Everyone has arrived at your home for Small Group. Some are gathered in the kitchen, some in the den and others hanging out in the living room. Your house is alive with chatter, people are engaged in comfortable conversation, the rooms are filled with energy and it’s obvious that everyone is glad to be there. You practically have to drag them into the living room to start the study time because they don’t want to break away from their conversations. Then as you start the study time you notice a whole new dynamic. The energy is gone, the people who were so chatty just moments ago suddenly have nothing to say and you dredge your way through the study time feeling as if you have bored them to tears.

How do you create dynamic discussion during your group study time? One of the keys is using quality discussion questions. While most group leaders use a guided curriculum, you still have those times when the curriculum doesn’t provide the best of questions. So as a facilitator, it is essential to understand what makes a great discussion question.

There are 5 types of questions you will use as a group facilitator.

Icebreaker Questions
Icebreaker questions introduce the topic by asking about personal experience or common human experiences. They help create a relaxed atmosphere and are an easy way for people to engage in the discussion. Icebreakers allow group members to share something about themselves on a safe level. For example:

• What was your biggest childhood fear?
• What was the most unique gift you were ever given?
• What is your best vacation memory?

Observation Questions
Observation questions help the group member identify what the biblical text is saying. Asking this type of question usually causes the group member to look back at the passage to discover the answer. When I ask observation questions I look for the “nose in the book” response.  I hope that everyone looks at the text to look for the answer. For example:

• What was Jesus’ audience like?
• How does Paul describe the believers in Colossians in this paragraph?
• What are the action verbs in verses 4-7?

Interpretation Questions
The purpose of an Interpretation question is to discover what the text means. While each passage has many applications, it only has one interpretation. Interpretation questions cause the group to wrestle with the meaning of a verse or passage. For example:

• Why do you think Jesus told the healed man to “show but not to tell?”
• What do you think the author intended as the main point of this passage?
• What does it mean when Peter writes, “be holy as God is holy?”

Application Questions
Application questions help the group members see how they can act on the principle they discovered in the passage. Good application questions will help people to think “What should I do about this?” For example:

• Which of the virtues from this passage do you need to work on the most?  Why?
• What is one specific thing you can do this week to show the love of Christ to others?
• What is the next step you need to take in order to strengthen the unity in your family?

Follow-Up Questions
These are spontaneous questions used by the facilitator to get clarification, amplification, or illustration of a group member’s answer. For example:

• “Sue, that is a great answer. Can you give us an example of what you are talking about?”
• “That is great insight, Bob. What are some practical ways we can apply that to our lives?”
• “That’s interesting. Explain what you mean.”

Being familiar with and using the Five Types of Questions will help you put together a well balanced study that will produce dynamic discussion.

Long before “missional” became a church buzzword lighting up the blogosphere, St. Thomas Church in England started doing things differently. They operated in a European culture that wasn’t friendly to Christians and they knew that if they were going to reach new people for Jesus, it wasn’t going to be in a church service. So under the leadership Pastor Mike Breen, they reinvented what church looked like. And as it turns out…it looks a lot like what we see in the early church.

They broke to the streets, the college campuses, living rooms and pubs; and in doing so, they quietly started a missional revolution. By 2000, they had become the largest church in the England.

At the heart of it all was a church culture that didn’t just create converts—it created disciples that seemed to live an awful lot like Jesus did. They trained regular, ordinary lay people to be leaders, to listen to the voice of God and respond.  And the people they trained…in turn trained people themselves.

Since that time Mike Breen has left St. Thomas to start 3DM a ministry dedicated to helping churches around the globe innovate this missional approach to reaching and discipling people.  Last week I had the opportunity to spend four days with Mike and his team and go through the 3DM training. 

One of the staff members present that day was Paul Maconochie who now pastors St. Thomas Church and continues the missional approach to discipleship Mike started years ago. I had the chance to ask Paul a few questions about Midsized Missional Communities.  He shares some great wisdom and advice in this 8 minute video.

