Frequently Asked Questions

Getting started is simple:

• Download the app from the App Store or Google Play, or sign up on the web.
• Create your first group – it's free forever.
• Invite members by email, text, or social media.
• Generate your first AI Bible study in under 5 minutes.
• No credit card needed, no complicated setup.

SmartGroups is an app that helps churches grow with more and better small groups. It lets intentional leaders keep everyone synchronized on the same Bible passage and question so no one gets lost, confused, or left out. We make group leadership simpler by removing admin tasks, break down language barriers with multi-language support, and provide instant AI Bible study generation on any topic or passage while letting leaders modify it to their needs. Time burdened families can use it at home by instantly creating a study on any topic that happens to come up.

If you have any kind of small group – Bible study, prayer, service teams, mentoring, or discipleship – SmartGroups can help. We're designed for:

• Small churches with a few groups.
• Large ministries with hundreds of groups.
• Individual group leaders who want better tools.
• Multi-language communities needing inclusion.
• Online, in-person, or hybrid meeting formats.

No, you don't need tech skills. You and your group just need to create an account with your email, Apple ID, or Google ID for security. We're here to help with any questions via email or phone support.

SmartGroups works with most internet connections. Basic features like text, studies, and chat work on slower connections. Video calls need stable broadband (like Zoom). AI generation and real-time sync need an internet connection, but you can view downloaded studies offline. We've made the app work well even where the internet is limited.

Some features work offline:

• Downloaded Bible studies: Can be viewed and completed offline.
• Saved content: Materials you've accessed stay available.
• Notes and responses: Sync when you get back online.

Full features (AI generation, video calls, live sync) need an internet connection.

SmartGroups works on almost any modern device:

• iPhone: iOS 16.1 (October 2022) or newer.
• Android: Android 7.0 'Nougat' (August 2016) or newer.
• Web browsers: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge.
• Tablets: iPad, Android tablets.
• Computers: Mac, PC, Chromebook.

If your device can run WhatsApp or Facebook, it can run SmartGroups!

Most groups rely on experienced leaders or lots of training (only 35% of churches offer even basic training). SmartGroups changes that. It makes it easy for new leaders to run engaging, Bible-centered studies. It also frees up experienced leaders to focus more on mentoring and spiritual development.

Planning Center and similar tools are for church staff, handling back office tasks. SmartGroups is a front end discipleship platform. It actually helps you have better groups, better leaders, and better ministry. We work with your existing systems by offering:

• Tools for intentional leaders: Covenant development, spiritual temperature surveys, polls, group chat, group prayer requests, group picture & video sharing, and more.
• AI-powered content: Instant Bible study creation.
• Group-based pricing: No per-user fees.
• Multi-language support: Built-in, not an add-on.
• Hybrid meeting support: Works seamlessly online and in-person.
• Simple to use: Designed for leaders, not just administrators.

SmartGroups gives your group leaders the right tools at the right time. This helps them move past just managing things and focus on building environments where people truly grow in their faith. Leaders get helpful communication and admin tools, plus resources to be more focused and effective in their ministry.

SmartGroups aims to help leaders grow, especially those new to groups. We give them good choices exactly when they need them to make better decisions. For example:

• Starting a group: We offer ideas for a group agreement.
• Checking in on the group: We have sample surveys and questions.
• Opening questions: We provide good questions beyond 'how's everyone doing?'
• Icebreakers: Choose from a list or create one based on the study.
• Training new leaders: Easily 'pass the baton' by letting them lead part of a meeting with your help.

Yes, absolutely. SmartGroups helps churches shift from programs that might not work for everyone to ministry focused on discipleship. It gives leaders flexible tools to lead with more purpose and group commitment. Leaders have a lot of freedom to lead in their own style – whether it's teaching, discussion, or letting the Spirit guide. The app makes it easy for everyone to follow along.

AI helps create good Bible studies, but the real personal and Spirit-led part comes from how people engage with the Bible and each other. Our AI helps everyone read the same Bible version, understand it with comprehension questions, and apply it with relevant questions. The power of group Bible study is how the Bible, through the Holy Spirit and a loving group, can change lives. It's living and active, not passive.

