Documents

Documents about different biblical subjects

Bible Discussion Groups

March 31st, 2013

1. Overall Purpose

To help people to find God and to grow their relationship with him.
To provide an easy, non-threatening way to make friends with study prospects.
To persuade them to begin studying the Bible with a compatible disciple.
To project an image of reasonable, responsible, caring people.

2. Specific Aims

To capture their interest and motivate them to change.
To encourage them to study the Bible in more depth.
To establish our credibility as really informed and helpful people to study with.
To build trust by putting interested visitors with compatible disciples.
To provide such a friendly, rewarding and fun atmosphere that they will want to continue attending the weekly meetings.

3. Subject Focus

Providing greater understanding and interesting insights into God's Word.
Providing practical, easily understood guidelines for living a righteous life (as distinct from a religious or worldly life).

1. Leader's Ideal Image

A person who is friendly, interested, relaxed, knowledgeable, helpful, practical, realistic, patient, open, humble, respectful and FUN. In short, a likeable hero but a real one!

2. Leadership Techniques

Establishing a cheerful, warm, friendly atmosphere before even beginning.
Introducing and chatting with visitors, trying to surface or confirm their needs.
During the discussion, focusing specially on the needs expressed by the visitors.
Explaining Bible passages and concepts in simple, everyday language.
Using simple, meaningful questions to stimulate participation.
Listening carefully to responses to understand and adjust to the needs revealed.
Using 'check' questions to clarify any uncertainty about their responses.
Acknowledging and encouraging relevant and helpful responses.
Trying to link all responses in some way to the question.
Discouraging talk that slips into impersonal generalities.
(e.g. "I believe it is always important to consider other people.").
Encouraging everyone to give real examples from their lives.
(e.g. "How has that helped you personally ?")
Avoiding confrontation or criticism of other views or approaches.
Discouraging intellectualizing, sidetracks and arguments.
Doing everything to build relationships and the unity of the group.
Attempting to balance participation between visitors and disciples.
Keeping the discussion firmly on track and moving forward.
Controlling the use of time to finish between 30 and 45 minutes (60 at the most).

3. Preparing a Discussion Outline

Decide on one single simple message, appropriate for the people and the time.
Make sure this will challenge their hearts, not just their minds.
Check that the learning can be applied in their lives.
Ask others with experience for suggestions on how to get your message across.
Review the prepared outlines that are available to you.
If you find one that appeals, edit it to suit your group and yourself.
If nothing fits, search your concordance to find appropriate scriptures to use
Choose a maximum of five scriptures. One to three longer passages are best for the single focused message that will be your goal.
Arrange them in a logical sequence.
Read around each passage to fully understand the context.
Study each passage thoroughly for learning points and important insights.
Frame questions to bring out each point. Some typical questions are :
- What is happening here?
- What is the point that is being made?
- What does that really mean?
- How do you know that?
- Why was that point made at the time?
- Why was that important to them?
- How important is that to us today?
- How often is it applied today?
- How do you feel about this?
- How could we apply it today?
- Where, when and with whom should we apply it?
- What prevents us from applying it?
- How could we overcome these barriers?
- How would this help us personally?
If the answers to your questions aren't obvious, note your answers [in brackets] after each question.
Add illustrations and examples from your own personal experience.
Review your sequence and make sure you have clear, logical links between the scriptures and between your questions.
Think of a relevant, non-spiritual, interesting question to set the scene or to introduce the discussion.
Think of the likely answers you'll get and how you will link these to the theme of the discussion.
Note your target timing for each section. If you need a rough guide, read out all your questions and all the scriptures aloud and then treble the time you've taken.
If it looks like you have too much material, eliminate all scriptures (or questions) that you could leave out with loss to the main message.
Mark what you should skip if you begin to run over time.
Prepare a summary to conclude the discussion and to refocus on application.
Read though your outline several times to anticipate any difficulties you might have and to fix it in your mind.

