Wanted: Questions for Our Q & A Discussions

I hope you're looking for answers, because I need questions.

by Sam O'Neal

First things first: are you familiar with the Q & A Discussions we feature regularly on SmallGroups.com? If not, I think you should be.

Here's the basic idea: we compile a list of questions about the toughest and most impactful topics from the world of small-group ministry, and then we ask several small-group experts from around the country to answer them. These answers are posted once or twice a month on SmallGroups.com, and then our readers can interact with those responses by posting comments and other questions.

It's a great feature, and it's been popular on SmallGroups.com for a long time. But I need your help to keep things going! Specifically, I need a new set of questions.

Please help! Take a look at the idea generators below, and post your suggested questions in the Comments section. Thank you in advance for helping us keep this valuable feature fresh, relevant, and helpful!

What obstacles are you currently encountering in your small group?
What obstacles are you currently encountering in your small-group ministry?
What areas of your group or ministry have become stagnant in recent months?
Are you experiencing any "people problems" in your group or ministry? (Please don't name any names.)
Are there any ministry goals that you have been unable to achieve in recent months and/or years?
What is keeping you up at night as a leader?

posted by Sam O'Neal on March 3, 2011 9:37 AM

Related Tags: Q & A, Questions

Comments

My biggest challenge in ministry rightnow seems to be recruiting new small group members. Its a weekly battle between busy scedules and small group community. How do you encourage busy people to take that leap of faith into small groups?

What do you do when the deadbeat member of your small groups is the senior pastor?

My biggest challenges right now are establishing a coaching and support structure for our groups and establishing a discipleship track/path for our members.

I love leading my home group and believe God gave me the gift of leadership many years ago. It is so satisfying when the meeting goes well, when everyone is more or less prepared, participates and even prays. I really work hard; I go over the lesson several times, look for other material to add to it, pray for my members and our meetings, and go with expectations...but sometimes, after the meeting, I feel like it just didn't all come together, like, did people get anything our of that?? What more am I missing?

If a Church is not teaching their leaders the importance of not being rude, rudeness is probaby a real problem in their Small Groups. Their Small Groups are probably running off more people than they attract. If you hear Church leaders train their teachers, your probaby never heard of this mentioned, but it really is a BIG problem.

My husband and I are joining a new small group after our last group split with some organizational church changes (half of our church split to start a new church). The recent changes have kind of left a weary taste in our mouths and in our groups. The group we are looking to join, which consists of members from our old group, does not want to have a small group leader or "spiritual leader" within the group. They would rather do a weekly study and take turns leading. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Can you share some insight?

How do you deal with time constraints when certain members of your group would like extra listening time outside the small group circle?

I am thinking of individuals who, whenever they see you, whether that be passing in the street or at church, will talk for an hour or more, or simply turn up on your doorstep wanting to unburden themselves.

Here is what keeps me up nights. Being a Christian is great! Why isn't every one a Christian!

Josh Hunt
Good Questions Have Groups Talking

How do I find the balance between giving people time to air their difficulties (caring about each other) and covering at least most of the material in the day's study. (keeping to the topic)?

Two Questions:

1. Is it Biblically sound to have multiple leaders in a small group instead of just one?

2. From experience is it a good idea to have multiple leaders in a small group?

We are desperate to find input on this, so thank you for any help