My Small Group Philosophy

I've always had problems with small group curriculum.

Every time I'd find a topic or study I wanted to go through, the curriculum and study guides always gave me problems. Not because they weren't done well (even though some aren't) or because they aren't thought through very well... But truth is, each community is different. Every small group is its own entity and has its own personality. 

What happened was I'd end up spending more time editing it all and by the time we used the study it was almost totally different! This system wasn't working for me and often lead to an awkward meshed together discussion guide. 

So after more thought and prayer I decided to plunge into just writing all my own small group discussions.
I've always felt and been told I was gifted in this area and so I decided to use that gift. 

I'm a believer that Christians sharpen Christians and that people grow through genuine dialogue with one another. Therefore my focus has been to create platforms for conversations to happen. Be it over a particular topic or a study through Ephesians or some other book... I've invested my energy into creating discussion platforms. 

I believe that more often than not a few questions asked in the right way can open the doorway to healthy community growth. I also realize that many group leaders or pastors find this sort of approach scary, like you're opening a can of worms! (And ofcourse there must be guidance and some sort of leader, and most of all doctrine that you're standing on.) But it's time that we realize that people don't learn by others telling them what to believe or what the truth is, but we learn by discovering it ourselves. 

This is the philosophy behind my discussion guides, to help a small group of people have meaningful conversations that lead to Truth. Whether you're a pastor or just facilitate discussions on the stuff of life with your friends... it's always better to be a shepherd who opens a gate and gives opportunity for truth rather than being the wolf who snaps at others to go in! 

I hope that these discussions can be copied, edited, shared, or whatever you need to do for the fostering of fruitful relationships. May His kingdom come and will be done in your small groups!