Making the Most of Large and Small Group Learning

Think back to the best training experience you’ve ever had. Was it in a big room buzzing with energy and ideas? Or was it in a small circle where you had time to talk, try, and get feedback? 

When children’s and youth ministry leaders answer that question, their responses almost always split down the middle. Some people thrive in a large group setting where the trainer inspires, tells stories, and paints a compelling vision. Others prefer the intimacy of a small group where they can ask questions, practise real skills, and get personalised coaching. 

But here’s the key insight: The size of the group strongly shapes what is possible, what works well, and what simply won’t land. Great trainers don’t fight against the size of the room—they design intentionally for it. Let’s explore the differences between training various sized groups and how to make the most of these differences. 

Large Groups and Small Groups Achieve Different Outcomes 

In this article we’ll explore two distinct sizes of groups: a small group under 12 people and larger groups that have more than 12 people. The general rule of thumb is that with under 12 people the group feels personal and can be highly interactive. Over 12 people it is harder to make the room feel personal, but energy increases. This is particularly true once you reach 18 people in the group. There is a small window of transition of around 12-18 people being trained where it is too large to be personal but, in a structured way, can still achieve some of the small group outcomes. 

Group size determines the type of learning you can accomplish and the results you can achieve. Training with both sizes can be excellent, but it will be different.  

The principle at the heart of this approach is: 

Large groups are best for clarity and inspiration; small groups are best for practice, ownership and change. 

Small Group Training (2–12 people) is best for: 

Small groups are where behaviour is more likely to actually change. People talk, try, reflect, and improve. They take ownership of their learning. 

If you want to change people’s behaviour, go small. 

Large Group Training (12+ people) is best for: 

Large groups help people feel part of something bigger. They are ideal for shaping culture, communicating direction, and helping everyone start from a shared understanding. 

If you want to move people emotionally, go large. 

The most effective training environments—especially in children’s ministry—use both. Start with clear, energetic, large-group teaching, then move into small groups where real transformation happens. 

When Training Goes Wrong: A Scenario 

Imagine you need to train 20 children’s ministry leaders to run meaningful small group discussions with kids. A poor training session for this group would include a long lecture, dozens of PowerPoint slides, no practice and no feedback, all of which would lead to people zoning out. This happens more often than we’d like to admit. When content that requires hands-on practice is crammed into a purely upfront format, leaders walk away informed—but unchanged. 

So, let’s see how we might run this type of training, leveraging the benefits of a large group training, and then how to use a small group model for the same training group. 

How to Do It Well in a Large Group 

Suppose you do need to train all 20 leaders at once. How can you maximise the strengths of a large group? 

This approach gives clarity, vision, and confidence. 

But it still won’t change behaviour on its own. 

Transform It in Small Groups 

Now imagine you can divide your 20 leaders into groups of 4-6. This is where the real learning happens. 

In small groups you can: 

Small group training lets leaders try, fail safely, improve, and take ownership of the next steps. 

This is the kind of training that leads to lasting change. 

An example of a 90-minute training session for 20 leaders could look like this: 

The  ‘Size-First’ Training Planner 

When preparing any training session—whether for two leaders or 50—ask three simple questions. 

1. What’s the primary goal? 

Your goal determines your group size. 

Many ministry topics benefit from this blend. For example, a training session on child safety should begin with clear, upfront teaching about seriousness, culture, and policy—then move into small groups to practise scenarios and responses. 

A note here that many children’s or youth ministry groups may only have 8-10 leaders on their team. This does not mean that you can’t envision, inspire or tell stories–you still need to do these things. But you can leverage the size of the group you’re  training to make the most of what you do have.  

2. What parts of this topic belong in which size? 

Break your training content into two categories: 

Large Group 

Small Group 

Don’t try to practise skills in a room of 50. And don’t waste the energy of 50 people on a 45-minute detailed discussion that only six people should have. 

Size clarity leads to content clarity. 

Bringing It All Together 

Children’s ministry is full of diverse leaders—teenagers, young adults, parents, retirees, newcomers and those with more experience. No single training style works for everyone all the time, but group size gives trainers a predictable, powerful framework for shaping learning experiences. 

Large groups ignite passion, unity, and shared understanding. 
Small groups build competency, confidence, and change. 

Both are essential. Both serve the gospel. And both, when used intentionally, help leaders grow into the people God is forming them to be. 

 
Design for the size—don’t fight against it—and your training will become clearer, more engaging, and far more transformative.