by Chase | Discipleship, Ministry
Your lesson is prepared. The environment is inviting. Food has been set out.
Now, it’s time to get your students to talk during small group…
Building a culture of dialogue during small groups can be one of the most frustrating parts of leading a small group of teenagers.
It seems that the students you want to talk arenât talking and the ones that need to stop talking continue to talk!
Every week, you must be intentional about asking quality questions that will engage YOUR students. Remember, Bible study curriculum has been written to engage teenagers in general â not your group specifically.
The most well-written Bible study can still feel stilted, impersonal, and distant if a small group leader doesnât prepare for his or her specific group.
Here are a few questions that are specific enough to drive home a point but open enough to spark conversations.
4 Engaging Questions Small Group Leaders Must Ask Each Week
âWhat Is Happening In YOUR Life This Week?â
In my opinion, this is a better question than asking for prayer requests. When you ask for prayer requests, people give impersonal responses about everyone elseâs problems. Students need a space to talk about the highs and lows of their week. If you ask students what is happening in their lives this week you will know how you can pray for and encourage your students … without the requests to pray for their grannyâs pet cat. After they talk about what is happening, offer to pray for that situation, event, or opportunity.Â
âWhat Questions Came Up As You Read The Bible Last Week?â
People struggle with spending time reading their Bibles, and asking about their devotional lives can come off as condescending. To most people, there is an extremely fine line between being concerned and condescending. Remember to be encouraging and full of grace as you disciple your students. Trust me, students feel like failures when they donât read their Bibles. Encourage them to share what questions and frustrations they have as they approach Godâs Word.
âHow Can We Help You Live Out The Truth Of This Passage This Week?â
Sunday Bible study should transform Monday morning conversations. As a small group leader, you must help students bridge the gap between merely listening to lessons on Sunday morning and doing what has been taught. (For more about creating a student ministry of doers, head here: Create A Student Ministry Of Doers.) Use the last few minutes of your time tossing around ideas to get students engaged in Godâs mission. Some of the ideas presented will be ones you can help your students plan and organize, while other ideas will only need your affirmation that the students are gifted enough to accomplish them.Â
âAre You Ready To Start Following Jesus?â
Small groups and Sunday School both started because of an emphasis to share the Gospel of Jesus to those outside the church. You donât have to be pushy in your invitation, but the question needs to be asked each week. All Scripture (and most curriculums) point to Jesus. Make sure that you are connecting students to Him. Donât rely only on midweek worship services to extend an invitation to follow Jesus. Many students who attend small groups are unable to attend midweek services.
What Questions Do You Ask?
Some of you seasoned youth veterans have incredible questions you ask on a weekly basis. I would love to hear some of them!
What questions do you ask during Bible study groups?
by Chase | Discipleship
Do you ever feel like you are failing as a parent?
Maybe if I had asked, âHave you breathed in air today?â you would have had the same answer as above!
As parents, we all feel ill equipped, under-encouraged, and dog-tired most of the time! There is nothing harder and nothing more rewarding than raising kids.
Raising kids is hard, but raising them to follow Jesus is harder.
That is one of the reasons why I wrote the book, Doer.
James reminds the early Christians in James 1:22 âBut be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.â (ESV)
Parents must ensure that their kids are engaging Godâs Word and doing what it says. You know that this isnât an easy task. It takes years of prayer, intentionality, and opportunities for kids to figure out how God has wired them to engage culture and their communities.
Here are 5 simple steps you can take to start becoming a family that is a does what Godâs Word says.
Becoming A Family That Acts In A Passive Culture
- Embrace Your Role As A Spiritual Leader
It is your God-given responsibility to lead your family. No one else can raise your children for you. The church can assist you and encourage you to spiritually lead your kids, but it cannot be the sole provider of spiritual teaching. This is why biblical community is so valuable. When you are losing hope or feel stuck, other Jesus followers can speak into your life to encourage you as your raise your kids.
- Live As A Positive Example As A Jesus Follower
As parents, we should prayerfully raise our children in such a way that they love Jesus. If parents coast through their own personal relationship with Jesus, the kids are the first to notice and the ones most affected. This is why many students leave the church once they get into college â they have never seen how following Jesus affects their day-to-day lives because it wasnât modeled in their homes.
- Study Godâs Word Together
You must make time to study the Bible together with your family. You donât have to walk through a commentary to discuss deep theological truths. You need to come up with simple ways to help your kids read Scripture, pray, and apply their faith in a day-to-day context.
- Serve Together
One of the best ways solidify lessons is to live them out! Some of the biggest blessings you can experience happen when your kids serve others with you. Donât think about this in terms of large service projects â the simpler the service opportunity the better. Allow your son to help you bake a dish for a friend who is about to have a baby. Encourage your kids to write thank you cards to their teachers. Try to serve in smaller ways more frequently so your kids understand how to serve God in their day-to-day activities instead of through once-a-year events.
- Allow Your Kids To Fail
Do you remember teaching your kids how to eat with a spoon? For months you had to clean up small messes after each meal because your child was still shaky with the new utensil. It would be absurd to pull the spoon away from them and decide that you would spoon-feed them for the rest of their lives! The same is true with developing character, confidence, and faith. You cannot live their lives for them. You must allow your kids to take risks, seize opportunities, and walk by faith. It is the only way you will raise doers. Â
Becoming a doer of Godâs Word is no easy task.
In no way do I pretend that I have perfected the art of obedience to God â I just realize the importance of us starting the conversation, living life on mission, and extending the grace of Jesus to our communities and culture.
To learn more about Doer click on the image below.