You can use AI to make a Bible study, but you still need to share it. The real power of SmartGroups is that it gives leaders the flexibility to change the study as needed, while also making sure no one gets lost or confused. It's a complete platform, not just a study generator.

SmartGroups helps groups move from just studying the Bible to actually changing lives. We help leaders guide their groups from focusing on themselves to focusing on others and God. This includes:

• Discussion questions that focus on life application, not just comprehension.
• Making it easy for non-musicians to include worship in meetings.
• A group agreement that sets high expectations and encourages commitment.
• Check-in questions that encourage thinking beyond oneself.
• Check-out questions that prompt sharing the study with others.
• Many other subtle features that help leaders make disciples more intentionally.

Many churches measure small groups by attendance, hoping 'magic happens' if numbers are steady. SmartGroups goes beyond that. We help churches have better groups by looking at what can go wrong and giving leaders the power to make good choices that build real connection and community.

Often, churches don't realize how challenging small groups actually are. They might think the problem is just getting more people in groups, but there are many deeper reasons why people don't come, people aren't engaged, people quit coming, people don't grow, and new leaders aren't developed.

Social clubs aren't bad, as new people need to connect. But it's hard to move from social time to Bible study. SmartGroups helps by preparing leaders to guide engaging studies and making the transition from sharing time to Bible study feel natural, not forced.

For many churches, there are not nearly enough groups to accommodate the church. When you consider a single person looking for a group, there may be only one option available to him or her after accounting for gender, schedule, location, and other considerations. SmartGroups makes it easy to start more groups whether in-person or online, to accommodate the differing needs of all members of the church.

Yes, SmartGroups makes it easy to develop new, intentional leaders who can use their unique gifts and styles. To have more groups, churches need more leaders, and SmartGroups helps make that happen. The app gives leaders great choices at the time they need them – options for creating their charter when they are making one, check-in questions that are others rather than self focused, good questions for gauging the spiritual temperature of the group when they want to make a survey.

Many groups lose steam because their structure doesn't help spiritual growth. With SmartGroups, members get used to new ways of sharing deep Bible insights, making the group stronger, more interesting, and engaging, so people keep coming back.

If you want to have one big change for your groups – and you don't need SmartGroups to do it – do this one, simple thing: throw away the signup sheet. Read and study Matthew 4:18-22. Consider the implications of praying for every one of the people in your group for two weeks and ideally four before inviting them. Do not seek an immediate answer but allow them the time to pray about joining and committing to the group. Just contact our support desk and we can give you additional guidance on starting your groups strong without using technology.

We live in a world driven by metrics, but most are just 'vanity metrics.' Few actually have disciples who make disciples. SmartGroups provides tools and insights to help leaders focus on real discipleship, not just attendance.

Zoom is great for video calls, and we have similar features. But Zoom isn't built for interactive group Bible studies like SmartGroups is. It's not easy to share Bible passages and insights there. We've even had people do a SmartGroup Bible study while standing on a bus, and it worked great!

Veteran leaders like how engaging SmartGroups is for the group. They also appreciate being able to skip material, review past topics, or take detours without people getting lost. They know that having the Bible text and questions in front of them is especially helpful for new Bible readers and non-native speakers, who are most likely to get confused.

New group leaders always tell us they feel 'guided,' which is very important to them. It lowers their stress and boosts their confidence.

SmartGroups helps everyone participate, even quieter members. They can post public notes and have their answers automatically shared with the group for survey questions. Leaders can also use the 'eye' feature to see how everyone answered, so they can call on shy people who they know have good answers.

Here's 12 which is a more Biblical number:

1. 'Radio play' Bible study reading: Read the Bible in dramatic 'radio play' form with assigned parts and sound effects! See the Bible in a new and fresh way by focusing on what each person was saying and experiencing.
2. Instant shareable concordance: Long press the Bible to get an instant concordance and share your findings with the group! You can also find references and share them as well!
3. Side-by-side Bible comparison: Compare different Bible versions side-by-side even in different languages. Leaders can control the side-by-side comparisons!
4. Integrated notes & cross-references: Show or hide notes and cross-references and tap on them so you can see how Scripture interprets Scripture without having to look up a lot of references.
5. Instant 'Check the concept' questions: Leaders can check how people are understanding the Bible passage with instant multiple choice in-meeting surveys with instant results reporting so leaders can speed up or slow down based on how the group is doing.
6. Instant bible study generation on any topic or passage: Enter whatever you want and get chunked passages to read as a group with good comprehension and application questions that you can modify to your needs.
7. Worship: Don't play the guitar? Choose from our catalog of worship songs that you can play with lyrics everyone can see!
8. 'Pass the baton': Want to develop a new leader? Let him or her lead the meeting for a few minutes by turning on the leader function so they have full control of the meeting in a safe and familiar environment.
9. Group charter: Develop a group agreement easily with guided options that you can optionally require group members to agree to.
10. Style the Bible the way you want: Outrageous flexibility on how you want headings, superscripts, paragraph breaks, cross-references, translator notes, 'red letter' text, additional inserted words and more to appear in for you. Are you a purist? Turn them all off to see the Bible the way it was written! Like more details? Turn everything on!
11. Concurrent meeting planning: Want to plan your next meeting? Do it with our concurrent meeting planning feature that lets everyone sign up and create tasks for the next meeting when you are together so you can knock it out in less than a minute!
12. Everyone on the same page: Everyone sees the same version of the Bible and study question at the same time!

Yes! Our AI can instantly create Bible studies on:

• Any Bible passage or book.
• Specific topics (prayer, forgiveness, leadership, etc.).
• Seasonal themes (Christmas, Easter, etc.).
• Life issues (marriage, parenting, work, etc.).
• Contemporary issues through a biblical lens.

Each study includes an icebreaker activity that helps introduce the topic or passage, discussion questions, and multiple choice questions, and can be generated in over 25 languages.

Absolutely! SmartGroups is built for hybrid ministry:

• In-person groups: Everyone follows along on their devices, staying in sync during Scripture reading.
• Online groups: Built-in video conferencing, screen sharing, and real-time interaction.
• Hybrid groups: Some members in the room, others joining remotely – everyone participates fully.

No need to switch between different tools for different meeting types.

Yes! SmartGroups includes built-in video conferencing so group members can see and hear each other during online meetings. Features include:

• HD video and audio.
• Screen sharing for Bible studies.
• Live translated captions.
• Recording capabilities.
• Breakout room functionality.

Everything is integrated into one platform, no separate video tools needed.

SmartGroups supports over 25 languages for Bible study content:

• Spanish, French, Portuguese, German.
• Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, Hindi.
• Arabic, Russian, Italian, Dutch.
• And many more…

While the app interface is currently in English, all curriculum, Bible studies, and group content can be created and shown in your preferred language. Live translated captions help during video meetings.

We're actively working on adding native support for multiple Bible versions, including NIV, ESV, NKJV, and more. Currently, you can:

• Include any Bible version in your custom curriculum.
• Upload your preferred translation for AI studies.
• Reference multiple versions in discussion questions.

The AI works with whatever Bible version your group prefers.

Simply type in any topic or Bible passage, and within about two minutes you'll have a complete group Bible study lesson ready to use, complete with an icebreaker that's related to the topic or passage, discussion questions, multiple-choice questions, etc. that help engage the group and understand and apply the word of God. You're still in full control -- you'll have a chance to preview all generated questions and remove or edit any as well as add your own.

Yes, you can write your own curriculum from scratch, import what you already have, or take an AI-generated study and change it however you like.

Our prayer request system changes how groups pray. Requests are collected from everyone at once, not one by one. This gives more time for praying. When it's time to pray, the system automatically assigns requests, so no one is forgotten, no one misses the chance to pray, and all the details are remembered.

Yes, you have a few ways to share group resources. When you publish a Bible study, anyone in the church can use it. You can also have a church resource folder for PDFs and other files, like gospel sharing tools, welcome kits, and onboarding materials.

Group leaders and church leaders can see attendance, membership trends, prayer time, meeting length, recent and upcoming meetings, and create custom reports. The goal is to give leaders a quick idea of what's really happening in the group. This helps pastors give specific coaching to leaders when they need it.

You can enter your discipleship steps (professed faith and repentance, baptized, etc.), and then your staff or group leaders can update progress. Only church leaders and designated group leaders can see these updates.

