This article was originally written by Ken Braddy and uploaded to Lifeway Research.

If you want to know whether balance is important, ask a tightrope walker or a technician who installs new tires on your vehicle. If you want to know whether balance is important, ask a nutritionist who encourages her patients to create balanced, healthy diets. But, if you want to know whether balance is important, you might not want to ask group ministry leaders.

In the 2024 State of Groups research report, one objective for ongoing adult groups stood out above the rest. Just under half of church leaders ranked Bible study as the highest objective for groups (46%). What was ranked last? Outreach and evangelism, at only 5%. Other objectives, such as relationships, service, and disciple-making, were somewhere in between.

All of these objectives are important for groups. If a group does these in balance, it becomes something catalytic. Most groups, however, need help in balancing their work. Most groups operate in a state of imbalance.

Balance for Health

Lifeway’s Transformational Groups study revealed growing disciples mature in eight key areas. Growing disciples share Christ, serve God and others, engage daily with Scripture, build relationships, and seek God, among other things. Each of these were represented among the potential objectives for ongoing groups in the 2024 State of Groups research study. While church leaders were most likely to say Bible study is the highest objective for their groups, each of these objectives are important.

In groups where the primary objective is Bible study, people gather, study the Bible, and then come together the following week to do it all over again. The group doesn’t do much between Sundays, and imbalance begins to set in as they focus on the teaching aspect of group ministry. When imbalance occurs as groups focus on an objective like teaching, groups don’t operate with peak efficiency. A group led by a leader who understands the importance of balancing the group’s objectives, is a healthier group.

When my children were younger, we sometimes took them to a local family buffet restaurant. If my wife and I didn’t help guide them, my sons would come back from the buffet with their plates loaded with macaroni and cheese, pizza, and desserts. My wife and I had to make sure they had some vegetables and proteins, too. Without balance, they’d have been two unhealthy kids. Likewise, Bible study groups need a balanced approach to their ministries, or they can drift into a state of imbalance and unhealth.

Goals for Balancing Group Ministry

For three decades I’ve led groups to understand and aim for balance among four key objectives. If groups will commit themselves to accomplishing the following four goals in balance, they’ll be better positioned to experience God’s favor.

One author I’ve read on the subject of declaring goals calls this “clarifying the win.” He reminds us if we don’t declare goals for our people, they’ll do that for themselves (and their goals may not be the ones you want!). He maintains people need to know what it means to “score.” Applying that philosophy to group ministry, here are four key goals that can keep group ministry in balance. It’s all about doing each one well and in connection with the others.

1. Learn and obey God’s Word

It would be right to simply say, “Learn God’s Word,” which is what many groups are committed to doing. In fact, it’s the one thing many groups are known for—rightly dividing the Word of Truth. This is a good thing, but it can lead to unintended consequences when a group believes this is the one big goal of their group.

It’s best when a group diligently studies Scripture with a mindset they are learning God’s Word in order to obey it. That’s the Great Commission. Jesus not only told the church to teach them His Word but also to obey it. Too many groups major on the minutia and minuscule to the detriment of living out God’s Word between Sundays. Groups and group members need both. Learning, coupled with obedience, is a powerful thing in groups.

2. Invite others to become Disciples

If you read any book published by the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (now Lifeway) from its beginning in 1891 to mid-century (1950s through the 1960s), it was common to hear authors of group ministry resources talk first about the goal of using Bible study groups to evangelize the lost. Today, that pendulum has swung.

Now, the conversations are about groups being places where discipleship takes place (almost exclusively). Gone is the emphasis on groups and group members sharing their faith, inviting non-believers to Bible study and other activities where they can get to know Christians. Without an outward focus on people who don’t know Jesus as Savior, groups become imbalanced in their overall ministry.

3. Form deeper Relationships

There are two facets to deeper relationships. One is to develop deeper relationships among group members. That is often accomplished through regular fellowships, ministry projects in which group members serve together, and even group study activities that place people in small triads or quads. But the other side of this coin is to be sure to intentionally encourage group members to develop deeper relationships with “sinners and tax collectors.”

If group members aren’t careful, most of their close friends are people in their groups. This isn’t a bad thing. But there are many people in their lives who are not believers, and they need to be around Christians to see how we live, act, and think differently than they do. Proximity to lost people creates gospel-sharing opportunities. This part of group life needs balance in and of itself.

4. Engage in Acts of Service

The final component of a balanced group is their service to others. This is another two-sided coin, much like forming deeper relationships. Group leaders should release people to serve in the church, but at the same time, the group should have a ministry (or ministries) to people in the community. The church and the community both have needs, and groups can do much good when members are given opportunities to serve.

Consider what could happen in your church if your groups embraced the concept of balance. You would have groups that not only studied God’s Word but made applying it a key goal. They would invite lost friends and family to become part of the church and part of their groups. They’d carve out time in their weekly schedules to get to know lost people and time to get to know their fellow group members. Finally, they’d embrace serving others in the church and community. What else would you want groups to do? Balanced groups become catalysts for great ministry.

Click here to read the original article.