4. Typical Discussion Sequence

Welcome everyone, explaining our purpose ('To help one another to grow spiritually by exploring the Bible and sharing its application in our lives')
Explain our expectations and ground rules
(Everyone will take part and 'Stick to the subject' and 'Don't mention other churches').
Ask another disciple whom you've briefed to lead a short opening prayer
(This should be omitted if you feel it would set too formal a tone for the people attending).
Ask the relevant, non-spiritual question that you've prepared; to stimulate interest, to encourage participation and to learn the names of the newcomers.
Encourage responses and summarize the main points made.
Provide a clear bridge to the theme of the discussion.
Focus attention on the scripture we will be starting with and why you chose it.
Explain the context and invite someone to read the scripture.
Give a brief overview to clarify the content of the passage.
Ask a simple question with an obvious answer to get the ball rolling
Ask deeper questions to highlight the main points, focusing on 'Why' questions.
Keep your own contributions short and avoid preaching and exhorting.
Encourage everyone to share their own experience and to give us examples
Summarize briefly and ask how the learning can be applied in everyday life.
Repeat the process with other scriptures that you may want to use.
Give an overall summary or ask them what they learned from the discussion
Encourage them to put their learning into practice.
Offer visitors individual help or guidance from the disciple who invited them.
Close with a prayer, asking for God's help in understanding and applying this specific learning in our lives.

5. Following-up Study Prospects

Invite everyone to stay for refreshments.
Open friendly discussions with regular visitors and with each newcomer, asking what they do, where they live, who they know in the Kingdom, etc.
Ask for their reactions to the Bible discussion and how well it met their needs.
Ask them if they would like to attend the next discussion, meet for coffee, come to one of our services, etc.
Encourage them to take up the invitation to begin a personal Bible study.
Share your personal experience of how the studies helped you.
Make any necessary connections between a visitor and the most appropriate disciple or disciples.
Get their phone numbers so that you can call during the next few days to check their progress and to ensure we continue making friends with them.
Be sensitive to the feelings of the visitors and get them home in reasonable time.
Above all, make sure they will want to come back!

Keep it Simple

People will generally remember ONE point from your Bible Talk
You should be able to express a summary of the Bible Talk in ONE Sentence

If possible, stick to one scripture

Pick one great passage and dig into it
Visitors feel uncomfortable if they can not find the scriptures
You will spend more time studying and less time searching
People will be excited with how much they learned from one passage

Read the scripture in a powerful way

Make the passage come alive in your reading
NEVER make the Bible look dull or boring
If possible give a brief background of the scripture
- Who?
- When?
- Under what circumstances?
Always give a BRIEF recap of the scripture in your own words
Don’t assume that everything in the passage is obvious (You studied it for hours, they have not)

Have Fun

Many passages and situation in the Bible are comical, have fun with it.
Laugh with the people and enjoy their comments
Don’t make the Bible Talk “heavy” and “somber”

Teach with Conviction

Be conviction that what you are teaching is right and good
Always leave the people with a challenge.

Make the Bible Talk short

Maximum 30-45 minutes
“The mind cannot absorb what the bottom cannot endure”
If there are children, the will be climbing the walls
If the visitor thinks Bible Talk is going to be long, they may not come back
Better to have people think the Bible Talk should have gone longer than shorter
Leave a few point undiscussed to talk about in fellowship afterwards

Make the openings fun

Play a game of some kind
Show a video clip
Play a song
Read a newspaper article
Find some interesting facts or statistics related to your topic
Go around the group and ask a non-threatening question
Use props
Have food / Potluck
Make everyone feel at home
Be creative
Visitors are the focus of our conversations
Avoid church lingo

Pay Attention

Does everyone know when and where you are meeting?
Does everyone have a ride?
Be sure that there are Bibles for everyone
Member there at least 15 minutes early
Help with clean up, get food, set-up, babysitting – everyone needs to be involved
Have a clean house