How to lead
A Bible Discussion
Practices of a Small Group Leader: Leading an Effective Bible Study Conversation
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smuggler bleeder your goal one of your
primary goals is to host an effective
conversation of Bible study there are
just a few things you might want to keep
in mind if you're going to make that
happen first of all be an active
listener and now you may wonder what
does he mean by being an active listener
a person is an active listener when
someone else is speaking is looking into
their eyes is giving some visual that
they're listening and they are actually
hearing what the person is saying rather
than thinking what their response is
going to be but mostly there's a visual
thing so if someone is answering a
question you'll be looking at them into
their eyes
giving them some senseof I'm hearing you
so I'm nodding my head it could be that
I'm leaning forward some kind of posture
that says I'm hearing what you're saying
so that they know you're listening to
them many small group leaders tell me
that they don't have a great
conversation a Bible study and as
they're speaking with me I know why it
looks like they don't care that they're
having a conversation you want to be an
active listener now you also want to
create a conversational environment
always do the Icebreaker don't skip over
the Icebreaker even when people don't
want to do it also be certain you set
your chairs in a circle so that people
can look into one another's eyes so when
someone is speaking they can be engaging
with the person who is sharing a thought
and so that they can then easily respond
to that thought without feeling awkward
and if you also it's vital that if
you're going to create a conversational
environment that you lead the way when
you ask a hard question maybe you want
to respond first to that question and
others will probably join in there you
need to realize that there are four
stages of communication and that over
time we'll get to that fourth stage it
doesn't happen in the first meeting
sometimes people move forward faster
than other some groups move forward
faster than others but just be aware
that you can kind of gauge how your
group is doing when it comes to
vulnerability and authenticity by
watching this progression and maybe
asking questions that lead to deeper
questions the first stage is small talk
it's kind of how you do today had your
day go those kinds of things just kind
of small talk we would say to one
another if we passed each other in the
hallway the second stage is facts and
here we talk we just basically share
facts
information with one honor another for
instance if it was sports scores you
know somebody might say John heard the
Bengals got crest heard John saw the
news today there's a cold front moving
in we're just talking about things that
are happening and sharing facts now when
you move further with people and they
begin to feel more comfortable that
you're going to be willing to hear what
their ideas are and their opinions are
we then get into that third phase and
that is ideas and opinions at this point
people will share their ideas and
opinions and even defend them in a nice
way they know that their ideas will not
be discounted as they share them so for
instance you might say to someone John I
think the biggest coach is one of the
worst coaches in the league
realizing that maybe pushed back and you
might have a real good conversation
about why we differ on that or maybe
someone would say when it comes to the
weather instead of saying you know good
weather today when you move to this face
someone might literally say I don't
believe in all that global warming stuff
realizing it might lead to a further
conversation that realize levels of
trust are moving forward each time also
so I'm beginning to trust you at this
first level that you didn't push back on
me in a way that was unkind early on so
then I moved to stage two feeling it's
comfortable to discuss these things then
stage three I can share an opinion with
this person and even if we disagree our
relationship is not going to be tainted
and then when we really get to a place
we need to be we're talking feelings so
we might say to John John I've had a
rough week I've been feeling downright
miserable and we get to share what our
heart is sensing not just what our mind
is thinking at this point it is at this
place that people are realizing that
this is a safe haven for me to talk
about real life issues and it is in this
spot where people begin to share real
prayer concerns a prayer concerns that
will guide them toward hope and help and
know that they will be loved no matter
what a small group leader realize this
when it comes to having a kind of
conversation that you want you were the
model model of what you want group
members to do if you want them to speak
ideas and opinions then that's what
you're going to model so you need to do
a real good inner search of yourself and
ask your
of this question am i a person who only
talks at that level is that kind of
where I'm comfortable because if that's
where you're willing to go that's the
level that your group members will go if
you want them to share their feelings
you must model that you're gonna have to
talk about your own feelings in your own
journey even your own mistakes and
mishaps when you do that your group
members will do that which allows them
for transformation to take place because
feelings come from the heart and the
heart is where transformation truly
takes place we want to be knowing what's
going on in the heart
people revealing what's going on in the
heart so that we can then move them
toward heart transformation and remember
this the goal of a conversational Bible
study is not to have a good conversation
let me say that again way too many small
group leaders walk out of a group
meeting thinking man that was fantastic
when the truth was God's Word was not
the centerpiece of the conversation the
goal of a small group conversation a
conversational Bible study a
conversation that transforms is to first
realize that when we're together we're
wanting to hear from God and we hear
from God through his word so you just
can't let everybody's opinion on what a
passage means be the bottom line what I
like to tell small group leaders is this
lots of ideas can circle the runway but
the responsibility of the small group
leader is to make sure that the truth of
God's Word lands if you keep these
things in mind I think your small group
meetings will not only be effective
they'll be transformational thanks a lot
you
