Streamline your fall small groups with new features on Subsplash Groups

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Fall small groups are coming. Is your church ready?

The fall season is one of the most exciting and vibrant times in the life of a church. Summer break is over and new faces begin to walk through your doors. Small group sign-ups are in full swing. Discipleship rhythms kick into gear. 

But with all that momentum comes one universal truth for every church leader: it’s busy.

We know fall group kickoff season can be a logistical challenge—juggling schedules, coordinating leaders, sending reminders, tracking engagement—the list goes on. 

That’s why we’re thrilled to introduce powerful new group management tools in Groups, designed specifically to help churches like yours launch small groups with greater ease, clarity, and impact.

In this post, you’ll find a practical checklist to guide your fall groups launch and see how these new features can save time, empower leaders, and help your community thrive.

Empower leaders with Group Events

Group leaders can now create and manage their own events—like weekly meetings, potlucks, or service projects—right inside their group on Subsplash Messaging.

This feature puts more tools in the hands of your leaders, freeing them to take initiative while reducing administrative load on your staff. Events are visible to all group members and include details like date, time, location, and notes—so everyone stays on the same page.

Encourage each of your leaders to log into their group and schedule their first few gatherings now. Having events in place builds early momentum and helps new members know what to expect.

Communicate instantly with Group Announcements

You (or your leaders) can now send group-specific push notifications right from the Subsplash Dashboard—directly to everyone who has your church app.

Whether it’s a location change, a prayer request, or a reminder about tonight’s meeting, church communication tools like Subsplash’s push notifications, text messages, and messaging cut through the noise. This feature ensures that everyone hears what they need to, when they need to. No more lost emails or “I didn’t see that text.”

Decide how your team will use announcements. Will you send weekly encouragement? Last-minute updates? Set a rhythm that works best for your ministry.

Your fall small group launch checklist

Here’s a simple, practical checklist to help you launch strong with less stress and more clarity. These steps, paired with these new Group Management features, will set your ministry up for a season of meaningful connection and spiritual growth.

1. Invite group creators

Start by identifying trusted staff or volunteers who can create groups in your Subsplash Dashboard. These individuals can begin building out the structure of your group offerings before launch day.

2. Identify the types of groups you’ll offer

Will you have sermon-based discussion groups? Bible studies? Men’s and women’s groups? Activity-based or service-oriented gatherings? Knowing your group categories helps people find the right fit when they browse your group finder.

3. Identify & invite group leaders

Once your groups are mapped out, it’s time to recruit and confirm your leaders. These leaders will be the frontline of discipleship in your church this fall—empower them early.

4. Add key group details to the Group Finder

Make sure each group includes essential info, like their meeting time, location (in person or online), group type, childcare availability, and any other helpful notes. 

The clearer and more complete the listing, the easier people can use the Group Finder and the more confident they will feel signing up.

5. Train leaders on using Group Messaging tools

Start by creating a "Groups Leadership" channel to train all leaders together before they create their individual group channels. Next, equip all your leaders to use Subsplash Groups & Messaging to its fullest. Show them how to:

• Inspire people with Bible verses and resources
• Share prayer requests
• Post polls to coordinate snacks or childcare
• Create and manage group events

They can do all this and more safely and securely—right within your church’s mobile app. Training now means smoother communication later.

6. Announce your groups to the church

Build excitement with a coordinated church-wide rollout. Have your teams announce your small groups from the pulpit on Sundays. Share your upcoming small groups on your social media channels, and ask people to share with their friends. 

Pro-tip: Download and customize  Subsplash’s free church graphic templates to promote the fall groups launch across your Sunday services, app, social media, and email.

What group management means for your ministry

With these new group management features on the Subsplash platform, you’re no longer stuck managing every detail manually. You can:

• Empower your leaders to run with vision and ownership.
• Streamline church messaging and updates with built-in announcements.
• Track group attendance (soon!) to care for your people more effectively.

It’s more than just small group software—it’s a toolset designed to help your church build community, foster discipleship, and make a lasting impact this fall and beyond.

Let’s launch strong together

Fall is full of opportunity. Whether you're launching three small groups or thirty, Subsplash is here to make it simpler, smoother, and more impactful.

If you’re already using Subsplash, these new features are live in your dashboard right now! Log in to explore them, or visit our Knowledge Center for step-by-step guides.

New to Subsplash? See how Subsplash can transform your group ministry! [.blog-contact-cta]Connect with a ministry consultant today. [.blog-contact-cta]

More resources you may find helpful

• Welcome to church: 10 ways to make your visitors feel at home
• Help your community grow with Subsplash Events
• 10 back-to-school church event ideas for outreach
• 11 effective ways to attract young families to church
• Celebrating fall blessings: 33 Bible verses about harvest time

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