Small group Bible study involvement creates better discipleship: Lifeway Research
People who are regularly involved in small group Bible studies tend to score higher on measures of discipleship, according to a new analysis from Lifeway Research.
Lifeway Research published an analysis on Tuesday of data from its State of Discipleship study, which draws from an online survey of 2,130 Protestant churchgoers that was conducted March 19-26, 2025, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.21% at the 95% confidence level.
As part of its work, Lifeway Research lists eight “signposts” of what they consider a healthy church: “Bible Engagement,” “Obeying God and denying self,” “Serving God and others,” “Sharing Christ,” “Exercising faith,” “Seeking God,” “Building Relationships” and “Living Unashamed.”
Respondents were scored 0 to 100 on each of these eight attributes based on dozens of questions about their Christian faith and practice, and their average formed a total discipleship score.
According to the analysis, respondents who attended a small group at least five times a month scored 74.1 overall. Those who attended three or four times scored 72.4, those who attended once or twice scored 67.2, and those who didn't participate at all scored 60.4.
Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, told The Christian Post in emailed comments on Wednesday that this wasn't a surprising result.
“We have seen a consistent pattern through the years of higher levels of discipleship behaviors and beliefs among those who are highly involved in small group Bible studies,” McConnell said.
Regarding how small group Bible study can help strengthen discipleship among Protestant churchgoers, McConnell told CP that he believed the “relationships themselves are a key component.”
“Social research shows that close relationships have the biggest impact on a person’s choices. Small groups can foster such influential relationships,” he explained. “The other key component is that the groups do Bible study together. The Bible says God’s Word does not return void. It is transformative.”
Among the eight signposts of discipleship, the pattern showed that the more someone attended a small group in a month, the higher their score was for that signpost.
For example, in the Sharing Christ signpost, those who attended five or more times scored a 69.7, while those who attended three or four times scored a 60.1, those who attended once or twice got 56.6, and those who never attended scored 41.1.
However, for two of the eight attributes — exercising faith and living unashamed — more small group attendance didn't translate to a higher score. In the exercising faith category, for instance, people who never attended a small group scored 74.8, while those who attended five or more times a month scored only 63.4.
For the exercising faith category, for example, people who never attend small groups scored a 74.8, while people who attended five or more times a month only scored 63.4.
“With spiritual maturity comes a humility of how far one is from where Jesus wants you to be,” McConnell commented to CP. “That appears to show up most in exercising faith where complete dependence on Jesus is difficult.”
“Unfortunately, living unashamed scores reflect that those most comfortable in their small group fail to tell others they are a Christ follower. It also reminds us that some of those who are in a small group are not yet followers of Christ.”
Ultimately, McConnell told CP that he hoped “churches work to provide good small group Bible study options for their congregation and clearly share the value of participating in small groups.”
