Facilitating a Small Group Bible Discussion

We believe in life-on-life ministry, meaning that people are truly and significantly changed only as others come alongside them in authentic community. Therefore, Hope values small groups as an opportunity to interact with others on an intimate, life-changing level. We are pursuing God in the company of friends! Small groups are a safe environment for people wherever they are in their spiritual journey, but also a place for them to grow in their relationship with Christ and serve as they are enabled in his body.

In short, Hope’s vision for small groups is to foster biblical community that makes disciples of Christ and builds up His body.

Having an effective Bible discussion time is a major component to achieving this vision. The purpose of this document is to provide a starting place for how to facilitate a small group Bible time, while defining the basic expectations and expanding on the values of Hope Community Church. These ideas are not exhaustive, as there are many important factors that contribute to leading a successful small group discussion. However, this document should serve as a guideline for facilitating your small group.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Hebrews 10:23-25 (NIV)

Life-Changing Community

As we look at the small group ministry vision statement, we see that Hope Community Church values small groups because they are not only a place where community happens, but it is life-changing community! Again, your discussion time can play a key role in unlocking the hearts of your group members.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you allowing ALL members of your group to have a role in the discussion?
• Are the members of my group growing in understanding of their relationship with Christ in such a way that their lives are changed as a result?
• Is the content of your group accessible to ALL the members of your group? (Is the content of your discussion at a level where ALL members of your group understand the content?) Are the words you choose understandable to group members? (i.e. Are you using big, fancy Christian words that younger or new Christians are not likely to understand?)
• Does our discussion leave time for questions that push my group members toward real life application of the text studied?
• Am I following up with the group members (and encouraging them to follow up with one another) about the application from the previous week?

A Safe Place

Referring once again to the vision statement above, we see that Hope Community Church small groups are meant to be a safe place for people to grow and seek Christ regardless of where they are in their faith journey.

Ask yourself:

• Are you valuing the questions of ALL your small group members? Do members feel like they can ask the “simple” questions from the text? (What does it mean to have faith? What does it mean that Jesus was our sacrifice? What does confession look like? etc…)
• Does your group’s response to each person’s questions and concerns show that you value each member’s input equally?
• Do you prevent just one or two group members from dominating the discussion?
• Do you prevent group members from making other people in your group feel belittled or excluded?

Biblical Community

Finally, the small group vision statement says that small groups should foster “Biblical” community. As this word choice suggests, small groups should be regularly opening God’s Word together and having an effective study.

Ask yourself:

• Is our group pursuing community building at the expense of opening God’s Word?
• Do I allow my group to derail the discussion or steer the group time as to minimize or ignore studying God’s Word?
• Do I take seriously my own preparations for understanding the passage being studied, so that I can faithfully lead discussion?
• Do I rely too heavily on non-fiction Christian literature to guide our weekly discussion or on academic commentaries?

We know this can be a lot to consider, especially in the midst of actually leading a discussion in real time. Don’t be discouraged, though, facilitating a good discussion is a skill that can be developed! And much of that skill comes simply from doing it and, when appropriate, asking others to offer feedback – be it a co-leader, a trusted member, or your coach. Below are some additional tips that we hope make developing this skill that much easier and even enjoyable!

Small Group Facilitation Tips

If we seek to faithfully understand and apply God’s Word to our own lives and continue to invest in our personal study of the Word, it will become much easier to ask questions that really get at the heart of the Biblical text. Knowing God’s Word will also give us incredible amounts of guidance as we seek to address concerns and questions brought forward by people in our groups.

God has something to say through each passage of Scripture, but greater understanding can be achieved through having a grasp of the entire context of the book you are studying and the Bible as a whole.

When leading a small group discussion…

• Use the Weekly Material provided by our Small Group Writers (See How To: Using Weekly Small Group Materials for more info)
• Study the passage beforehand to develop a thorough understanding of the text.
• Create a plan for discussion and potential application before small group begins. Come up with your own questions. Be prepared!
• Hold plans loosely. As your discussion goes on you may notice that your group seems interested in discussing something you didn’t foresee. As long as it is appropriate to the biblical text and is edifying to the group, that is OK. Allow room to explore the group’s interests.
• Make eye contact with your group members.
• Listen to what group members are saying. Don’t always think about how to execute the plan.
• Hear answers before you ask the next question.
• Shut down (with grace) answers or responses that are inappropriate or unsound.
• Use a sincere tone of voice when asking questions.
• Allow silent time for the group to read through the text again to create space to think and form thoughts.

When leading a small group discussion avoid

• Reading straight off the paper.
• Not responding to other people’s needs and concerns.
• Always having a response (i.e. talking after every person talks).
  Always having a personal story to share.
• Showing you’re uncomfortable.
• Always filling silence with your own voice.
• “Faking” that you have all the answers.
• Getting too caught up in details or nuances
• Not taking time to get to the personal application questions.

Other helpful tips when facilitating a discussion

• Set expectations – Share where you hope to get to, reminder about confidentiality, etc…
• Be aware of body language, your own and others
• Ask open-ended questions
• Be comfortable with silence. Rephrase the question after a long silence (count slowly to 7, a trick teachers use). Silence often means that your group members are thinking…not necessarily bored or uninterested.
• Understand introvert and extrovert dynamics
• Sit next to “the talker” and across from “the quiet one”
• Avoid sarcasm
• Be vulnerable/lead with what God is teaching you
• Validate what group members say through verbal or nonverbal affirmation (nodding, etc).
• Refer back to people’s answers
• Don’t make assumptions, ask clarifying questions
• Give time for people to read on their own
• Include application questions
• Summarize main points and takeaways
• Encourage others to take ownership within the discussion
• Let the Spirit direct, even if it means abandoning the plan
• Take God seriously, but don’t take ourselves too seriously

What are some things that don’t work well when facilitating a small group?

• Trying to use the materials without preparation
• Rushing through the material
• Too many off topic conversations (bunny trails)
• Only asking “Yes,” “no,” or one-word answer questions
• Singling people out to answer questions
• Taking offense when things don’t go as planned
• Leaders dominating the conversation
• Disrespectfully correcting wrong thinking
• Bashing people (even jokingly)
• Forcing deeper personal issues

In summary, the goal is to have a GOOD discussion.

A good discussion is one in which each group member is allowed an equal opportunity to participate in discussion, grow in their faith and understand the content with no single person (including the leader) dominating the discussion. During this time each member should feel safe to ask questions, share insights, and seek out help as needed. This discussion should be focused on God’s Word and should lead to real life application of biblical text.

This document was written and compiled by Naty Severson, Small Group Coordinator and revised by Jordan Anderson, Small Group Staff at Hope Community Church in Minneapolis, MN.  Before reproducing or distributing this document please contact smallgroups@hopecc.com for permission and current revisions.