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How to choose small group software for your church
By Kyle @ Synodo · Updated 2026-10-13
The short answer: There are three kinds of tool: your church database’s groups module, a free chat app, or a dedicated small group tool. Choose by what groups need between Sundays, not by the roster, and trial your shortlist with two real groups for a month.
Download the software checklist (print it or paste into a doc)
Do we need small group software at all?
Maybe not. A handful of groups with confident leaders can run well on a shared document, a calendar invite and a text thread. Software starts to earn its place when there are more groups than one person can keep in their head, when leaders need the same study and preparation every week, or when nobody can say which groups are healthy until the end of the term.
What are the three kinds of tool?
| Kind of tool | Examples | Strongest at | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groups module in a church management system | Planning Center Groups, Realm | The church’s list of groups, sign-ups, the people database and reports across every group | How much help leaders get inside the meeting itself |
| Free chat app | GroupMe, WhatsApp | Quick conversation, at no cost, in an app people may already have | No study, no attendance, and the church cannot see the groups |
| Dedicated small group tool | Synodo, and tools built for one-on-one discipleship | What happens inside each group: the study, leaders’ preparation, follow-up and conversation | How well it works alongside your church database |
Many churches end up with two: the database for the register, and a group tool or chat for the week.
What questions should we ask every vendor?
- Does it work with our church database, and does importing ever create the same person twice?
- How do members hear about a new message — push notification, email or text — and what happens for someone who never installs anything?
- Is there a leaders-only space, so preparation and notes are not read aloud?
- Can the church see every group, and who keeps a group’s history when a leader steps down?
- How is it priced — per church, per group or per person — and what will it cost if we double?
- Does it run on a phone, a tablet and a computer, and do members need an app store?
- Can we get our people and our content out again if we leave?
- Who can see members’ phone numbers and email addresses?
How should we run a trial?
- Pick two real groups: one with a keen leader, one with a leader who would rather not learn anything new. The second tells you more.
- Run a month, not a week. The first meeting tests setup; the fourth tests whether anyone still opens it.
- Have the leaders do every job themselves: schedule, invite, take attendance, send a message, prepare a meeting.
- Ask members one question at the end: did this make the group easier or harder to be part of?
What are the warning signs?
- Pricing that punishes growth, so welcoming more people costs more.
- Leaders need training to do the basics.
- Notifications go to everyone for everything, so people turn them off.
- No clear way to remove someone from a group, or to get your data out.
Who should be in the decision?
A pastor who owns groups, the person who will set it up, one experienced leader and one new one. The new leader is the best test of whether it is simple enough.
Doing this in Synodo
Synodo is a dedicated small group tool: the study, leaders-only guides, attendance follow-up and the group’s conversation in one place, on a phone, tablet or computer. It works alongside Planning Center and is priced per church, for unlimited groups and people.