Find churches with groups near you
Small groups are organised by local churches, so start by finding churches near you and ask about their midweek groups.
The main kinds of group
- Home groups.The backbone of most evangelical, Baptist, Anglican and independent churches: an evening a week or fortnight in someone's home, with tea, a Bible passage, discussion and prayer. Groups usually pause over the school holidays.
- Enquirers' courses.Designed for people exploring faith from scratch. Alpha, developed at Holy Trinity Brompton in London, runs in thousands of UK churches and always includes food; Christianity Explored, from All Souls Langham Place, walks through Mark's Gospel. No question is off limits and no background is assumed.
- Daytime groups. Many churches run morning or afternoon studies suited to retired people, parents around school hours, and shift workers, sometimes attached to a coffee morning or lunch club.
- Groups for a season or a stage.Student CUs and church student groups, young adult groups, men's and women's breakfasts, parents' groups, and bereavement or marriage courses with Bible content.
- Online groups. Since 2020 many churches keep at least one group on Zoom, useful for carers, rural areas and anyone whose diary resists a fixed evening. See our guide to online church.
What actually happens at a Bible study
A typical evening runs 90 minutes or so. Expect a welcome and a hot drink, twenty minutes of catching up, then the study: someone introduces the passage, the group reads it aloud and works through questions together. Good groups are conversations, not lectures; disagreement handled kindly is part of the point. The evening usually closes with prayer, with members mentioning things they would value prayer for. Nobody is made to read aloud, answer or pray; saying you would rather listen is completely normal, especially at first.
How to find and join a group
- Start with a church. Use the finder above or browse your county, then look for small groups, home groups or midweek on the church website.
- Ask on a Sunday. Churches love this question, and most have a groups coordinator who will match you to a group near your home or work.
- Try before you settle. Groups have personalities; it is fine to visit two or three before choosing.
- No church background? Ask specifically about Alpha or Christianity Explored, which assume nothing and expect questions.
- Bring a Bible if you have one; if not, one will be lent to you, and most groups happily use phones. Our guide to Bible translations helps if you want your own.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know anything about the Bible first?
No. Groups span complete beginners to lifelong readers, and a good leader makes space for both. Saying I have never read this before is a gift to the discussion, not an embarrassment.
Do I have to belong to the church that runs the group?
Usually not. Most churches welcome outsiders to their groups, and enquirers' courses are explicitly designed for people who do not attend. Joining the church later is an option, never a condition.
What does it cost?
Nothing. Courses like Alpha are free including the meal. At most, a group might share the cost of a study guide, typically a few pounds.