CHOOSE RHYTHMS THAT STRENGTHEN YOUR GROUP
YOUR CHURCH
Every church has a different calendar rhythm, and understanding it is essential for leading a healthy group.
Many churches plan their year around natural community rhythms rather than the strict calendar year.
For example, a typical church rhythm might look like this:
- Fall (September–December): Groups launch alongside the start of the school year, often running until Christmas break.
- Winter–Spring (January–Easter): Groups restart in mid-January and continue through Easter.
- Late Spring–Early Summer (Post-Easter–June): Groups meet until the end of the school year.
- Summer (July–August): A break for rest, retreats, missions, or informal gatherings as families take vacations.
Whatever rhythm your church follows, it’s important to align your group with it.
This alignment helps you:
- Build momentum at the right times.
- Provide natural breaks for both leaders and members.
- Avoid competing with larger church events and seasons of high activity.
Tip: Make a note of your church’s key dates—group launches, holiday breaks, Easter, summer events—and plan your group calendar around them.
Clear communication is crucial, especially if your group is the only Christian community that some members have.
Letting them know when group starts, pauses, or ends each term helps create trust, stability, and expectation.
YOURSELF
Rhythms aren’t just for the church calendar—they’re for your health as a leader too.
Leading a group is a spiritual investment.
Over time, consistently pouring into others without taking time to recharge can lead to spiritual fatigue or burnout.
Natural breaks built into your group life allow you to:
- Rest and reconnect with God personally.
- Evaluate how your group is doing and where God might be leading it.
- Transition people who may be moving on and welcome new people who are looking to join.
- Multiply by raising up others to lead new groups.
Taking intentional seasons of rest is not a weakness—it’s wisdom.
Even Jesus modeled periods of stepping away to pray and recharge (Mark 6:31, Luke 5:16).
Remember: Healthy groups are led by healthy leaders.
Discussion Questions
- How do you feel about intentionally planning regular breaks for your group?
- What do your personal rhythms of rest currently look like?
- In what ways could aligning your group with your church calendar make leadership easier?
- How can you model a healthy rhythm of work and rest to your group members?