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Vol. II, Issue 3
How to miss a Golden Discipleship Opportunity
A Christian friend recently joined a small group Bible Study, hoping to gain spiritual understanding about an important area of her Christian life. Later I asked her how the study was going, and she told me she quit the study after several weeks of sheer frustration. Apparently, the leader was either unwilling or unable to lead the small group effectively. The Bible Study had degenerated into a weekly question and answer session, dominated by a couple people in the group. Their questions were only loosely connected to the Bible Study and often irrelevant to the other members of the group. As a result, the leader routinely failed to complete the weekly lessons, thus frustrating the class members.Perhaps the leader thought her small group was genuinely engaging in the Bible Study. However, she didn’t realize her loss of control of the group situation nor the frustration of several members with her leadership. The leader thought she was capitalizing on those "teachable moments," but she was falling prey to one of the five common mistakes of small group leadership.
Five Common Mistakes of Small Group Leaders:
| 1. |
Thinking one person’s question is of interest to the rest of the group. Have you heard the statement, "There is no such thing as a dumb question"? There may not be a dumb question (an arguable statement), but there certainly can be a dumb time to answer a personal question. If a question is posed that could lead the study off-track, the leader must contemplate whether the question is applicable to the entire group or just to the person asking the question. If only one person will benefit from the answer, the leader should politely offer to answer the question after class before moving on to the next question. The rest of the group will appreciate the leadership style, and more people will benefit from the study’s staying on-track. |
| 2. |
Trying to be a "church without walls." Your Bible Study does not need to be a mini-church service. Many Bible Study groups make the mistake of trying to jam too many things into a small group meeting. Should you have a time for worship and praise in a small group Bible Study? Perhaps, if you have enough time and interest. But, if the goal of the group is to study the Bible, focus on studying the Bible. You don't need to duplicate a weekly church service. |
| 3. |
Failing to communicate clear goals and expectations. Identify the main focus of your small group: Bible study, fellowship, prayer, etc. . . Decide as a group who you are, what you want to accomplish, and how long you will be meeting. Write it down; hand it out; and send it to the absentees. Remember: If you don’t communicate, you frustrate. |
| 4. |
Confusing informality with disorganization. A casual laissez-faire approach works well during your free-flowing fellowship time, but it can be a disastrous approach for Bible Study. If the leader doesn’t lead effectively, someone else will; the leader will loose control of the discussion, and other class members will quickly become discouraged. |
| 5. |
Failing to complete the weekly lesson. If your class or group has assigned homework prior to the weekly meeting, the leader must (not just should) complete the weekly lesson in class. Some leaders think that unfinished weekly lessons are a by-product of healthy discussion, but the class members usually see it as a result of poor leadership. If the leader doesn’t finish the lesson, class members will not be motivated to complete their lessons, and absentees won’t know where the next lesson begins. To prevent confusion, write down the specific dates for each lesson. This will allow absentee members to make up lessons they miss and catch up when they return. |
Because of His Mercy,
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