Ask The Right Questions
Questions make or break every small group discussion. There is a quick exercise you can do when evaluating the discussion questions before you start you group meeting. Look at each question and ask yourself,
"Does this question require a yes, no, or factual response?"
The best questions that create lively discussion are all about the opinions of your group members, what they think, and how they feel. When there are no wrong or right answers you are always in for more lively discussion.
Don't Be Afraid Of Silence
A little bit of silence in a small group is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes the type of questions we ask are good questions and require a few seconds of thought. So don't jump in too quickly you should let the silence hang there for a moment. There have been many occasions that a question I've asked took a minute to process and turned into a great discussion.
However, there have also times that I think silence is a good indicator of how safe the group may feel. As leaders we need to always be willing to answer the personal life application questions first. That means making ourselves vulnerable so that others feel safe to share as well.
When you are leading the discussion in your group how do you handle the silence?
God Is In Charge
I think that when we jump into ministry, whether it is full time or volunteer, we gain a sense of ownership over what we are involved in. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. We all should feel ownership and a sense that we are making an investment in God's kingdom but to what degree?
I do believe that we can gain take this to an extreme and push God out of what we are doing or what our groups need. For example, I am a pretty structured person. I like my group to start on time (which seems to never happen) and I like to follow the curriculum. That means finish what we start every night! However, sometimes the group needs dictate that we leave our study topic for the night all together! There will be times that someone in the group is in crisis and we need to focus on helping that person or couple instead of our study that night. God provides the necessary wisdom during those times. Philippians 4:6 tells us,
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
As leaders we just need to be open and willing for how God wants to use us to lead while at the same time He is working through us.
