Small Group Leader Q&A

The Bible in One Year
A Small Group Leader Q&A

Have you ever wanted to put together a small group and study the bible with them? A few members of our congregation are doing just that, and you’re invited to join one of their groups, or even form your own. You’d invite 8-10 people to join together with you in the study of the Bible. Ideally, you’d meet once a week on Wednesday evenings September-May. But one of the exciting aspects of this adventure is that you are free to design your small group and study according to the schedules and needs of your group members. What follows is a Q&A, frequently asked questions about the program. An orientation meeting for all interested small group leaders will take place Saturday, August 25th, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

1. How often do we meet?

There are a total of 26 “units”. So, if you meet every week beginning in September, you can finish by May. If you meet every other week, the program would take one year. If you decide to meet monthly, you’d need to combine two “units” into one each time you meet. The frequency is up to you, but the goal is to study all 26 units in one year, thus reviewing the Bible from creation (Genesis), to revelation (Revelation).

Are we reading the WHOLE Bible?

Although we’re going to read parts of every book of the Bible, we won’t read the “whole” Bible straight through. Instead, you’ll be assigned daily readings that will prepare you to discuss certain themes and sections of Scripture. Of course, there’s nothing to keep you from reading more widely than the assigned readings, but assigning short readings for each day should make the program more manageable for most people.

Where do we meet?

You’re welcome to meet here at the church Wednesday evenings. You can even join the confirmation group for their opening music and presentation, and then break out into your small group. But as the host, you can design things as you wish. Meet in each other’s homes, meet at a coffee shop, meet at the church during the day, or a different evening of the week. Just let us know if you plan to meet at church so we can put your meeting time and location on the calendar.

Who should be in my small group?

Whoever you invite, adult or youth, male or female. It could be especially neat to invite a mix of members and non-members of EKLC. You might learn a lot by inviting a mix of people into the group. It might also be nice for you to reach out to folks who you think would feel blessed by being invited into such a group. But you’re also more than welcome to simply invite a group of friends and fellow congregation members to come along with you on a journey of study and faith development.

I’m not an authority on the Bible. How can I have all the answers to lead a Bible study?

You don’t have to have all the answers. As the small group leader, you will be trained in how to lead the discussion. You’ll be provided with some models for discussion and mutual invitation. But there are no experts. Instead, we’ll all be learners together. All you need in order to lead a small group is a) the Bible, b) the questions and resources we provide, and c) a heart of care for the people you’re inviting.

Who else is leading a small group? What are they doing?

So far we have four small group leaders who have volunteered. You can contact them to learn more about what they’re doing. The men’s breakfast group is also considering participating in the study. Call the church office for more details. You can feel free to forward this Q&A to others if you think they’d be interested in forming a group.

Will I receive information or other training?

We’ll hold a Saturday morning retreat August 25th, 10:30 a.m., to provide orientation and training for the small group process. At that time, you’ll get an overview of the whole year, a sense of our mission and vision for the Bible study, and together we’ll practice some skills and models for effective small group meetings.

What are the goals of the program?

You may have your own goals for the study, but here are some of mine. 1) First, it is my goal to increase the number of folks in our congregation who are “dwelling in the Word.” This is the most important goal, for us to join together to study the Word, and hear what God is saying to us. 2) Outreach: I hope that some of the small groups will be a place where members of our church connect with non-members, and reach out to their neighbors and friends. 3) Discovering our gifts and ministry: I hope that in studying the Bible, the groups will gain greater clarity on how their personal story is connected to God’s story. By studying the Bible, we will become clearer how God is active in our lives. We will also become clearer on what God is calling us to do and be in our context. A key question we will ask through the year is: Based on our reading of the Bible, what is God’s preferred and promised future for us personally and for our congregation? In asking this question, we’re encouraging Bible study not as something done to acquire more information, but rather Bible study as something done to change our lives and live more fully in the life of the Trinity.

How will you (the pastor) be involve?

I will provide training for all small group leaders. I will write all the resources you need to conduct the study, and provide an outline for the daily readings. Beginning in October, after the groups have gotten started, I’ll come and visit a group each week (as long as you’re open to this) and simply participate in your group and listen. I will not be leading a group myself.

Are you going to provide the resources on-line?

Yes, and if anyone needs print copies of what is provided on-line, you can let us know. We’re hoping that providing all the resources on-line will make things more accessible for you, increase web traffic on our church web site, and make the resources publicly available to others as well.

Why this program? Why now?

At least two reasons come to mind. First of all, the ELCA is encouraging a program, http://www.elca.org/bookoffaith/, Book of Faith, that strives to bring ELCA members into a deeper engagement with Scripture. Second, our Leadership Development project is encouraging us to enter into a stage in our congregation of “Dwelling in the Word.” Pat Keifert, a teacher we’re listening to and reading, writes, “Churches that make much of their commitment to the Bible as the Word of God more often than not suffer from biblical illiteracy. More significantly, they illustrate from their own stories that they do not have biblical imaginations, imaginations that grow out of Scripture. Of course, they use the Bible. They may use the Bible like some tool with which they accomplish their own purposes and ends, but seldom do they demonstrate the capacity to imagine their everyday lives with the narrative of Scripture. Indeed, their focus on the Bible is strangely unrelated to this living within and out of the world in front of the biblical text. This disturbing reality led us to work on models of allowing the Word of God to use us rather than our using it; or, more biblically speaking, for our dwelling within the Word” (We Are Here Now: A New Missional Era, 68-69). I hope we can begin to have a biblical imagination as a congregation. I pray that the Word of God will begin to use us for God’s mission and ministry in the world!