Incorporating the 3/3 Pattern for Processing Scripture in Small Groups: A Practical Guide
Small groups play a vital role in believers' spiritual growth. They create a setting where we can support each other, study God’s Word together, and hold one another accountable. But without an intentional structure, small groups can easily drift into mere social gatherings or discussions that lack real-life application.
This is where the 3/3 pattern becomes a game-changer. It provides a balanced and effective way for small groups to study Scripture, encourage accountability, and equip believers to live out their faith actively. By structuring our time into three equal parts—Look Back, Look Up, and Look Forward—we ensure that each meeting fosters spiritual growth, obedience, and multiplication.
LOOK BACK [1/3 of the time]
The first third of the meeting is about reflecting on past commitments, caring for one another, and reinforcing vision. This time ensures accountability, deepens relationships, and keeps everyone focused on Jesus's mission.
Care and Prayer
Begin with gratitude and sharing burdens:
Each person shares something they are thankful for.
Each person shares a struggle or challenge they are facing.
The person sitting to their right prays specifically for them.
This practice strengthens the community, builds trust, and ensures that no one is walking through life alone. If someone is experiencing a major struggle that needs more time and attention, plan to stay after the meeting to offer additional care and support.
Vision
Reinforce the bigger picture—why are we here? Why do we follow Jesus?
Sing a song that points to loving God, loving others, making disciples, and multiplying groups.
OR, have individuals share a Bible verse that reminds them of God’s mission for their lives.
This step keeps the group mission-focused, reminding everyone that faith is not just personal—it’s meant to be shared and multiplied.
Check-In: Accountability for Obedience and Sharing
Each person reviews their commitments from last week by answering three key questions:
How have you obeyed what you learned?
Who have you trained in what you learned?
With whom have you shared your story or God’s story?
If someone didn’t follow through on a commitment, it gets added to this week’s commitments. If someone consistently refuses to obey what they clearly heard from God, this becomes a serious discipleship issue that may require deeper discussion or even church discipline.
LOOK UP [1/3 of the time]
Now that we have reflected and reviewed, it’s time to seek fresh direction from God by studying Scripture.
Pray
Start with a simple and brief prayer, asking God to teach and reveal His truth through His Word.
Read and Discuss
Read the passage out loud together.
Discuss the following questions:
What did you like about this passage?
What did you find challenging or hard to understand?
Read the passage again, this time listening with fresh ears.
Discuss deeper questions:
What can we learn about people from this passage?
What can we learn about God from this passage?
This method ensures that everyone participates, and the focus remains on God’s Word rather than personal opinions. The goal is to uncover truths that directly shape our lives and obedience.
LOOK FORWARD [1/3 of the time]
Now that we have reflected on past commitments and received fresh insight from God’s Word, it’s time to take action. This is where true discipleship happens—when we move from hearing to obeying.
Obey. Train. Share.
Each person takes at least five minutes in silent prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal their specific response to three questions:
How will I apply and obey this passage?
Who will I train or share this passage with?
Who does God want me to share my story (testimony) or God’s story with this week?
Everyone writes down their commitments so that they can:
Pray over them throughout the week.
Be held accountable the following week.
If someone isn’t sure whether a response is from God but believes it could be beneficial, they can still write it down—accountability will help clarify its direction.
Practice Together
In groups of two or three, practice what you committed to do:
Role-play a difficult conversation or a temptation you might face.
Practice sharing today’s passage as if teaching it to someone else.
Practice sharing the Gospel or your testimony in a simple way.
This practice ensures that when the real opportunity arises, we are prepared and confident to obey.
Talk with God Together
In the same small groups, pray for:
Each member’s commitments and the people they plan to share with.
God to prepare hearts to receive the Gospel.
Strength and wisdom to be obedient this week.
This prayer time concludes the meeting, sending everyone out equipped and empowered to live out their faith.
Why This Pattern Works
The 3/3 pattern is effective because it creates a disciple-making culture that is:
✔ Balanced – It includes reflection, learning, and action.
✔ Accountable – No one walks alone, and everyone is held to their commitments.
✔ Obedience-Based – Learning leads to application, not just discussion.
✔ Reproducible – It can be replicated easily in new groups and new contexts.
This pattern fosters a lifestyle of discipleship. It trains believers to regularly hear from God, obey Him, and share with others—the very essence of following Jesus.
A Challenge to Small Groups
If your small group is not yet structured for accountability and multiplication, consider implementing the 3/3 pattern.
Ask yourself:
Is our group actively helping each other obey God’s Word?
Are we sharing what we learn beyond our group?
Are we multiplying disciples by equipping others?
A small group is not just a Bible study. It’s a training ground for obedience, transformation, and mission.
NOTE THAT GROUPS CAN MAKE CORPORATE APPLICATIONS AS WELL.
Over the next few blog entries, we will explore how to strengthen each phase of the 3/3 pattern and make sure our small groups are truly making disciples who make disciples.
Let’s commit to living this out—together!