The trick for any good relay team is the hand off. Your lead runner can get a half lap ahead or more on the opponent. Your anchor guy may be able to shatter world records without breaking a sweat. However, if you can't pass the baton from lead man to anchor successfully, it doesn't mean much. Getting large groups and small groups working together to synthesize, analyze and internalize truth is similar.

In a relay, everyone is a runner; but each person has a specific focus and drive for his or her leg of the race. The same is true when it comes to teaching students. Large and small group leaders all teach and need to synthesize, analyze and internalize information. However, each has a specific focus for each of these functions.

Synthesize: Setting the Pace

A large groups' purpose is to disseminate information. We need some context in which Scripture, theology and religious practice all make sense. The Bible was written in a culture, language and time vastly different from ours. Part of the reason students struggle to read Scripture regularly is because they struggle to understand what it means. This is what synthesizing is all about. We take the time to explain the verbiage, provide background from the culture, point out the emotion and struggle that is not always visible on the surface, and help the story come to life. This is a great place for humor, stories, jokes and analogies. It is all about making sense of the passage.

This works great in large groups for several reasons. Again, in a relay everyone runs; but certain legs call for certain subtle gifts that are a better fit for certain runners. In student ministry, every leader is teaching truth to students; but not every leader needs to be a theologian. Making sense of Scripture can be tough. There are confusing, odd and boring parts. Using a large group format for synthesizing means one person can work through the commentaries, studies and notes and present it to everyone, rather than every small group leader spending hours studying independently. This is not to say some people should not study the Bible; we all need to study and wrestle with the Word. We are talking here strictly in terms of preparing to teach others. This is all about letting people serve in areas where they are most gifted.

Another benefit to synthesizing in large groups is that it provides a unified voice for your ministry. At some level, everyone is hearing the same truth. This brings some sense of unity and community to the whole group. It also takes the pressure off small group leaders and the individual who is responsible for running the ministry. Whoever is in charge doesn't have to worry about what is being taught in small groups, and small group leaders don't have to worry if what their teaching matches up with the larger organization.

There is a vast array of ways to do this large group synthesizing. You can offer teaching specific to your students, let your senior leader do the synthesizing for you or invest in some great video-based teaching series.