One Way To Create And Lead A Small Group Study

There are many tips, principles, and do’s and don’ts, but here is a sample of how I put together a “study” or “discussion” for a small group.

What scripture are you exploring?

Ask unique, searching questions to draw everyone in right at the beginning.

They can be light or fun to begin with

They can progress to something much deeper

Spend most of your time crafting GOOD questions….it is more than half the battle.

Ask the questions, and don’t anticipate the responses.  You must be willing to allow the group to take you some places you had not anticipated going.  That is the freshness, and fun of a small group.

Somewhere, ask for personal, specific applications or illustrations. They can be positive or negative, but they must be real life, real experiences, examples and applications..  No general or hypothetical stuff…it is worse than boring and helps no one.  Include people’s stories!

Let the flow take you to the conclusion of your time.  Try something new….go with a hunch….take a risk and go with your gut feeling of how to end. Allow spiritual gifts to be expressed.

A jump start for you:  sample study

MOVING ON!

Phil 3:13 “forgetting what is behind, and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on…..”

What is your favorite childhood memory…of an event or experience?

When is the first time you can remember feeling DEEP sorrow?  What was the occasion and what conclusions did you draw from it?  Were your takeaways from that time accurate or faulty?  Are they still affecting you today?

Sometimes we must “de-construct” things in our past, and re-construct them with accurate information in order to be free to move FORWARD.  We can get stuck in our childhood emotions and find it difficult to move forward, as this scripture is urging us to.

How do you relate to this?  What do you need to do to move ahead, rather than continue to live in the past? What can you do, or at least begin to do, right now?

From here, you may go several directions.  Be sensitive to your group. Go with the LIFE that is surfacing.  I have not led this particular study in a small group…I am just at Starbucks thinking through this passage from Philippians, and jotting down my thoughts on how I might lead it.  You can do the same thing.  Get a passage….give it a try!

Happy group leading!

The Gatekeeper