Small groups are where many Christians grow most: friends reading together, praying for one another and wrestling honestly with Scripture. The right devotional makes that easier. This guide covers how to choose one, how to plan the weeks, how to lead discussion, and which devotionals on BooksOasis work well for groups.
How to choose a devotional for your group
| Look for | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Short daily readings | Busy members can keep up |
| Rooted in Scripture | Discussion centres on the Bible, not just opinions |
| One clear theme | The group goes deep instead of wide |
| A defined length | You start and finish together |
| Room for reflection | Readings that invite questions, not just answers |
| Fits your group | New believers, mature Christians, families or mixed ages |
A Firm Foundation: seven themes for seven seasons
Joel Banner's A Firm Foundation series offers seven 30-day devotionals, each a natural four- or five-week group study.
| Volume | Theme | Great for groups that... |
|---|---|---|
| Rooted | The gospel that holds you fast | Include new believers |
| Known | Identity in Christ | Struggle with worth and comparison |
| Follow | Discipleship | Want to grow in everyday faith |
| Obey | Joyful obedience | Are ready to be challenged |
| Think | Renewing the mind | Face anxiety or cultural pressure |
| Pray | Drawing near to God | Want a stronger prayer life |
| Stand | Holding fast | Are going through hard times |
Songs of the Redeemed: a hymn a week
Elias Hartwell's Songs of the Redeemed gives each of its eighteen volumes to one beloved hymn. For groups, it offers a ready-made meeting: sing the hymn, share its story, study the Scripture beneath it, and pray.
Groups can choose a theme, such as the cross (volumes III, V, XI, XII and XVIII) or comfort in suffering (IX, XV and XVI), or work through the series one volume a month. See hymn devotionals for more.
Planning the weeks
A 30-day devotional divides naturally into weeks:
| Meeting | Reading before it | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Week 0 | None | Introduce the theme; hand out or share the book |
| Week 1 | Days 1 to 7 | First impressions and the theme's foundations |
| Week 2 | Days 8 to 14 | Going deeper |
| Week 3 | Days 15 to 21 | Application to daily life |
| Week 4 | Days 22 to 30 | What has changed; prayer for the future |
A simple meeting structure
- Welcome (10 minutes).Catch up, share one good thing from the week.
- Opening (5 minutes).A short prayer, or a hymn if you are using Songs of the Redeemed.
- Recap (5 minutes).Someone summarises the week's readings, so everyone can join in.
- Discussion (30 minutes).Open questions about the readings and Scripture.
- Application (10 minutes).One thing each person will do this week.
- Prayer (15 minutes).Pray for each other by name.
Discussion questions that work for any devotional
- Which day's reading stood out to you this week, and why?
- What did you learn about God?
- Was there anything you found hard to accept or understand?
- How does this passage speak to something you are facing now?
- What is one thing you want to do differently this week?
- How can we pray for you?
Questions that begin with "what" and "how" open conversation; questions with yes-or-no answers close it.
Starter questions for each A Firm Foundation volume
Use these as openers, then follow wherever the group's own questions lead.
| Volume | A question to open with |
|---|---|
| Rooted | What did you think the gospel was before, and what do you see now? |
| Known | Where do you most often look for approval, and what does it cost you? |
| Follow | What does following Jesus look like on an ordinary Tuesday? |
| Obey | Is there a command you find easy to admire but hard to live? |
| Think | Which thought pattern would you most like God to renew? |
| Pray | What gets in the way of prayer for you, honestly? |
| Stand | When has your faith been tested, and what held you? |
What a hymn night looks like
Hymn devotionals give a meeting a natural shape. Here is one evening built on a single volume of Songs of the Redeemed.
- Sing it first.Print the words or put them on a screen. No musician? Play a recording and sing along.
- Tell the story.One member retells the story behind the hymn from the week's reading, in their own words.
- Read the Scripture.Read the passage the hymn draws on, slowly, perhaps twice.
- Pick one line.Each person names the line of the hymn that meant most to them this week, and why.
- Pray it.Close by praying the hymn's words, or singing the last verse again.
Because the song stays with people after the meeting, hymn studies tend to follow members into the rest of their week. Someone hums a verse in the car on Thursday, and the conversation carries on.
Common problems, and what helps
| Problem | What helps |
|---|---|
| Nobody did the reading | A five-minute recap at the start; shorter readings next time |
| One person dominates | Go round the circle; speak with them kindly afterwards |
| Discussion drifts off topic | "That's worth coming back to. What did the passage say?" |
| Someone shares something painful | Stop and pray for them there and then; follow up in the week |
| A hard question nobody can answer | Say so honestly, look into it, and come back next week |
| Attendance fades | Set a clear end date, and ask the group what would help |
| The group feels stuck | Change the format: pairs, a walk, a meal, or a hymn night |
Starting a new group
You do not need a big launch. Most small groups begin with a few people and an invitation.
