School of Discipleship - Small Groups
If you don't know what the School of Discipleship is it may be of use to you to first read this recent post
I am a big fan of small groups. I believe that if any movement or idea in the church is going to gain a sense of momentum it will need good small groups. This is because an idea needs to be caught. By this I mean it is difficult to have someone preach from the front and expect those listening to internalise the ideas as their own; so that they can have ownership of then taking the idea or movement forward. Small group provide that opportunity to internalise concepts whilst also fostering a sense of ownership.
This year at School of Discipleship (SoD) I was once again a small group leader, and the first time at SoD being a solo leader. Going solo is a little nerve-racking but I was blessed with a great group of people, all with interesting and wonderful perspectives to share. As a small group leader it was a dream group. For ease of my thinking I will break down my small group reflection into the four sessions we had.
Session 1 - Thursday
This was the ‘get to know you’ session. This is always the most difficult session for me to run at SoD. The group (mostly) doesn’t know each other and I haven’t met most of them before. For me as a leader, the job is not only to lead the group and encourage them to feel comfortable with each other. But also to identify the different personalities in the group. For example, is that quiet person quiet because they like to consider their view before speaking or are they quiet because they are nervous about speaking and someone else speaks up before they have a chance? (The nitty-gritty details of small group dynamics beyond this example is an issue for another post)
Session 2 - Friday
This session disappointed me a little, what happened was that the events earlier in the day went overtime. So someone made the decision that small groups would met over lunch. This didn’t work so well. We met and discussed things… but it lacked the intentionality of a small group meeting in a quite room do discuss the issues that were being raised during the conference.
Session 3 & 4 - Saturday and Sunday
I’ve just decided to bundle these together as from a leaders perspective they worked in a similar way. As a leader all I did was ask two questions and keep track of the time, the rest worked itself out by the group discussion just working well. To the point where I felt I could contribute to the existing discussion without my voice destroying. Feeling part of the small group and not just the person leading it is not something that I have experienced at SoD before and it was helpful for me in receiving that sense of renewal from Sod, and allowed me space to explore the questions I come to SoD with every year (questions listed in previous post for those playing at home.)
I am a big fan of small groups. I believe that if any movement or idea in the church is going to gain a sense of momentum it will need good small groups. This is because an idea needs to be caught. By this I mean it is difficult to have someone preach from the front and expect those listening to internalise the ideas as their own; so that they can have ownership of then taking the idea or movement forward. Small group provide that opportunity to internalise concepts whilst also fostering a sense of ownership.
This year at School of Discipleship (SoD) I was once again a small group leader, and the first time at SoD being a solo leader. Going solo is a little nerve-racking but I was blessed with a great group of people, all with interesting and wonderful perspectives to share. As a small group leader it was a dream group. For ease of my thinking I will break down my small group reflection into the four sessions we had.
Session 1 - Thursday
This was the ‘get to know you’ session. This is always the most difficult session for me to run at SoD. The group (mostly) doesn’t know each other and I haven’t met most of them before. For me as a leader, the job is not only to lead the group and encourage them to feel comfortable with each other. But also to identify the different personalities in the group. For example, is that quiet person quiet because they like to consider their view before speaking or are they quiet because they are nervous about speaking and someone else speaks up before they have a chance? (The nitty-gritty details of small group dynamics beyond this example is an issue for another post)
Session 2 - Friday
This session disappointed me a little, what happened was that the events earlier in the day went overtime. So someone made the decision that small groups would met over lunch. This didn’t work so well. We met and discussed things… but it lacked the intentionality of a small group meeting in a quite room do discuss the issues that were being raised during the conference.
Session 3 & 4 - Saturday and Sunday
I’ve just decided to bundle these together as from a leaders perspective they worked in a similar way. As a leader all I did was ask two questions and keep track of the time, the rest worked itself out by the group discussion just working well. To the point where I felt I could contribute to the existing discussion without my voice destroying. Feeling part of the small group and not just the person leading it is not something that I have experienced at SoD before and it was helpful for me in receiving that sense of renewal from Sod, and allowed me space to explore the questions I come to SoD with every year (questions listed in previous post for those playing at home.)