Formation InitiativeHelp your whole church grow in the Word.
One home for every Bible study group in your church: a page where people find a group, your leaders working together, and a simple view of how people are engaging with Scripture week by week.
Discipleship that keeps going between Sundays.
Most groups meet once a week. A church space helps people stay in the Word all week, and helps you shepherd the whole church, not just the people in the room.
People study the Bible themselves
Members don’t just read a summary. Study walks them through observing the passage, understanding what it meant, and living it out, so they come to group ready to talk.
Easier to find a group
One link, QR code or slide sends people to your church page. They see every group, when it meets and who leads it, and can ask to join in a minute.
Leaders aren’t on their own
Leaders build or choose a course, see who’s ready, and lead each meeting from one screen, in person or online. Admins see every group in one place and can step in when one needs help.
Care, not surveillance
Pastors see how many people are engaging and which weeks each person has started or finished. Nobody sees anyone’s answers unless they choose to share one with their group.
Everything your groups need, in one place.
Your church page
Your name, logo, colour and cover photo at a short address, with gathering times, address and contact details. Formation Initiative stays in the footer.
Group directory
Every group with its leader, meeting time and course. Open groups take join requests, invitation-only groups stay listed, and you choose which group is shown first.
Leaders, together
Invite leaders with one link and approve them. They start groups in the church or bring in groups they already lead. Make anyone an admin.
Church dashboard
Groups running, people in groups, and where each group is this week. A gentle flag when a group might need a nudge, and a week-by-week view of any group.
Courses that teach people to read
Start with ready-made courses, or build your own in Lead: each week’s passage, your teaching, a video, Greek words to notice and meeting questions.
Share kit
A QR code, a printable bulletin flyer and a slide for the screen on Sunday, all in your colour. Shared links show your name and photo.
Clear approvals
Leaders asking to join, groups moving in and people asking to join a group each land in a list for the person who decides, with what was decided and when.
Live meetings
Lead from one screen, in the room or on Zoom, Meet or Teams. Turn on live and everyone’s Study follows to the same step, so they can write and share answers as you go.
Cohorts and sign-ups
Give a group a start date, a number of spots and a sign-up deadline. People sign up from your church page, a waitlist fills open spots, and online groups get call links and calendar invites.
A course shelf
Recommend the courses you trust. Leaders see them first when they start a group, can suggest their own for you to approve, and visitors see them on your page.
Church-wide seasons
Pick a book and a start week, alongside a sermon series. Each leader chooses to take part, and their group switches course while keeping its own meeting day.
Announcements
A short message to everyone in your groups, just your leaders, or the groups you choose. It shows at the top of Study until each person dismisses it. Nothing is emailed.
Coming next Planned
A place to list your online cohorts for anyone to find.
Up and running in an afternoon.
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Request a space
A pastor or staff member asks in Lead. We check each church before its space opens, usually within a few days.
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Make it yours
Add your logo, colour, cover photo, gathering times and a short welcome.
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Gather your leaders
Send the leaders’ link. Leaders start groups or bring theirs in, and choose a course.
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Share one link
Put the QR code in the bulletin and on the screen. People find a group, and you watch the church grow.
Built so people can be honest.
Growth happens when people can write what they really think. Answers belong to the person who wrote them.
Church admins
See groups, leaders and totals, and which weeks each member has started or finished.
Never see anyone’s answers, journal or notes.
Group leaders
See their own group’s progress, and answers members choose to share.
Never see answers that weren’t shared, or other groups.
Members
Are told before joining a church’s group what its admins can see.
Never get email from the church through us. News appears in the app only.
Read the full privacy page.
Good to know.
What does it cost?
Nothing. Church spaces are free, with no ads. Formation Initiative doesn’t sell or share anyone’s data.
Do members need to download an app?
No. Everything works in a web browser on a phone, tablet or computer. People can add it to their home screen if they like.
Do members need an account?
Anyone can study without one. To join a group, people sign in with their email. There’s no password; we send a sign-in link, and passkeys work too.
Can groups meet online?
Yes. Add a Zoom, Google Meet or Teams link (or a registration page) and a meeting time. Members see the time in their own time zone, can add every meeting to their calendar, and can follow the leader through the study during the call.
Can we run a class with a start date and limited spots?
Yes. Set a start date, how many spots, and when sign-ups close. Choose whether you approve each person or anyone can sign up; when it’s full, people join a waitlist and are added as spots open.
Can we use our own material?
Yes. Leaders can build courses in Lead with your passages, teaching, videos and discussion questions, or start from a ready-made course and adapt it.
We already have groups running. Can they move in?
Yes. Once a leader joins your church space, they can bring in groups they already lead. Members are told about the change, and nothing they’ve written is lost.
What if we stop using it?
Groups keep working on their own, and everyone keeps their own study. People can download or delete their data from their account page at any time.
Who checks church spaces?
The Formation Initiative team reviews each request before a church’s page goes live, so people can trust that a church page is real.
Give your church one place to grow in the Word.
Request a church space. It takes a few minutes, and it’s free.