What is the average time for a Small Group meeting?

The ideal length of time for a Small Group meeting is 90 minutes. Think about the average business meeting, church service and even most forms of entertainment. After about an hour and a half, you begin to lose momentum and the attention of your audience. Keep in mind that your meeting is just a part of every member’s busy day. So everyone, including your own family, is going to appreciate knowing what time the meeting is going to end.

Communicate your commitment to punctuality at your very first meeting and ask your members to help you with that commitment. As the leader, you’re going to want to allow for some flexibility here, but you’re goal should be to spend about 30 minutes in fellowship and then about an hour on Bible Study and prayer. Some members are going to linger a bit after the prayer, but avoid long meetings where no one knows when the right time is to leave. If someone really needs to talk, use your judgment, but don’t be afraid to set up a separate time to meet with the individually.