Should a small group study precede or follow the sermon?

Yeah, yeah. Take back your contemptuous glare about how I'm creating a false distinction between two tasks which are doing the same thing, or how I'm too Sunday-centric, or how I'm over-emphasising structures. Take it back.

Okay, now I'm ready to ask the question quite seriously. If the small/home/cell/bible study/connect groups study the same content as the sermon on Sunday, should they follow or precede the sermon?

Some thoughts:

• I love the idea that we study the same thing for a week. I think generally it (helpfully) decreases the emphasis on the Sunday sermon, and encourages reflection on God's word.
• I also think where possible the Kids Church/Sunday School program should cover the same content as well to encourage interaction between parents and children on what they're learning.
• I much prefer people writing their own study, even if it's very broad, rather than prepared studies. Much better. It's more time consuming but also more rewarding.

If the study precedes the sermon:

• The preacher can get further opinions (from his group) on the passage before preaching, see where the passage rubs people in their everyday life, get illustration ideas. Creates a collaborative feel to the teaching.
• It can somewhat unhelpfully allow questions that are 'too hard' to be deferred until Sunday when the expert will reveal all.

If the study follows the sermon:

• I've heard of one group who follow the sermon so that there is no "official study", and people merely discuss what they learnt Sunday, questions they had, how they're putting it into practice. (This allows lots of people to be willing to have the group meet at their house without expectation of preparing a study).
• There is sense where people have already been shaped by the preachers view, and won't grapple with the passage themselves. They merely regurgitate what they heard Sunday.
• If the study follows the sermon (which hopefully teaches the heart of a passage) the temptation in the small group will be to major on the minors, and miss the big idea.

Personally I prefer small groups to precede the sermon.