Dear Small Group Leaders of Christ Church,
This week, our groups will be discussing John chapter 6 in which Jesus tells us, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty…” The discussion guide link is below so that you can provide print outs for your group members at the meeting as well as send it out to them in advance via email. Please also be sure to include the link the online sermon videos at www.christchurchsl.org/sermons as well.
5-6-18 Sermon Discussion Guide- True Bread of Heaven
Leader Tips:
Video Format-
Audio Format –
Text Format-
Leader Tip #1- small group leader questions and what to do when there is disagreement
As I mentioned last week, I’d like to get more into the more practical questions that come up with small group leaders so that this weekly communication is on ongoing means of continuing support and training for our small group leaders. So please do email dan@christchurchsl.org the questions that either your group members have or that you have as the leader so that we can address them here where everyone can benefit from the conversation. Last week’s question we addressed was what do you do when someone in your group is facing life situations that you do not feel equipped to handle or address? This week’s question is a fairly common one and is not prompted by any recent situations that I am aware of, however it is presented to know what to do when the situation does arise. What do I do as the leader when there is disagreement in the group?
Of course there are degrees of disagreement. The milder ones usually are no problem and you can move through them or past them fairly easily. However, if you are in a situation where things seem to be getting a little too intense or heated, there are a few things you can do to try to reframe the conversation and/or redirect it towards a more productive end. If the point of disagreement is on topic and not making anyone uncomfortable and there seems to be a mood of mutual respect and honoring one another’s time to speak, you may let the disagreement continue because it may be a good learning experience for all who are there. If the discussion starts to get a little too heated, it is good for you as the leader to stay in the conversation by speaking earlier than later. You can do this by asking clarifying questions or offering your summary statements about what has been shared so far. If the point of disagreement is off topic from what you are studying, another option is to gently lead the discussion to be back on topic by referencing a question or a verse # in the sermon based discussion guide. Many times, if the disagreement is too heated and off-topic, it is usually about politics.
It is important that all group members understand that there are a mix of political parties and points of view represented in the people of Christ Church and that the main purpose of our small group discussions is to help each other in unpacking further the sermon messages and scriptures and applying them to our daily living. I do know of some people in other churches who have left small groups before because they got too focused in on political discussions. Hopefully we can avoid that from happening in our small groups through leading the discussions carefully. That doesn’t mean that political thought or pursuing our civic duties as citizens are not important. And sometimes it is helpful to allow conversation about current events and issues to a degree if it is relevant to the sermon topic and scriptures of the week. However, I believe we will want to try to keep the conversation during the meeting time in a non-partisan perspective and speaking primarily to issues and not about particular political parties or leaders. If there are people who really want to go deeper with political discussions, it is best to encourage them to speak after the regular meeting time has ended.
Remember the main focus of the discussion is about applying the scripture and message to our daily living and allowing our faith to influence our actions in the coming week. That is where the discussion guides are designed to take the group. And since everyone in the group has a discussion guide, I believe you will find easy support within the group to continue moving on to the next question when there is the need.
Thank you all for sharing in this ministry of discipleship! Blessings to you all as you meet with your groups this week!
Peace and Grace,
Dan Conway