HOW TO LEAD A DYNAMIC DISCUSSION
Small groups are designed to press God’s Word into one another. We want to help each other apply God’s Word as we seek to grow spiritually. We don’t base our life on man’s wisdom or the experience of others, though sometimes this can be helpful. We want to know what God has to say. When we study God’s Word as a group, we can challenge, deepen and strengthen each other’s faith.
ASK GOOD QUESTIONS: Think through your strategy.
SAFE GROUP: We will do our part to create an environment where everyone can be real, open and honest with their struggles and victories.
CONFIDENTIALITY: What is said in the group stays in the group.
LISTEN: Let’s value one another during the discussions by really listening to what is being shared. Hear what’s being said – don’t be thinking about what you’re going to say next or how you’re going to respond – really listen and work to understand them.
PAUSE: After someone shares, give a pause to allow the group to feel the weight of what was just shared and to fully consider it before the next person shares.
SILENCE: Silence is used to wait for someone to share next without trying to fill the void with talk. Silence provides an opportunity for members in the group to process the topic or question being considered.
NO “CROSS TALK”: Be considerate of others as they are sharing. No side conversations.
DON’T FIX: We are not here to fix each other. Jesus does that part. Give encouragement, speak truth, and point to Jesus. If people want your advice, they’ll ask for it. If people think that as soon as they share a problem everyone is going to immediately try to fix them, often they simply won’t share at all.
DON’T RESCUE: When someone is sharing something deeply personal and/or painful, there can be a tendency to try to make them feel better about themselves or the situation. Often this will cause people to stop sharing and results in their not going as deep as they might have gone. Resist the temptation to rescue people.
SHARING: Be sensitive about the amount of time you share.
BE SELF-AWARE: Be self-aware of how you are personally affecting the environment through your words, actions and non-verbal communication.
USE “I” STATEMENTS: It’s easy to talk about the issues of others, but for our purposes, we want you to put yourself on the table. Try to use “I” statements rather than “them,” “the church,” “us,” “we,” etc.
PERSONAL APPLICATION: It’s important that we all use this time to consider where we are on any given subject or issue and what God would have us do. How am I walking this out in my personal life? What changes does God want me to make?
CONFLICT: We will commit to resolve conflict biblically. We want to honor God and each other in the way we deal with issues.
INVOLVE ALL GROUP MEMBERS: Encourage the quiet and manage the talkers.
ELEVATE THE SUFFICIENCY OF GOD’S WORD: Give counsel from the Scriptures not your opinions.
ASK GOOD QUESTIONS: Think through your strategy.
SAFE GROUP: We will do our part to create an environment where everyone can be real, open and honest with their struggles and victories.
CONFIDENTIALITY: What is said in the group stays in the group.
LISTEN: Let’s value one another during the discussions by really listening to what is being shared. Hear what’s being said – don’t be thinking about what you’re going to say next or how you’re going to respond – really listen and work to understand them.
PAUSE: After someone shares, give a pause to allow the group to feel the weight of what was just shared and to fully consider it before the next person shares.
SILENCE: Silence is used to wait for someone to share next without trying to fill the void with talk. Silence provides an opportunity for members in the group to process the topic or question being considered.
NO “CROSS TALK”: Be considerate of others as they are sharing. No side conversations.
DON’T FIX: We are not here to fix each other. Jesus does that part. Give encouragement, speak truth, and point to Jesus. If people want your advice, they’ll ask for it. If people think that as soon as they share a problem everyone is going to immediately try to fix them, often they simply won’t share at all.
DON’T RESCUE: When someone is sharing something deeply personal and/or painful, there can be a tendency to try to make them feel better about themselves or the situation. Often this will cause people to stop sharing and results in their not going as deep as they might have gone. Resist the temptation to rescue people.
SHARING: Be sensitive about the amount of time you share.
BE SELF-AWARE: Be self-aware of how you are personally affecting the environment through your words, actions and non-verbal communication.
USE “I” STATEMENTS: It’s easy to talk about the issues of others, but for our purposes, we want you to put yourself on the table. Try to use “I” statements rather than “them,” “the church,” “us,” “we,” etc.
PERSONAL APPLICATION: It’s important that we all use this time to consider where we are on any given subject or issue and what God would have us do. How am I walking this out in my personal life? What changes does God want me to make?
CONFLICT: We will commit to resolve conflict biblically. We want to honor God and each other in the way we deal with issues.
INVOLVE ALL GROUP MEMBERS: Encourage the quiet and manage the talkers.
ELEVATE THE SUFFICIENCY OF GOD’S WORD: Give counsel from the Scriptures not your opinions.