It’s hard and can feel lonely being a blended family, but there is so much hope. In Ephesians 3:14-15, the Apostle Paul wrote:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

Every family. No exceptions. We name what we care about, and God named your family. Blend, our new LifeGroup experience for blended families, is based on this truth that God not only named your family but also has a plan for it. Just a few verses later in Ephesians 3:20-21 Paul writes,

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Does it sometimes feel like you can’t imagine what you could possibly do to make blended family life work? Well, God can do so much more than you could ever imagine. And guess what—He doesn’t want to just do it in your family. He has plans to heal generation after generation of your family, and He wants to start with you.

So, here’s everything you need to know to lead your group through Blend: Strengthen Your Family.

1. Establish ground rules for conversation. Here are some great options.
   • We will be honest, but we won’t share confidential info.
   • We will honor one another and everyone in our blended families.
   • We will share our experiences even if they’re different from others’ experiences.
   • We’ll speak up but also quiet down and listen.
   • We will build one another up with love and support but only offer advice when someone asks for it.
2. Plan something fun to kick it off. You’ll want a place where you can watch the videos together and have great, safe conversations. Someone’s home is usually your best bet. Invite everyone to bring a snack and make it fun. This is four weeks of videos, but we hope you’ll keep meeting long after that.
3. Watch each week’s Blend video, then answer the questions at the end. We made this really simple. There’s no special leader guide, notebook, or anything like that. Just watch each week’s video here or on the Life.Church app, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, YouTube, or Amazon Fire. Then answer the questions at the end of each video. If you don’t have a way to watch videos together, see tip number five.
4. Once you start, keep it up. Sometimes not every family will be able to make it every week. That’s okay. Don’t cancel; keep it up. Keep meeting and send each week’s video to the families who missed.
5. Read the Bible Plan together. Use the Plans With Friends feature in the YouVersion Bible App to read the Blend Bible Plan together. It’s such a powerful way to reinforce what you’re learning with Scripture in your week. Some groups actually choose to primarily use the Bible Plan as the way the watch the videos each week. If you’re a group that meets somewhere without access to a television, or you’re a more active, outdoors type of group, you can go through two days of the Bible Plan during each week, then just talk about it and pray when you get together.
6. Pray for one another together. There is something so powerful about what prayer can do that nothing else can do in a blended family. Ask everyone to share what they could use prayer for and pray for one another right then and there. If you don’t know what that might look like, watch this.
7. Give others the gift of going second. It’s not always easy to share the kind of stories your group will need to share to really find healing and practical help. When you share first, you give others the gift of sharing second, which is always just a little bit easier.
8. Invite new families. Whether you already have a blended family LifeGroup, or you’re starting a new one, invite some new families to your group. If you’re struggling to fill your LifeGroup, watch this video.
9. Go through it yourself. Don’t just lead your group through this content, go through it with them. Let God change you, encourage you, speak to you, love you, and strengthen your family.
10. Keep at it. Blending your family may be one of the hardest and most rewarding things you ever do. You and your group won’t stop needing each other after four weeks. Keep getting together. Here are more resources for your families after you finish Blend.