Learn to understand people and help them understand themselves.
by Doug Self
Note: This article has been excerpted from the SmallGroups.com training tool called Becoming a Great Listener.
Editor's note: This material was originally written to help pastors improve their listening skills while visiting church members in their homes. It has been adapted for small groups.
According to Robert L. Montgomery, author of Listening Made Easy, the ten most common characteristics of a good ...
Take a look at these questions, and see how they could be improved.
Michael C. Mack
Look at the following sharing questions on Matthew 16:13-20. From the principles in "The Quest for Great Discussion Questions," what makes each of these a questionable question? (Some have more than one right answer, which makes this one a great question!)
1. Give three reasons Jesus asked the apostles who they thought He was, and tell me how you would answer His question.
Jesus used simple, easy questions to lead into his deeper, soul-probing questions.
Dan Lentz
Let me describe a common scenario in many small groups. At the beginning of your discussion the leader may ask an icebreaker question like, "How was your week? Does anybody have anything to share with the group?" Or, perhaps the leader has a specific icebreaker question like: "Who was your favorite childhood friend?" or "What is the best trip you have ever taken?" Typically, the icebreaker question ...
Learn why Jay Kesler believes in the church, our place just below the angels, and God's unchanging greatness.
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Jay Kesler is currently serving as the preaching pastor of Upland Community Church, in Upland, Indiana. Dr. Kesler was president of Youth for Christ from 1973–1985 and president of Taylor University from 1985–2000. Dr. Kesler is also the author of nearly 30 books.
Session One
God Is MajesticGod is more powerful than we imagine and sufficient for all our needs. Psalm 19:1–6 J.B. ...
I was one of the few Christians in my fraternity at the University of Michigan. I hit on the idea of leading a Bible study as a way of sharing my faith with the guys in the house. I announced this would be a free and open discussion concerning God and life, kicked off each week by a passage from the Bible. Privately, I was committed to using the time as a way of convincing them to believe the gospel. ...
Showing your small-group leaders how important they are is essential to keeping them going.
by Brett Eastman
As a leadership coach, you have a crucial role in sustaining the small group structure of your church. Without this layer of your leadership, small groups stand on shaky ground for the simple reason that their leaders feel unsupported and therefore unwilling to take ownership of the group and its mission.
To keep this from happening, you need to let your group leaders know that they are most valued ...
A good question can influence your decisions and your relationship with God and others.
Chris Brown
One of my best friends, Steve, has taught me a thing or two over the past 20 years that I've known him. Right at the top of the things I've learned from him is the value of a good question.
I've often been on the receiving end of my friend Steve's questions which have "drawn out" my thoughts, feelings, values, and convictions. Ultimately those questions have influenced my decisions and my relationship ...
Why is asking good questions important to a Small-Group Leader?
Michael C. Mack
Why is asking good questions important to a small-group leader?
Perhaps that question prompts you to think about question-asking. That's the first benefit of good questions-they make people think. Jesus used questions to force his disciples and others to consider things for themselves. "Who do you say I am?" (Matthew 16:15) was one of many questions Jesus used in his teaching.
This five-session course challenges people like you and me to join Jesus’ revolutionary mission.
A revolution invites a complete change in life. In the opening section of the letter to the Romans, Paul writes about having a transformed mind, which yields a transformed life. A transformed life is a radically different life, driven by different forces, motives, and hopes. Christ lives inside the believer and causes a fundamentally noticeable inner and outer transformation. Christ followers have ...
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