One Simple Form That Helps Me Launch Healthy Group Bible Studies

Earlier this year, I shared some big, ambitious goals. Then life hit. A medication issue sidelined me for two months, and it became clear those goals weren’t going to happen. Honestly? I’m okay with that. Those plans were always a best-case scenario. So now I’m asking: What’s next?

I decided to use Google Forms because it’s easy and free. Plus I can easily share the responses with my assistant in a shared document.

Right now, I’m focused on recruiting new group leaders. One example: this fall we’re launching a Financial Peace University course, led by one of our elders and his wife. It’ll function more like a class than a typical Bible study, but the heart is the same—transformation.

Here’s how I describe it:

In Scripture and in life today, God is always changing the hearts and minds of His people to align more fully with Him. One way we participate in that transformation at Greenwood is through Financial Peace University. It’s a practical, biblically grounded course that helps people honor God with their finances—whether they’re just starting out or preparing to leave a legacy.

To keep launching new groups like this one, I’ve developed a streamlined form to gather the key details for each new group. But here’s the thing: I don’t hand this form out to just anyone. I give it to people I’ve connected with personally—after we’ve had a conversation about leading.

I trust the Holy Spirit to guide your approach in your own context, but here’s why I use this form:

• It helps me advertise the new group effectively

• It sets expectations clearly and kindly

• It allows me to prep materials and train leaders efficiently

The commitments we ask for are basic—nothing too intense—but they provide clarity up front. And if clarity is kindness, then there’s no better time to be kind than at the start.

Once the form is submitted, my assistant and I plug the leader into an automated workflow that includes training videos and timely reminders. We also map out their launch plan so everything’s ready by the group’s first meeting.

I know some churches don’t need this kind of system. But I built it to scale. My goal is to care for every group leader just as well as I did when we only had ten groups. Good systems help me do that. They’re not magic—but they are one way I’m trying to honor God by serving His people well.