“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…
How to Navigate Discussion (2)
“You want the passengers to enjoy the journey; but you also need to keep hijackers out of the cockpit.” As a Small Group leader, you are like a pilot navigating your passengers to a specific landing place. You want the passengers to enjoy the journey; but you also need to keep hijackers out of the cockpit. Every Small Group is filled with a variety of different types of people. What happens when one or two group members dominate the conversation or derail the discussion? The rest of the group is likely going to check out – and over time, they…
How to Navigate Discussion
“If you are not careful to keep your hands on the controls, there are several in your group who are ready and willing to chart a new course.” Every Small Group is filled with a variety different types of people. Even people with much in common usually have wildly different characteristics – especially when it comes to group discussion. Your goal as a Small Group leader is to bring everyone into the conversation. Like a pilot of an airplane, you have a destination in mind. If you are not careful to keep your hands on the controls, there are several…
The Landing: An Example
“People are more likely to remember and act on one substantial item each week.” (This article is an example for the concept described here: The Landing) How do you develop your lesson plan and discussion questions to reach a specific concept, point of interest, or action item by the end of the discussion? Many rich concepts Let’s say you are studying through the book of Ephesians. This week you plan to cover Ephesians 2:1–10. There are many rich concepts in these ten verses. For instance, here are some of them… Everyone was once dead and held captive by…
The Landing
“Your group won’t remember everything from the discussion each week. If they only remember one thing, what should it be?” They won’t remember Try all you like, but your group won’t remember everything you discuss together each week. But that’s not something to lose sleep over – instead, leverage it for a positive outcome. Determine the landing Imagine you are the pilot of a plane taking the passengers to a specific destination each week. What is that destination? Where do you plan to “land the plane”? Although you may cover plenty of distance with your group during a particular…
Twisted Words
“As a Small Group Leader, it is important to do the legwork ahead of time in order to make sure you are not twisting God’s words out of context.” Twisted Words No one likes when their words are taken out of context. With just a small tweak, someone can change what you said into something you never intended. Think about this… as a Small Group Leader, you handle God’s words on a regular basis. If you are not careful, you can easily inject your own personal bias or interpretation. Whether accidental or deliberate, it is a serious mistake to…
We Need Each Other
[su_quote]No, I’m not talking about little social clubs or touchy-feely support groups.[/su_quote] Following Jesus is a lifelong journey. If you are following Jesus, you have likely already discovered that staying on course doesn’t just happen naturally. Every moment there are dozens of things working against our best efforts to stay on the path – some come from the outside and some come from within. Either way, it is no wonder God tells us over and over that we need each other on this journey. The need goes way beyond a church service. Corporate worship and preaching are vital; but…
Check Your Motive
[su_quote]“Make sure you are always working hard at leading people towards Jesus – not towards you.”[/su_quote] Be honest… at the end of your small group meeting, which of these two thoughts would you prefer is on everyone’s mind? “Wow, my leader is so smart! He/she explained some very interesting things.” “Wow, the more I thought about that verse, the more I realized what God is saying.” The first statement isn’t necessarily bad (you definitely don’t want the opposite!); but if people are more impressed with YOU than God’s Word, you are way off course. Or to put it a…
6 Advanced Tips for Preparing and Asking Good Discussion Questions
[su_quote]God sometimes uses unresolved questions to grow us in ways that simple answers cannot.[/su_quote] With a little practice, you can become skilled at guiding people through meaningful discussion. Once you are comfortable with the basics of asking good questions, you can continue to advance your abilities a little further. Here are 6 tips to help… 1. Sometimes it is wise to explore the answer someone may give …even if their answer is technically correct. Ask follow up questions to discover how clearly they understand the response that was given. Example: “How is a person saved?” Possible answers: “By having…
6 Basic Tips for Preparing and Asking Good Discussion Questions
[su_quote]Think of ways to help your group discover on their own.[/su_quote] Guided discussion takes careful preparation. It is necessary to study deep enough for you to personally understand the passage; but it is important to press on further to think of ways to help your group discover on their own. Here are six basic tips to help your small group get the most out of the discussion. 1. Start with open-ended questions or “no-one-right-answer” questions. These types of questions help funnel people’s minds from their day filled with work, home, kids, and craziness into the discussion. These questions will…