.

The Bible studies and reflections are written by theological and subject experts, of which SPCK has quite a few amongst our authors! High-quality material empowers non-experts to lead home groups with the confidence that their teaching is Biblical.

Finally, the website provides detailed information on how to start and run a successful Home Group.

Overall, Homegroups.org.uk has been created to make it easier to run a Home Group, allowing groups to welcome new members and support the growth and mission of the church.

How can you help?

Homegroups.org.uk launched in early 2021 and we're working consistently to ensure that we bring the best content and developments to the website. We are seeking funding from a number of grant-making trusts and have recently received very generous contributions from the Jerusalem Trust and the Allchurches Trust.

This is a project which parachurch organisations know will transform the spiritual guidance and personal support that Home Groups can provide.

By continuing to raise funds we can ensure that we have the most relevant content and the best possible experience for home group leaders and members, if every visitor to this page donated just £2 we'd raise enough to reach our target of 2000 sessions. Could you play your part?