Today’s guest blogger is Alan Danielson.  Alan and I became friends about 2 years ago.  I love spending time with Alan because he is a leader who is full of passion, innovative ideas and energy to make a Kingdom difference with his life.  He has 20 years of ministry experience and is an excellent consultant and communicator.  If you would like to get to know more about Alan and possibly have him come consult with your church you can check out his site www.alandanielson.tv.  And you can follow him on Twitter @alandanielson.

 The Biggest Issue Facing Small Groups

Why the picture of the gross bathtub? Don’t worry, I’ll get to that in a second. As a consultant I have the great privilege of speaking with churches all over the country about the challenges they face with their small group ministries. In those conversations I’ve seen a recurring theme in many church small group ministries: lack of leadership. Ant that, in my estimation, this is the greatest problem with small group ministries today.

Because we are victims of the “fast food mentality” in our culture we look for quick fixes and short cuts. Many churches and pastors are looking for a new small group model or approach that will yield faster results. Many are looking for a system for small groups that will run itself. Many are looking for ways to downplay the role of the “leader” in the small group itself. The problem with all of these hopes and desires is that they neglect the one thing that makes every small group model or approach work: leadership.

I’ve talked to many churches who have clunky-inefficient models and their small group ministries are thriving. I’ve spoken to others who have slick-streamlined models and their small group ministries are struggling. What’s the difference? Leadership!

There are no shortcuts, there are no super-small-group-systems, there are no self-sustaining-systems. Every model or system has it’s problems and the answer to those problems is good old-fashioned quality leadership. In other words, every small group bathtub has leaks, and great leaders don’t go shopping for a new tub, instead they find ways to fix the leaks!

It’s fine if you want to call small group leaders “hosts” or “facilitators” (I’ve done that in my own small group ministries). Just don’t think that by taking the word “leader” out of it that you’ve somehow taken leadership out of it. As ministry leaders, it’s fine to establish smooth running, machine-like systems for your small group ministries. Just don’t think for a minute that those systems won’t require leadership.

The bottom line is this: if your small group ministry is sucking wind, resist the urge to look across the room and blame the leaky bathtub. Instead, look in the mirror and ask how/why you’ve not been providing enough leadership. You, the leader of your small group ministry, must find the capacity to fix the leaky bathtub.

Over the past weeks I’ve posted Session 1,  Session 2, Session 3 and Session 4 of our Small Group Leader training.  This is the fifth and final session in this training series.  Please feel free to take these and use them with your leaders. If you see something that you would change…let me know.  Working together we can make each session better.

Where’s the Apprentice?

Welcome to Session 5, Where’s the Apprentice? During this session, you will learn how to identify and develop an apprentice.  An online journal has been provided for you to record your notes and thoughts, or feel free to use a notebook of your own.  Be sure to bring your notes when you meet with your mentor.
Part 1
Our Group Edutainment Video
“The Group Outing”
Watch Episode 4 of the video series, “Our Group” where Doug and Michelle hand over the leadership to Chris.  As the group serves together we see different group members taking on different leadership roles.  When you have finished watching the video, reflect on the following questions:

Episode 5: “Where’s the Apprentice?” from Seacoast Church on Vimeo.

• What stood out to you the most from this episode of Our Group?
• Why is it important to give other group members leadership opportunities in your small group?
• What keeps leaders from sharing leadership roles in their group?
• What challenges do you face when you share leadership among group members?

Part 2
Video Teaching with Josh Surratt
Apprenticing new leaders

During this session, Josh shares practical steps for mentoring a new small group leader.  Watch this video teaching and then answer the questions below.

Mentoring Your Apprentice from Seacoast Church on Vimeo.

• What do you look for in a potential apprentice?
• Which of Josh’s principles come easiest to you?  Which one will be the most difficult for you?
• What are some ways you can share leadership within your small group?

