“As soon as the first person spoke, I knew things were about to go off the rails.”
Often times, in the middle of my own small group gathering, I think, “If the Small Group leaders I’ve trained saw my group right now, they’d run me out of town.”
Messy moments
Every group has messy moments.
A distraction overshadows the whole night,
…or everyone follows a rabbit trail,
…or the questions flop miserably,
…or something funny completely hijacks the conversation.
Good training, thoughtful preparation, and honed skills can help avoid most of these moments – most of the time. But if you have a “normal” Small Group, these moments will happen.
Illustration Flop
I once showed a short film as an illustration in my Small Group. It tells a story about a father who had to choose between saving his little boy from being crushed by a bridge, or allowing an entire train full of people plunge to their deaths. (Here’s a link to it.) It was a perfect illustration for the topic we were discussing that evening. The film ended, and everyone sat quietly at first. I figured the film had them right where they needed to be: ready to dive into thoughtful discussion. But as soon as the first person spoke, I knew things were about to go off the rails. “What the heck was that???” someone said. “Yeah, that was the saddest thing I’ve ever seen!” “What are you doing, Eddie?” They joked and teased about it the rest of the evening. Needless to say, it was a flop. We still laugh about it from time to time.
A Fair Amount of the Unexpected
If your group is ALWAYS a mess, then keep working at developing your leadership skills. Learn from your mistakes, and keep going. But remember, there will be times when things do not go as planned. A Small Group should be a place where strong spiritual relationships are fostered and people are growing spiritually. (More on that here.) When relationships and growth are present, you will have a fair amount of the unexpected.
You are helping people follow Jesus for the long haul. (More on that here.) Don’t lose sleep over a messy moment once in a while.
Hello. remarkable job. I did not expect this. This is a impressive story. Thanks!
Thank you, I’ve recently been searching for info about this subject for ages and yours is the best I have discovered till now. However, what concerning the conclusion? Are you certain in regards to the source?
It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
My brother recommended I might like this web site. He was entirely right. This post truly made my day. You cann’t imagine simply how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!
Some really fantastic information, Gladiolus I discovered this.
This is really interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your fantastic post. Also, I’ve shared your website in my social networks!
Great post. I am facing a couple of these problems.
Great write-up, I’m normal visitor of one’s blog, maintain up the nice operate, and It is going to be a regular visitor for a long time.
I’ve read several good stuff here. Certainly price bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how a lot effort you place to make this type of wonderful informative website.
Hello! This post could not be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my old room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this post to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!
whoah this blog is magnificent i love reading your posts. Stay up the good work! You know, many persons are hunting around for this info, you can help them greatly.
Thankyou for this marvellous post, I am glad I noticed this site on yahoo.
At this time it seems like BlogEngine is the preferred blogging platform available right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you’re using on your blog?
You can definitely see your enthusiasm within the work you write. The arena hopes for even more passionate writers such as you who are not afraid to mention how they believe. Always go after your heart.
Hello there, You’ve performed an excellent job. I’ll definitely digg it and personally recommend to my friends. I am sure they’ll be benefited from this site.
I?¦ve recently started a web site, the info you offer on this web site has helped me greatly. Thank you for all of your time & work.