Is Your Bag Packed? A Two-Week LifeGroup Kickoff Checklist

Published August 11, 2026
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If you’ve ever left for a vacation, you know the feeling. The trip has been on the calendar for months, but suddenly departure is close enough that you start asking the important questions: Did I pack everything? Did I forget something? Do I actually know where we’re going?

LifeGroup kickoff is now just two weeks away.

You do not need every detail of the semester figured out before Week 1. But there are a few things worth packing now so that when your Group begins, you can focus less on scrambling and more on the people God has placed in front of you.

Consider this your pre-kickoff packing list.

1. PACK PRAYER FIRST

Before schedules, snacks, studies, or seating arrangements, pray for the people who will be in your Group.

Our Disciple Making Playbook begins with LISTEN: seeking God through prayer and fasting and asking, “Who does God want to be in this LifeGroup?” Jesus spent intentional time in prayer before choosing the Twelve, and our preparation should begin from the same posture.

Over the next two weeks, pray through the names already registered. Pray for people who may still join. Pray that the Holy Spirit would help you see where each person is spiritually and how you can help them take a next step toward Jesus.

Don’t just prepare for your Group. Pray for your Group.

2. KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING

Nobody wants to start a road trip and then ask, “So…where are we headed?”


Make sure you know what study your Group is using and spend some time looking ahead before Week 1. You do not need to prepare the entire semester, but you should understand the direction of the study, what the first few weeks will require, and what you need your people to do between meetings.


Our curriculum strategy asks one central question: Does this study help you meet your Group where they are so you can disciple them further?

If your curriculum includes reading, videos, or a workbook, decide now what your weekly expectations will be. For video curriculum, our resources recommend having people read the corresponding Scripture, watch the video, and complete the guide before Group so the gathering can be used for Scripture, discussion, application, and prayer rather than simply consuming content together.

3. PACK THE GROUP GUIDELINES

Think of the Group Guidelines as the guardrails along the road.

They help establish the kind of environment we want to build from the very beginning: confidentiality, listening, healthy silence, resisting the urge to fix people, personal application, fighting for relationship, intentionality, and dependence on the Word and Spirit.

The Playbook specifically calls leaders to introduce the Group Guidelines in Week 1 and reinforce them throughout the semester.

Do not wait until there is a problem to explain the culture of your Group. Set the culture before you need to correct it.

4. CHECK YOUR PASSENGER LIST

Take another look at who is registered for your Group.

Do you know everybody? Is there someone new? Someone you should personally reach out to before kickoff? Someone who may be nervous about walking into a home full of people they do not know?

A simple text this week can go a long way:

“Hey! I saw that you joined our LifeGroup this semester. We’re really glad you’re coming. I wanted to personally reach out before we get started.”

Disciple making is relational. The Playbook describes it as intentionally entering relationships to help people follow Jesus, be changed by Jesus, and join the mission of Jesus.

That relationship can begin before the first meeting ever happens.

5. PREPARE THE LANDING SPOT

This one is practical.

If you host, walk through the first night in your head.

Where will everyone park? Where will they sit? What time should people arrive? Do people know the address? Is childcare involved? Are there snacks or drinks? Does your spouse or family know what the evening will look like?

None of those things make disciples.

But removing unnecessary distractions allows you to give more attention to the people sitting in front of you.

You’re not trying to create the perfect environment. You’re trying to create a welcoming one.

6. LEAVE SOME ROOM IN THE BAG

Here may be the most important reminder two weeks out:

You cannot prepare for everything.

Someone will join late. A discussion will go differently than you expected. Someone will share something heavy. Your carefully planned timeline may disappear twenty minutes into the night.

That is okay.

Our Playbook reminds leaders not to become so idealistic about what the Group should be that we lose sight of the spiritual growth of the actual people God has given us. Leaders set the tone through patience, authenticity, vulnerability, kindness, and a willingness to fight for relationship.

So prepare well, but leave room for the Holy Spirit to lead.

TWO WEEKS. LET'S GET READY.

Your Group does not need a perfect leader.

They need a leader who has prayed, prepared, knows where the Group is headed, and is ready to genuinely invest in people.

So check the itinerary. Pack the essentials. Reach out to your people. Pray over the journey ahead.

LifeGroup kickoff is two weeks away.

Let’s make sure our bags are packed.

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