Part 3 Explore

Read the following Bible passage, 2 Timothy 1:1-11, and reflect on the questions

• What do you learn about Timothy from these verses?  What challenges did Timothy seem to be facing?
• What do you learn about being a good mentor from observing Paul?
• What are some general principles for a good mentoring relationship that you see in this passage?

Part 4  The Challenge
1.  If you don’t have your own small group yet make a list of people you could possibly invite to start a new group with you.

2.  If you have your own small group share the name of one or two people you could potentially mentor as future group leaders.

3.  Make a list of leadership possible leadership positions in your small group (ex: prayer leader, serve leader, social leader, etc).  Recruit people from your group into these various leadership roles.

In the past weeks I’ve posted Session 1,  Session 2 and Session 3 of our online Small Group Leader Training.  Next Friday I will post the final session of this series.  Please feel free to take them and use them at your church. If you see something that you would change…let me know.  Working together we can make each module better.

Dealing with Difficult Situations
Introduction

Welcome to Session 4, Dealing with Difficult Situation. During this session, you will learn how you how to effectively handle difficult group situations as they emerge.  An online journal has been provided for you to record your notes and thoughts, or feel free to use a notebook of your own.  Be sure to bring your notes when you meet with your mentor.

Part 1
Our Group Edutainment Video
“The Group Outing”

Watch Episode 4 of the video series, “Our Group”.   During a group outing, Chris learns about the different personality’s of the group members.  When you have finished watching the video, reflect on the following questions:

Episode 4: The Group Outing from Seacoast Church on Vimeo.

• What stood out to you the most from this episode of “Our Group”?
• Which of the personality types would be most difficult for you to deal with?  Why?
• What are ways you have seen these different difficult personality’s express themselves in the context of a small group?

Part 2
Video Teaching with Josh Surratt
Dealing with Difficult Situations

When relationships deepen in your group, conflict is often bound to arise.  During this session, Josh discusses the importance of Biblical practices in handling difficult group situations.  Watch this video teaching and then answer the questions below.

Dealing With Difficult Situations from Seacoast Church on Vimeo.

• What are some examples of difficult situations you may face as a Small Group Leader?
• What could possibly happen in a group when a group leader doesn’t address the problems that come up with various difficult people?
• Review the following key concepts that Josh discusses.  Which of these principles do think you will need to work on the most?
  o Commit to telling the truth
  o Deal with issues quickly
  o Always speak positively about group members
  o Seek to understand the need of the difficult person
  o Clear the air – don’t let resentment settle into your group
  o Act in a loving way toward each group member
• Reflect on a difficult situation that you have been involved in either at work, as a small group member or with a friend.    How did the experience make you feel? How could the situation have benefitted from the application of the conflict principles that Josh discusses?
• What would your strategy be for managing the following types of group conflict:
  oIf someone in the group constantly turns discussion into debate?
  o If someone in the group is too needy?
  o If someone in the group dominates the discussion?
  o If someone in the group never participates in group discussion?

Part 3
ExploreRead the following Bible passage, Ephesians 4:25-32, and reflect on the questions below:

• How would you describe what was going on in Ephesus?
• List four or five of the basic principles Paul mentions in this passage about dealing with difficult people.

Part 4
The Challenge
1. Ask your mentor/group leader how they have handled each of the various kinds of difficult people?

2. Faciliate group discussion and have your mentor observe you and give you feedback on how you handled various people.

3.  Look for an opportunity at home, work or small group to practice one or more of the principles from Ephesians 4.  Journel the interaction, then talk with your mentor about the experience.

Facilitating Group Discussion
In November I posted Session 1 and Session 2 of our online Small Group Leader Training.  I’ve had several people ask for the remaining sessions so over the next 3 Friday’s I will be posting these.  Please feel free to take them and use them at your church. If you see something that you would change…let me know.  Working together we can make each module better.

Introduction
Welcome to Session 3, Facilitating Group Discussion. During this session, you will learn and practice skills to facilitate group discussion.  We encourage you to use a journal to record your answers to these questions. An online journal has been provided for you, too. Be sure to bring your notes when you meet with your mentor.

