Session 3 Discussion Leader Guide | Fall 2026 Leader Hub

The win tonight

Tonight names the rhythm your group has been using for two weeks without anyone calling it that — Look Back, Look Up, Look Forward — and explains why most weeks you’ll discuss the weekend sermon going forward. Then it asks the question underneath all of it: who actually carries a group? First Corinthians 12 answers it — everybody. The win tonight is concrete: every person leaves having named a part. Nobody walks out as just an attender.

Before you press play

Have the roles list handy — it’s in the Look Up section below. You’ll come back to it twice tonight: once during the second break, and again at the end.
Bring something to write on. At the end of the night you’re writing down who claimed what. You’ll follow up on it next week — Session 4 is built around that follow-up.
Have Bibles out for the group; encourage physical copies.

Look Back

Reviewing the Covenant

Collect covenants from anyone who’s ready — no pressure on anyone still praying it through. Then ask the group: “As you sat with the covenant this week, what came up for you — what excited you, and what gave you pause?” Don’t rush this into a paperwork moment. The covenant conversation is the accountability loop from last week coming back around, and it’s the clearest picture your group has of what commitment actually looks like in practice.

Keep the covenant in its place

The point of the covenant is to stress the importance of prioritizing your group — not to get everyone to fit into a nice, neat box. It’s a tool, not a test. So say this out loud to your group: you still belong here whether or not you sign it. Someone who isn’t ready to commit on paper is still welcome at the table, still part of this family, and still gets to claim a part tonight. Nobody earns their way into this group with a signature.

Discussion break 1 of 2

First Break — 1 Corinthians 12:12–27

When it hits: Right after the hosts set up 1 Corinthians 12 and tell your group to watch what Paul says about the parts — especially the ones that feel like they don’t count. Have someone other than yourself read the passage aloud (all of vv. 12–27, not just the verses in the questions) — that’s already practicing tonight’s point.

Discussion card — on screen

What does Paul say to the part that feels like it doesn’t belong (vv. 15–18)? And to the part that thinks it doesn’t need the others (v. 21)?
If our group is a “body,” what happens when one or two parts try to do everything?

How to run it (7–8 minutes)

For question 1, what you’re listening for: to the part that feels useless, Paul says God placed you here on purpose — verse 18, He “arranged each one of the parts just as he wanted.” You’re not an accident in this group and you’re not extra. To the part that feels self-sufficient, verse 21 says nobody gets to opt out of needing the others. If answers stay textbook, make it personal: “Which of those two do you actually relate to more — the part that feels like it doesn’t count, or the part that thinks it’s fine on its own?”

Question 2 is the honest one. The answers people usually land on are that the person carrying everything burns out, and everybody else quietly becomes an audience.

Commentary to help you lead

If the group names that a lot has been falling on you, resist the urge to wave it off or defend how it’s been going. That observation is the point of tonight, and it’s a gift that can help lessen your load. We are trying to make disciples, and disciples aren’t formed while they sit idly by and have everyone serve them. If someone pushes back with “well, isn’t that the leader’s job?” — agree warmly, then draw the line: leading a group and doing everything for a group are two different things. You’re a coach, not a hired performer.

Discussion break 2 of 2

Second Break — Naming Our Parts

When it hits: After the hosts unpack verse 18 and verse 21 — that God put you in this group on purpose with something only you bring, and that when one person tries to be the whole body, they burn out and everyone else turns into a spectator.

Important — read these out loud before you discuss

The video does not show the roles on screen. You have them here.

Co-Leader

Shares the spiritual and logistical load; can lead a night when you're out. Nobody should lead alone.

Hospitality / Host

Owns food, space, and the welcome — makes sure no newcomer stands awkwardly by the door.

Prayer & Care

Tracks prayer requests, follows up midweek, mobilizes meals or help when someone's in a hard season.

Communication

Runs the group text and reminders — the glue that keeps everyone connected between meetings.

Outreach / Mission

Guards the empty chair; plans a serve project or invites for the group.

Other

Your group may come up with other roles that aren't listed here — feel free to add more so more people can engage and use their gifts.

Adapt the names to fit your group. The point is shared ownership, not titles.

Discussion card — on screen

Right now, which “parts” of our group feel strong — and which are missing or quietly falling on one person?
Which of these roles are you naturally wired for — and when have you felt most alive while serving in the past?

How to run it (7–8 minutes)

Question 1 is a diagnostic, and it may sting a little. That’s fine — name it plainly rather than smoothing it over. If your group is brand new and nothing feels established yet, flip it: “Which of these do we most need to get in place first?”

Go first on question 2 — and name a weakness too. Say which role you’re wired for and which one you’re genuinely bad at. Admitting you need someone to cover a gap gives everyone else permission to step up. The second half of the question matters as much as the first — “when have you felt most alive serving?” gets past what people think they should say and into how God actually built them.

Commentary to help you lead

Don’t assign roles here. This break is just for people to name their wiring out loud — the actual claiming happens at the end of the night. Watch for the person who says “I’m not really good at anything.” Have something small and concrete ready to hand them — running the group text, bringing drinks, texting whoever missed last week. There are no small roles or tasks.

Look Forward

Everyone Claims a Part

The video sends you into this, so don’t let the night end without it. This is the single most important fifteen minutes of the session.

Recap the parts, then let people claim one (11 min)

Read the roles out loud one more time now that people have had a chance to think. Then go around and let every person name a role — or a piece of one — they'll carry this semester. Two people can share a role, and starting small is completely fine. The goal isn't a perfectly staffed org chart; it's that nobody leaves as just an attender. If someone didn't see themselves on the list, don't force it and don't let them off the hook either — ask, "Then how do you think you could contribute to this group?" and let them name it in their own words. It may be something better than anything on the list.

Write it down, and remind them about the covenant

Writing it down is not optional — you'll follow up on these next week, since Session 4 opens by asking how it felt to own a part, and a role nobody remembers claiming isn't a role. Remind anyone still holding a covenant that they can bring it back whenever they're ready — say it the same way you said it earlier: no deadline pressure, and no one is on the outside of this group for not having signed.

Pray and send off (2 min)

Pray over your group as a body — thank God for how He arranged the parts, and pray for each person in the part they just took. Remind everyone to bring their Bible next week, and tease Session 4: "Life Together, On Mission."

A few general tips

Leading this session well

Give it away. Every role you hand off is a person who belongs more deeply. Resist doing it all — you're a coach, not the star.
Match wiring, not need. Don't just fill slots. Helping someone serve out of how God made them lasts a whole lot longer than guilting someone into a gap.
Small is fine. A teenager running the group text counts. Owning anything changes how a person belongs.
Set up the sermon rhythm now. Let people know that starting after this series, you'll discuss the weekend message each week using the church's questions — and that it follows this same Three-Thirds flow.
Hold the rhythm with an open hand. If someone pushes back, agree warmly — there's room for a season of a marriage study or a focused book when it serves your people. If you're planning a longer detour, loop in your coach or pastor so we stay roughly aligned as a church.
Keep grace on the covenant. Collect quietly, celebrate nobody publicly, pressure no one.

For quick reference

1 Corinthians 12:12–27

Paul’s picture of the body — many parts, one body — runs the length of this passage. The phrase worth having ready is verse 18: God “arranged each one of the parts just as he wanted.” Nobody in your group is an accident, and nobody gets to opt out of needing the others (v. 21).

Read the full passage from your Bible — 1 Corinthians 12:12–27 — before your group meets.