Formation InitiativeLead a group that comes ready to talk.
Choose or build a course, and your group studies the passage through the week in Study. You see who’s ready, then lead the meeting from one screen, around a table or on a video call.
Less preparing slides. More shepherding people.
Leading a group is a gift and a lot of work. Lead takes care of the material and the logistics, so your time goes into the people and the conversation.
Your group arrives ready
Members don’t just skim. Study walks them through the passage during the week: what it says, what it meant, and how to live it. The meeting starts deeper.
No blank page
Use a ready-made course, one your church recommends, or build your own with your teaching and questions. Change any week, any time.
One screen to lead from
The passage, your teaching, the video and the questions are all on one set of slides, in the room or on Zoom. No juggling tabs or handouts.
Know who needs a word
See who’s started this week and who hasn’t opened it yet, so a quick message reaches the right person. You never see private answers.
Before, during and after the meeting.
They study. You see who’s ready.
- Members open this week’s study in Study, at their own pace.
- This week in Lead shows each group’s next meeting and who has finished, started or not begun.
- Post a note to the group: a reminder, a question to think about, a change of place.
- Members can share an answer they’re glad for the group to read.
Lead from one screen.
- Open Lead the meeting: welcome, the video, your teaching, what to look for, each study step, questions and a closing prayer.
- Turn on live and members’ Study follows along, so people on the call can write as you go.
- Shared answers appear on the slides to start the conversation.
- Prefer paper? Print the meeting guide instead.
Keep the thread going.
- See the whole course at a glance: everyone, every week.
- Notice who’s fallen behind and send a word.
- Answer requests from people asking to join.
- Next week is ready and waiting, on the date your group meets.
Everything for running a course or a group.
Course studio
Build a course week by week: the passage, your teaching, a video, Greek words to notice and questions for the meeting. Saved as you type, editable on any device.
Ready-made courses
Start the gospel, how to study the Bible, or Philippians as they are, or copy one and make it your own. Or run a study from the library, written by invited pastors and scholars.
Invite with a link
Send one link or a short code by text, email or WhatsApp. People join in Study on their phone or computer; nothing to install.
Cohorts and sign-ups
Give a group a start date, a number of spots and a sign-up deadline. Approve each person or let anyone sign up, with a waitlist that fills open spots.
Meet in person or online
Add a Zoom, Meet or Teams link, or a registration page. Members see the time in their own time zone and can add every meeting to their calendar.
Who’s ready this week
See who has finished, started or not yet opened this week’s study, and the whole course at a glance, person by person.
Lead the meeting
Clean slides for the week: the passage, your teaching, the video, each study step and your questions. Share your screen on the call or put it on a TV.
Everyone follows along
Turn on live and members’ Study moves with you, slide by slide, so they can write and share answers during the meeting.
Shared answers
Members can choose to share one answer with the group. You see them on the slides and in your guide, ready to draw people in.
A printable guide
One page per meeting: the passage, who’s prepared, questions to talk about, Greek words, shared answers and room for your notes.
Notes to the group
Post a reminder or a question to think about. It shows on the group’s page in Study, and on members’ home page when it’s new.
Part of your church, or not
Lead on your own, or as part of your church’s space, where people can find your group, ask to join and take part in church-wide seasons.
A group, a cohort, or a season.
Pick what fits your people. You can change a group’s course, schedule and sign-up settings later.
An ongoing group
A home group, a men’s or women’s study, a youth group.
Meets every week (or every other), on its own rhythm.
Invitation link, or open to anyone at your church to ask.
Moves from one course to the next when you’re ready.
Start a groupA cohort
A class with a start date: new believers, an Alpha follow-up, an online course.
Everyone starts week 1 together on a set date.
Spots, a sign-up deadline and a waitlist.
Meets in person or on a video call, in each person’s time zone.
Plan a cohortA church-wide season
When your church studies one book together, alongside a sermon series.
Your church’s admins pick the course and start week.
You choose to take part; your group keeps its own meeting day.
Newcomers can find your group on the church page.
About church spacesReady in about ten minutes.
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1
Sign in to Lead
With your email. There’s no password; we send a sign-in link, and passkeys work too.
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2
Choose a course
Pick a ready-made one, one your church recommends, or build your own in the course studio.
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3
Start a group
Name it and set when it meets, or plan a cohort with a start date and spots.
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4
Send the link
Share the invitation by text or email. People join in Study, and you see them arrive.
Built so people can be honest.
People grow when they can write what they really think. Answers belong to the person who wrote them.
You, the leader
See which weeks each member has started or finished.
See answers members choose to share with the group.
Never see answers, journals or notes that weren’t shared.
Your members
Study on their own, and share only what they choose.
Can leave a group at any time and keep all their work.
Never get email from you through us. Notes appear in the app.
Your church, if you’re in one
Admins see groups, leaders and which weeks people have started.
Never see anyone’s answers.
Members are told what admins can see before they join.
Read the full privacy page.
Good to know.
What does it cost?
Nothing. Lead, Study and Greek are free, with no ads. Formation Initiative doesn’t sell or share anyone’s data.
Do I need to be part of a church space?
No. Anyone can lead a group on their own. If your church has a space, you can start groups in it or bring yours in later, so people can find them on the church page.
Do my members need an account?
To join a group, yes: they sign in with their email (no password) so their progress and shared answers reach the group. Studying on their own works without one.
Can I use my own material?
Yes. In the course studio each week has a passage, your teaching, an optional video, Greek words to notice and questions for the meeting. Build from scratch or copy a ready-made course and change it.
What if someone doesn’t do the study before we meet?
They can still take part. The slides walk the whole group through the passage together, and with live on, they can write their answers during the meeting.
We meet on Zoom. Does it work?
Yes. Add the call link (or a registration page) and the meeting time. Share your screen to show the slides, and turn on live so everyone’s Study follows along beside the call.
Can I change the course partway through?
Yes. Switch the course or edit any week. Members keep their answers from earlier weeks. If you edit a course a group is using, you choose when the group gets the update.
How many people and groups?
A group can have up to 200 people, and you can lead up to 50 groups. A course can have up to 24 weeks.
Where can I learn more?
The how-tos for leaders walk through each task, and every page in Lead has a short tour under the ? button.
Spend your time on the people, not the prep.
Start leading in Lead. It’s free, and your first group can be ready tonight.