- Invite personally. A direct "would you join us?" works far better than an announcement.
- Pick a start and finish date. "Four Thursdays in October" is easier to say yes to than an open-ended commitment.
- Choose the first book for them. A short, welcoming devotional such as Rooted removes one decision.
- Make it easy to get the book. Share the link; members can pick the ebook to start at once or a paperback for the shelf.
- Keep the first meeting light. Food, introductions, and a look at what you'll read.
Praying together
For many groups, prayer is the part people come to value most, and the part new members find most daunting. A few habits help:
- Nobody has to pray aloud. Silent prayer counts.
- Short prayers are welcome. One sentence is enough.
- Write requests down, and ask about them next week.
- Pray from the week's reading, so the devotional shapes what you ask for.
If your group wants to grow here, the Pray volume of A Firm Foundation gives thirty days on drawing near to God. Our guide to books on prayer goes further.
Choosing what comes next
| If your group just finished... | Try next |
|---|---|
| Rooted | Known, then Follow |
| A hard season (Stand) | A comfort hymn volume, IX, XV or XVI |
| Pray | Think, to carry prayer into the mind |
| A hymn volume | Another from the same theme, or a 30-day volume for contrast |
| A full series | A month of sharing testimonies before choosing again |
Leading well
- Prepare, but don't lecture. Read the week's days and choose two or three questions; let the group do most of the talking.
- Welcome silence. Give people a moment to think before you fill the gap.
- Draw in quiet members gently, perhaps with pairs before the whole group.
- Keep the Bible central. When discussion drifts, bring it back to the passage.
- Protect confidentiality. What is shared in the group stays in the group.
- Care beyond meetings. A message during the week matters.
Groups with mixed experience
Many groups include new believers and long-time Christians. Choose a devotional that is clear enough for newcomers and rich enough for mature believers; Rooted and the hymn devotionals both work well. Invite experienced members to share how a truth has held them through life, and let newcomers ask the questions others might be too shy to.
Family and household groups
Devotionals also work at home. A family can read one short passage together at dinner, sing a hymn on Sundays, or work through a 30-day devotional in a month. Keep it short for young children, and let older children read aloud.
Three groups, three choices
A new church plant's first group has eight people, half of them new to faith. They read Rooted over four weeks, meeting in a living room with soup and bread. The leader keeps each evening to one question and a long time of prayer.
A women's morning group meets before work on Wednesdays. They have forty minutes, so they choose a hymn volume a month: sing, share one line each, pray, and leave on time.
A group spread across three countries meets by video call on Sunday evenings. Everyone buys the same ebook, reads on their phones through the week, and brings one highlight to share.
Online and hybrid groups
Groups that meet by video call work well with ebooks: everyone can buy and start reading the same book instantly, wherever they live. In Oasis Reader, each member highlights and notes on their own account, and brings their highlights to the call. Refer to day numbers or chapter titles rather than page numbers, since pages differ between devices and print.
Group devotionals on BooksOasis
- A Firm Foundation and Songs of the Redeemed, as ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers.
- Members can buy a single volume, the first three, or a whole series from its series page.
- Ebooks open instantly in Oasis Reader, so new members can join the same day.
All devotionals on BooksOasis
In short
A good small group devotional gives members something short and rich to read alone and something real to share together. Choose one theme, plan four to eight weeks, ask open questions and pray for each other. The book is only the starting point; the growth happens in the conversations it starts.
Questions
What makes a good small group devotional?
Short daily readings grounded in Scripture, one clear theme, and enough depth to spark discussion. A defined length, such as 30 days, helps a group start and finish together.
How long should a small group study last?
Many groups work well with four to eight weeks on one devotional. A 30-day devotional fits neatly into four or five weekly meetings.
How do I get quiet members to talk?
Ask open questions, invite people by name gently, use pairs before the whole group, and let silence sit for a moment before filling it.
Do all members need the same edition?
No. Some can read the ebook and others print. Page numbers differ, so refer to day numbers or chapter titles instead.
Can hymn devotionals work for groups?
Yes. A hymn gives the group something to sing, a story to discuss and a passage of Scripture to study, which makes a natural meeting structure.
What if members don't do the reading?
Keep readings short, open each meeting with a brief recap so everyone can join in, and make the discussion valuable enough that people want to prepare.
How many people should be in a small group?
Many leaders find six to twelve people ideal: enough for varied views, small enough for everyone to speak.
Should the leader be an expert?
No. A good small group leader guides discussion, asks good questions and cares for people. You learn alongside the group.
Can we use a devotional for an online group?
Yes. Members read on their own devices and meet by video call; ebooks make it easy for everyone to have the same book instantly.
What do we do after finishing a devotional?
Take a week to share what each person learned, then choose the next theme together.
Choose your group's next devotional
A Firm Foundation and Songs of the Redeemed work beautifully for groups.