Part 1
Our Group Edutainment Video

“Discussion Derailed”
Watch Episode 3 of the video series, “Our Group” where Chris is asked to facilitate the group discussion in Doug and Michelle’s absense.  When you have finished watching the video, reflect on the questions below:

Edutainment 3

Episode 3: “Discussion Derailed” from Seacoast Church on Vimeo.

• What stood out to you the most from this episode of “Our Group”?
• How would you rate the discussion questions that were being asked by the leaders?
• What mistakes stood out to you in this episode?
• What do you think was going through Chris’ mind as discussion spiraled out of control?
• What mistakes do small group leaders commonly make that lead to discussion being derailed?
• In your opinion, what are some key elements for generating dynamic discussion in a small group?

Part 2
Video Teaching with Josh Surratt
Facilitating Discussion
Watch the followingtTeaching video and then answer the questions below.

Facilitating Discussion from Seacoast Church on Vimeo.

• How does the discussion time during small group help build good friendships?
• What challenges do small group leaders typically face in generating good discussion?
• Which of Josh’s tips helped you the most?
  • Great discussion starts before the study
  • Try an icebreaker
  • Don’t ask a bad question
  • Get comfortable with silence
  • Ask Follow up questions
• What are some ways you can get quiet people to participate?
• What are some ways you can help your group refocus if discussion goes off track?
• How long should the small group discussion time (study time) go for?

Part 3
Explore Read the following Bible passage, Luke 10:25-37, and reflect on the questions below:

• Describe  Jesus’  teaching method in this passage?
• Why do you think Jesus used this teaching method so frequently?
• Why is it important to allow people to think through information and participate in the learning process?
• What challenges do you think small group leaders sometimes encounter as they use discussion as the primary method of learning?

Part 4
The Challenge: Working with your mentor choose one of the following assignments that is most appropriate for your developmental level.  Then discuss with them what you did well and what you could improve.

• Choose a passage of Scripture and practice writing 4-5 discussion questions that you can share with your small group leader/ mentor to evaluate.
• Work with your small group leader/mentor prior to group to watch them prepare the questions for the group study time.  Try to understand their reasoning for asking certain questions.  Evaluate the questions using the 5 C’s Josh shared.
• If you are new to facilitating small group discussion have your small group leader/mentor let you lead the icebreaker/opening question at the next small group meeting.
• Lead a subgroup during one of your next small group meetings.  A sub-group is when the leader breaks the group into 2-3 smaller groups to discuss one or two questions during the small group meeting time.
• Facilitate the group discussion at one of the upcoming small group meetings, then meet with your mentor to discuss how you did.

Last week I had the chance to hang out with my friend Heather Zempel the Discipleship Pastor at National Community Church.  Heather has a strong passion for group life and is a great thinker in the area of discipleship.  When she first went on staff at NCC her lead pastor Mark Batterson empowered her to think through how discipleship should best be accomplished.  This led her on a quest to study church history and discover how the church has grown disciples down through the ages.  Her insights are facinating and in this short video she gives an overview of what she learned on this journey.  Trust me you will enjoy the content in this brief clip.  Also Heather has captured these lessons in dyanmic new workbook that has just been released with Lifeway titled Sacred Roads.  If you’re looking for a fresh new study for your small group give Sacred Roads a try.  Make sure you check out  Heathers blog by CLICKING HERE and follower her on twitter @heatherzempel.

This week I had the opportunity to be at one of Leadership Networks Innovation Labs.  This particular Lab focused on The Radical Future of Small Groups.  During these two days eight churches (Seacoast Church, Cross Point CommunityChurch, Calvary Chapel Ft Lauderdale, Ada Bible Church, North Coast Church, Christian Community Church, National Community Church, North Ridge Church) gathered to discussed what cultural factors are influencing groups, look at what small groups might look like in the next ten years and develop plans that will help our churches make necessary adjustments.

