Be a Host

Can an average lay couple be used by God to have a significant effect on families? Yes!

God calls all of us who are His disciples to make a real difference in others’ lives. Yet many laymen are held back by a lack of vision and a failure to develop ministry skills. Believe us, the world will be a better place if you allow God to share His blueprints for marriage through you. You can make a real difference in the lives of today’s families.

The four most common concerns people have about forming and hosting a small-group are:

“I don’t think I have enough time.”

Many potential hosts feel pressured by time—there just doesn’t seem to be enough time to do all they want. This one activity can combine a number of your top priorities. It gives you the opportunity to:

• Invest in your marriage relationship
• Study the Bible
• Improve your character in Christ
• Have fun and make friends
• Serve your church
• Reach out to other people with the love of Christ

You don’t need to spend a lot of time preparing for each session. Most hosts spend an hour or two looking through each session. And this is a valuable time in itself because it gives you the opportunity to think and pray personally about the Scriptures and issues you will study in the group session.

“I don’t have any training or experience in hosting a small group.”

Obviously, some experience in small groups would be helpful, but if you have basic conversational skills, then you’ll do fine. Our studies are written so that the group host just needs to ask the questions. You don’t need to be an accomplished Bible teacher to host a group. In fact, your role is that of a facilitator, not a lecturer. The main function of the facilitator is to keep the discussion moving in the right direction and to provide an environment of openness, warmth, and acceptance of one another.

If you are unsure about your ability to host, consider co-hosting with another couple. You can divide the responsibilities. Together, you can trust God to work in your lives and help other couples.

“How can we host a group about improving your marriage when we’re still working through issues in our own marriage relationship?”

The best hosts are couples who are willing to share their successes and weaknesses while trying to have a better marriage and family. Unless you and your mate are working through severe problems in your relationship, chances are you could do a good job of hosting other married couples. Let them know from the outset that you are learning just as they are.

One host told us, “We have now hosted HomeBuilders groups for three years. You don’t lead the group as much as you guide it. You’re not a counselor, but you’re just another married couple who wants to see marriages work.”

“This is not my first marriage. Why would anyone listen to me?”

When it comes to marriage enrichment, those who have been previously married may feel they have nothing to offer. Since they have been divorced, they think that nobody will listen to their experiences or insight. This is far from true. Couples who have suffered the heartbreak of a divorce often go the extra mile to prevent this from happening to others and often make outstanding hosts. God has greatly used many lay couples that have a background of divorce.