The beauty of group Bible study is how the Bible, through the Holy Spirit and a loving group, helps people change their lives. AI-generated studies quickly help leaders find good Bible passages and create good questions to make that happen. Groups can also use AI for questions like 'what are the themes of this passage' or 'how is this relevant to discipleship.' The AI simply helps point people to and engages them with the timeless, inerrant word of God. The real power is from the word of God!

In small group Bible study, the group has to look at their Bible, and also the printed questions (if the leader has time to make them and can remember to print them and to bring them and bring enough of them). In the same way, only a small portion of the time is spent looking at the phone. The app actually opens up opportunities to have meetings in very challenging environments such as the darkness around a campfire, the chaos of a bus going across town or a person walking down the street, the cramped space of a car, etc.

Yes! You can start with one group with all features. If you like it, you can upgrade to a church account for multiple groups, oversight, and the ability to cancel anytime.

Any mainline or evangelical Protestant church will find it suitable. We also include options for the New Catholic Bible (NCB), the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB), and the World Messianic Bible (WMB), among others.

We provide full support for all users:

• Free plans: Email support.
• Church plans: Priority email and phone support with faster responses and a dedicated account manager.
• Live onboarding: Personal training sessions for church plans.
• Help center: A searchable knowledge base.

Our goal is to help you succeed, not just answer tickets.

Yes! We offer several training options:

• Live onboarding: Personal training for church plans.
• Webinars: Group training sessions.
• Best practices: Tips from successful churches.

Most users find the app easy to use and get started without formal training.

Church plans can import existing curriculum and materials:

• Upload PDF study guides.
• Import from popular curriculum publishers.
• Convert Word documents to interactive studies.
• Migrate from other church software.

We'll help you transfer your existing content during onboarding so you don't lose anything.

Yes! SmartGroups has a free plan, perfect for single small groups. It includes full access to AI Bible study generation and all our features. There's no trial period, no credit card needed, and no hidden limits. Group leaders shouldn't have to pay to serve the people God has given them.

You only need to upgrade when you want:

• More than one group (2+): Church plans start at $59/month.
• Church branding: Custom logos and colors.
• Pastor's Dashboard: Overview of ministry-wide activity.
• Advanced analytics: Attendance and engagement stats.
• Priority support: Faster help when you need it.

Individual group leaders can use SmartGroups forever for free.

No! Unlike other church software, we never charge per person. You pay based on the number of groups, not the number of people. This means:

• A group of 5 people costs the same as a group of 50.
• You can invite unlimited members to each group.
• No surprise charges when your groups grow.
• Predictable pricing that grows with your ministry.

Absolutely! You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel your plan whenever you want, with no long-term contracts. Changes take effect at your next billing cycle, and we adjust billing automatically, so you only pay for what you use.

Yes! Contact support if you would like to set up annual payment.

Members join for free.

Only people in your group and certain church leaders you designate.

Yes, only people in your group can see your prayer requests (and any designated church overseers).

No. We purposely don't use Facebook login or integration to better protect your information and keep your group members' privacy. Instead, we use:

• Google Sign-In (optional).
• Apple Sign-In (optional).
• Email and password.

This gives you more control over your data and privacy.

We do not have advertising so we don't sell your data to third parties. Likewise, we are not incentivized to keep you using the app as much as possible to generate revenue. We are not a venture backed entity seeking to grow at any cost and get to an exit.

Groups are completely separate from each other:

• Non-members only see basic group info (name, description).
• Group activities are private to members only.
• Discussions and prayer requests are never visible to other groups.
• Member information is protected and not shared.
• Church leaders only see what you give them permission to see.

You have full control over your group's privacy.

Your data is safe and always yours:

• Regular backups to multiple secure locations.
• Never sold to third parties.
• Export anytime: Download all your group data.
• Delete anytime: Remove all data permanently.
• GDPR compliant data handling.

We are custodians of your data, not owners. You keep full control.

Yes! We use strong security measures:

• SSL encryption for all data sent.
• Secure login options: Google, Apple Sign-In, or email.
• Regular security checks and testing.
• COPPA compliant for child safety.
• Data encryption when stored and when moving.
• SOC 2 compliant infrastructure.

Your group's information is as secure as online banking.