Small Groups

Three small group veterans have submitted their favorite questions and question-asking strategies. Maybe they will become your favorites too!

The Six Best Bible Study Questions Ever!

The art of asking good questions is perhaps one of the most useful skills of an effective small group leader. At the same time, it is this one task that every small group leader labors over.

When leading the Bible study portion of a small group meeting there are two main objectives: participation of every member and life change as a result of the study.

After 15 years of leading a small group, I have narrowed my questions down to just a few, relevant, timeless questions. There are no right or wrong answers and there will often, if not always, be a variety of ways a particular scripture is seen and understood. This makes Bible study both exciting and soul searching.

• What stands out to you in this passage?
• What seems to be the main point of this passage?
• What is the promise, command, or truth of this passage?
• If you really believed the Word we have studied tonight, how would it change your life?
• What is God saying to you right now?
• How will you live differently tomorrow because of what we have studied today?

Truth and Dare

As a child, I can remember getting together with a group of friends and playing "Truth or Dare." My heart would pound as I debated whether to tell a personal truth or risk completing a challenging dare. I would weigh the cost, trying to choose the one that caused me the least amount of humiliation. It was fun, exciting, and fairly safe because I could choose what I wanted to do.

As I live the Christian life, it often looks like I am playing this child's game of vulnerability. It seems that I repeatedly ...