Simplify your small groups discussion times. Involve more people in discussion. Use these ideas for your worship services. Participants will love it. After reading a Bible story or the next chapter being explored by your group or church – or after watching a DVD segment, discussing a topical issue, etc – simply use these five questions –
1. What is new for you in this discussion?
2. What do you not like in the story, dialogue, news item, etc?
3. What do you not understand?
4. How will you apply this story to life – or what difference will it make?
5. What will you share with another person – and with whom?
These questions have proven effective for group discussions, simple or home churches, or even larger congregations. After reading the chapter of scripture or the Bible story – go into groups, use these 5 questions – and watch people come alive as they hear the Holy Spirit speak to them.
You could also use Ralph Moore’s HEAD, HEART and HANDS model for mini-church. These are excellent questions –
1. (HEAD) What are you reading at the moment?
2. (HEART) What is God saying to you through what you are reading?
3. (HANDS) What will you do about this?
I like the word choices as keys for remembering and words used in diifferent contexts can make all the difference, striking a chord with people.
I also resonate with the five questions. They are on the same line as those in the CLAIM Bible study in our journal.
Thanks Faith. These five questions – or variations of them – have been used by many small groups. They can also be used by those wishing to cultivate discussions in what may be termed simple, participatory church.
We have five small groups–two of them house churches here in Bowling Green. We are doing the 40 days of prayer as outlined by Alvin VanderGriend in his book Love to Pray. When we finish that we plan to do 10 days of Prayer and Fasting–fasting from secular things such as TV, newspapers, radio, etc. We have a llist of 30 ideas they can choose from to do at the time they would normally be watching the news or reading the newspaper. All would draw them or someone else close to Jesus. Virginia