Small group discussion questions from Sunday's sermon

Good small group questions take the group back into the passage the sermon preached, then into their own week. A set of about seven works for a 45 to 60 minute meeting: one to open, three that stay in the text, two that turn it on the group's week, and one that ends on who God is. Below is a template you can fill in, and a real set of questions Prepser wrote from a recorded sermon.

A seven-question template

Open with the sermon's own moment. Quote a line or a story from Sunday and ask where the group has felt the same. "___ said, '___.' Where have you felt that?"
Read and observe. Send the group to the verse that carries the sermon. "Read ___ together. What does Jesus (or the writer) actually say about ___?"
Explain a word or phrase. Pick the word the sermon turned on. "What does '___' mean here, and how does it change the way you hear the verse?"
Connect the Scripture. Bring in one cross-reference from the sermon. "Read ___. How does it shed light on ___?"
Look at yourself. Turn the main point into an honest question. "Where have you been living as if ___?"
Make it concrete. Ask for one step this week. "What would it look like to ___ before we meet again?"
Close in the text. End on who God is in the passage, then pray. "Verse ___ shows God as ___. How does that compare with the God you picture when ___?"

What makes a question work

It can't be answered with yes or no. "Do you trust God?" ends the conversation; "Where is trusting God hardest for you right now?" starts it.
It comes from the text. The group should need the passage open to answer it.
It carries one idea. Two questions in one sentence get half an answer.
It uses the sermon's words. Quoting Sunday's best line reminds the group what they heard and gives the quiet ones a place to start.
It ends in practice. At least one question should ask what changes this week.

Example: questions from a recorded sermon on Matthew 11:28–30

These seven questions come from "Come to Me, All Who Are Weary", the sample sermon every new Prepser user finds in the app: a nine-minute recording on Matthew 11:28–30. Prepser wrote them from the transcript, together with the outline, key points and prayer points. They appear here exactly as they appear in the app.

Walter said, "I didn't think I was allowed to say it." Where in your life have you felt that being tired was not allowed?
Jesus addresses "all who labor" and "all who are heavy laden": those worn out by their own choices and those worn out by what was put on them. Which describes you right now, and does it change how you hear the invitation?
"Rest is the gift at the beginning of the relationship, not the reward at the end of the work." Where have you been living as if it were the other way around?
Jesus offers a yoke rather than removing one. Why do you think he does that? What would it look like to let him set the pace this week?
What is one yoke you are wearing that was built from expectations, guilt or fear of letting people down? What would putting it down actually require?
Matthew 11:29 is the only place Jesus describes his own heart: "gentle and lowly." How does that compare with the Jesus you picture when you've failed?
"Rest is a Person, not a place." What is the difference between taking a day off and finding rest for your soul? Have you experienced the second?

Notice the shape: question 1 starts with the sermon's opening story, questions 2 and 6 send the group into the words of the text, 3 and 7 quote the sermon's own lines, and 4 and 5 ask for something this week.

Example: Bible study questions from a scanned page

Prepser also writes questions from a page you scan. These three come from the other sample note in the app, a scan of John 3 in the King James Version:

"Born again" can also be read "born from above." How does each reading change what Jesus is asking of Nicodemus, and of you?
Read Numbers 21:8–9. What did a bitten Israelite have to do to live, and what does that say about faith in verses 14–15?
Nicodemus appears again in John 7:50–51 and 19:39. What changes in him, and what hope does that give for careful people you know?

Frequently asked

How many small group questions should I prepare?

Six to eight is enough for an hour, because a good question takes ten minutes when the group engages with it. Prepare seven and expect to use five. Mark the two you will skip if time runs short, usually one of the text questions in the middle, never the one that asks what changes this week.

Can Prepser write questions for sermons I preached before?

Yes. Import the audio file of an older sermon and Prepser transcribes it in a few minutes. Link it to a Small Group prep and generate the questions. A prep can hold several notes, so you can generate questions for a whole series.

Can I get questions for a passage I haven't preached yet?

Yes. In AI Chat, use Draft a sermon with the format set to Bible study, or ask for small group questions on any passage. Each of our sermon drafts ends with a set of questions made that way.

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Updated October 31, 2026 · Sample questions from the sample notes in Prepser 1.1.1. Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.