The Innovation Labs aren’t designed to teach or tell you what to do, it’s more of a collaborative effort to think, dream, discuss and innovate.  Several of you on Twitter asked me to share notes from this two day experience.  Because it was such an interactive and creative process I didn’t take a lot of notes but here’s my late night effort to provide something for those who asked…

•  
  • The eight churches in the room brainstormed what they felt where the most significant societal changes over the past 20 years that are greatly impacting the future of groups…  There was a long list but here are some of the top answers.
    • Multisite
    • Instant Global communication
    • Social Networking – Technology
    • Missional idea is in vogue
    • Options for everything…more and more choices every where you go
    • Our third place is no longer the front porch…it’s now Starbucks  (home, work, third place is the other place you meet people)  For some the third place is Facebook.
    • Culture is desensitized, over-sexualized and more tolerant
    • Social justice movement (Bono One Campaign)
    • Explosion of addiction and Recovery as a result of that
    • Desire for personalized/customized spiritual journey
• We have to make adjustments in small groups that help people stop compartmentalizing life and faith. 
• There is a huge buzz around mid-sized missional communties that gather groups around a particular mission. 
• Something needs to be done to engage the 20-30 year olds, they are black hole in the church.  Churches are struggling to engage them.
• Small groups are the vehicle to make mission happen
• When www.smallgrouptrader asked over 100 small group directors what their biggest issues where the top three were…  Recruiting, training and resources.
• With the further development of technology churches are trending toward providing leadership training online.
• Some church leaders are afraid to go the missional route because they’re afraid they’ll lose community and care but community and care actually skyrockets.
• We used to think once people are discipled we need to get them to serve.  Today we get people to serve in order to experience discipleship. 
• If you want small groups to be a priority in your church then make the gutsy move to eliminate the ministries that compete with groups.
• De-centralize your missional efforts by empowering small groups to make a difference in the community.
• The church has to pay attention to the social networking movement.  It’s not going away and while we still need face to face as our primary way of relating social networking can help sustain and enhance those relationships.
• You can’t ignore the corporate culture of your church as you design and change your small group ministry.  Understand the values of your senior leader because you cant violate their culture.

What adjustments is your church considering with groups ministry?

It’s that time of year again when small group leaders are starting to think about next semester of groups and ask that old familar question: What’s a good curriculum I can use?  Now the funny thing is there have been times I’ve shared my top curriculum choice with someone only to have them say, “Yea, I tried that one and it didn’t work for me.”

Everyone is looking for that “perfect” curriculum. But the truth is it’s not about the curriculum, its about the conversation. In small groups the leaders objective is to engage group members in meaningful conversation about their spiritual walk.  Admittedly some curriculums are better than others, but a great small group leader can take a bad curriculum and still generate great conversation. 

Here are a few keys to remember regardless of the curriculum you use…

• Prepare in advance.  This doesn’t mean an hour or two in advance.  Begin 4-5 days before your next group session to look at the passage or topic that will be discussed during your next group meeting. By looking at the study early it allows you to get the key thought in your mind so the Holy Spirit can begin to speak to you about that subject over a period of days rather than in the last hour.
• Learn to ask good questions.  I’ve never found a curriculum where I used every  single question exactly as it was written.  It’s okay to rewrite some of the questions to fit your style and to fit the personality of your group.  Here are four questions I ask about questions to see if they are usable.
  • Is it clear?
  • Is it conversational?
  • Is it challenging?
  • Is it concise? (Only one question rather than 2-3 questions in one)
• Make sure you are growing.  As the leader if you share how God has spoken to you on the subject or through the passage others will tend to open up and share from their lives as well.  I like to remind new group leaders, “Growing people grow people.”
• Help group members put the lesson into action.  If we help our small group members simply fill their heads with theory and truths but never challenge them to put the lessons into action then life change will not take place.  Challenge your small group members to come up with specific application from each session.  Or perhaps, choose a project that will help the entire group put the lesson into practice.

