Bible study Cell groups are essential part of christian community. Today, almost every church has its small groups. However, it is not at all a newly found concept. Jesus himself had his own small group of 12 people And although he had much larger community of followers, He spent major part of his life with these small group of people.
Leading small groups can be one of the mostexciting experience of your christian life. You can really impact your group members. Small group setting provides safer and much intimate environment for Christian fellowship and friendship. Today, we are going to discuss principles to effectively leading small group bible study. You may be leading students, married couples, men, women, teenagers, youth, or any age group, these suggestions can be used. So, here are some of the suggestions for leading a group.
Know your audience. You must know your group members. Introduce new comers.
Select the topic. According to your group, you can select the subject . Try to maintain the continuity.
Prepare questions and possible answers for the passage. You must have possible answers ready in your mind. Use other resources like Bible dictionary , if you need to. Keeping notes is one of the most useful practice you can have, it can be helpful in future as well.
Adopt your own style. Don’t imitate anybody’s style, have your own style of leading.
Ask questions, if the group do not understand, rephrase the question, don’t try to explain everything.
Remember, you are facilitator not a preacher. Your goal is to let others talk and share!
Encourage the quiet one, their silence do not mean non-participation. Also, try to manage the dominant members.
If you don’t know the answer of any particular question, honestly admit it. Find the answers and share it next time. Remember, we are all here to learn.
Keep the eye contact. Don’t just concentrate on few members. Occasionally, ask questions to individual.
If the discussion goes side tracked by some question, bring the group back to the main idea. (Use your judgment, if there is an important issue, continue the discussion.)
Appreciate good answers . Everyone likes appreciation.
Be creative, visualize the picture in the passage. Use contemporary examples. Use maps, whiteboards, games, etc.
Begin and End on time. 25-30 minutes of bible study is perfect. Sometimes, the faces of the members can tell you that its time to wrap up!!! If there is some important theological discussion going on, you can conclude bible study, but continue the discussion, so that those who need to leave can go.
Have conclusion in mind. Spend good amount of time in applying the word. Challenge your group.
I hope that these practical suggestions can help you to effectively lead your bible cell group.
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