What are other keys to generating engaging spiritual conversations in small groups?

On Wednesday November 4, I posted Session One of Seacoast Church new online Small Group Training.  As we are preparing to launch this new training we thought we would get your input.  We had a great response so we decided to put session two our there as well.  Please take a few minutes to work your way through this session then send me an email with your feedback.  See something that you would change…let me know.  Working together we can make each module better.

Planning and Organizing Your Small Group

Introduction

Welcome to Session 2, Planning and Organizing Your Small Group. During this session you will learn what truly matters while preparing for your small group meeting.  An online journal has been provided for you to record your notes and thoughts, or feel free to use a notebook of your own.  Be sure to bring your notes when you meet with your mentor.

Part 1

Watch Part 2 of the video series, “Our Group” where Doug and Michelle ask Chris to lead the group for his first time.   When you have finished watching the video, reflect on the questions below:Edutainment Video – “Flying Solo”

Episode 2: “Flying Solo” from Seacoast Church on Vimeo.

• What stood out to you the most from this episode of Our Group?
• List the mistakes that were made in this episode of “Our Group”.  Which could you relate to the most? 
• What are the common mistakes a small group leader makes in setting an atmosphere for a comfortable group experience? 
• Reflect on a time you had an uncomfortable or awkward small group experience.  What did you learn from that experience?  If you had been leading the group what would you have done differently?

Part 2

Video Teaching - Planning and Organizing Your Small Group with Josh Surratt

During this session, Josh discusses the four essential elements of planning for a small group meeting. When you have finished watching the video, reflect on the questions below:

Teaching Video

Planning and Organizing Your Small Group from Seacoast Church on Vimeo.

• What stood out to you the most from Josh’s video teaching?
• How did Josh’s teaching change your perspective on preparing for your small group meeting? 
• What is most important to you when setting the group atmosphere?  Why is setting a comfortable group atmosphere so important? 
• How can you share some of the responsibility of preparing for group time with your group members?  What roles can they play?

Part 3

Explore the Word – Read the following Bible passage and reflect on the questions below:

Proverbs 15:22
Without counsel plans fail,
but with many advisers they succeed.
  
Proverbs 16:3
Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.
 
Proverbs 16:9
The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.
  
Proverbs 21:5
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

• Which of these Proverbs about planning stood out to you the most?  Why?
• Do you tend to underplan or overplan?  Why?
• How can a lack of planning impact the small group experience?
• How can overplanning impact the small group experience?
• What steps do you need to take to have a balanced approach to planning your small group?

 Part 4

The Challenge
During this session you have learned the importance of planning and preparing for your small group meeting.  Since you are preparing to lead here are a few assignments you can do that will help you be better prepared when it’s time to lead your own group.

1. Meet with your current small group leader/mentor and discuss what they are doing to prepare for their next group meeting.  How do they prepare for study time?  How do they set the group atmosphere?   How do they help their group members make new people feel welcome?
2. Serve as the host of small group.  Ask your current leader/mentor to let you host the next small group meeting in your home.  If that isn’t possible then arrive early to the group meeting next time and assist the leader in hosting wherever the group meets.
3. Using the following questions below, think through the details of preparing to start your own small group.   Discuss your plan with your mentor.

•  
  • Who will you invite to your small group?
  • When are you planning on meeting?  How often? 
  • What are you planning on studying?
  • What roles in the group will you delegate?
  • Where will you meet?  Describe the atmosphere you hope to create. 
  • What do you plan on doing the first time you meet as a group?

Part 5

Meet with Your Mentor

Schedule a time to meet with your mentor and discuss what you learned from the various aspects of this session.

(For Blog readers – The mentor is typically the learners small group leader and is provided with a Mentor Guide that summarizes this lesson and provides questions for them to ask during the mentoring session)

Okay now it is time to give us some feedback…what can we do to make this session better?