We are starting our Connect Groups in June! If you would like to lead a small group Bible study please let Barbara Parker know (women@hillcrestbc.com). The following is by Rick Howerton on small group influencers:
In the small group world we often talk about those things that influence the lives of the individuals small group leaders lead. Things like family, churches people have attended in the past, past or present sins an individual has committed or is presently engaged in, etc… are all illustrations of those things that influence individual lives.
A small group leader would be wise to know about and understand four influencers that affect the way the small group they lead thinks and processes during a conversational Bible study. Four of these would be…
1. Sermons preached at the church the group members attend. If your pastor has a particular theological bent, the sermons preached will reflect that theological perspective. Intuitively small group members are hearing and accepting that perspective. Not only that, if a series of topical sermons are preached, when your group does a study on that particular topic (even if the series was preached three years ago), the thoughts and ideas portrayed in the sermon series will most likely come out during the group meeting.
2. Politics. While I wish it were not so, politics are way too meshed with the Christian faith. Some small group members spend much more time learning about and embracing the morals, standards, and arguments of a particular party (Republican or Democrat) than they do reading, learning, and embracing biblical truth. Fox News or MNBC is the place these group members gain much of their understanding and passion. Because of this, when they speak they are speaking based on a political perspective they honestly believe is biblical and, because of this, there is a hint of competitiveness in their hearts.
3. Truths instilled in Bible studies the group has done in the past. One of the reasons it is vital to choose Bible studies that are written for small groups by people who understand and instill basic evangelical theology is due to the fact that small group members will learn and hold to what they have been taught during past small group meetings. A small group leader would be wise to review past studies and see what they say concerning a particular topic when they know a discussion is soon to take place that revisits a topic or passage from past Bible studies.
4. Acceptable expectations in the congregation the group are part of. Every church has her “acceptable expectations,” unstated or stated voluntary requirements for followers of Christ. In some churches it is anticipated that every person is involved in a daily quiet time that includes Bible study, Scripture memory, meditation, elongated times of prayer, etc… These churches may also speak often of meeting with two or three others for accountability and edification. In other churches the only expectation is that people show up for weekend worship services. It would be wise for a small group leader to know what is norm in the church that they lead a group for. If a small group leader leads a group and serves a church where expectations are high, the group they lead will have a much greater chance to go deeply into Scripture, ask for group members to spend time meditating on what God is saying to them, and expecting the group members to sincerely cry out to God on behalf of one another. On the other hand, if the group leader leads a group where the expectations of those involved in the church are minimal, they must remember that they are leading mostly spiritual infants and be careful to feed them milk, not meat.
Showing posts with label By: Rick Howerton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label By: Rick Howerton. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
The Pros and Cons of DVD-Driven Bible Studies
The Pros and Cons of DVD-driven Bible Studies: By Rick Howerton
Many churches are using DVD driven Bible studies as their primary format for Bible study in groups. Yet they are the target of much criticism. Because of this I think it’s important that we consider the pros as well as the cons when a group uses these.
I believe there are five pros:
1. DVD driven Bible studies assures the church leadership that biblical truth is going to be taught. A conversational Bible study can quickly become a night of shared ignorance. If a knowledgeable and spiritually mature Bible teacher is the talking head on the DVD that individual will teach the truth and the group will give their time focusing on application.
2. DVD driven Bible studies demand little to no preparation time.
3. DVD driven Bible studies can help in the recruitment of new group members. That is, if the teacher teaching on the DVD is a well-known teacher or preacher.
4. DVD driven Bible studies makes it possible for a group to experience substantial understanding without having someone in the group with the spiritual gift of teaching.
5. DVD driven Bible studies allows an expert to teach the group concerning topics that are often outside the knowledge base of any of the group
There are also some cons that cannot be overlooked.
1. If a group uses DVD driven Bibles studies exclusively individuals with the spiritual gift of teaching will never be able to utilize the gift God has given them.
2. If a group uses DVD driven Bible studies exclusively the Holy Spirit is given little room to be the teacher as He often makes truth known through the synergistic conversation that takes place when a group of Spirit-led Christ followers are seeking truth together.
3. When a group uses DVD driven Bible studies exclusively individuals who have the gift of teaching but are new to teaching will never have the opportunity to grow in their teaching abilities.
4. When a group uses DVD driven Bible studies exclusively group members seldom learn how to seek God’s revelation using their own Bible. Most of us learn how to use our Bibles by watching others. We watch them as they are cross-referencing, using the helps in their study Bibles, etc… And the only setting most people are in where this happens is during a small group Bible study.
5. When a group uses DVD driven Bible studies exclusively small group leaders are unable to evaluate the Biblical knowledge level and the worldview of each group member. Knowing this information is important so that the group leader can determine how to take next steps with each group member in their spiritual formation process.
Our Women's Ministry uses a balance of DVD and teacher driven studies. This Spring we will offer the Beth Moore DVD study on James and also a small group study on the book Resolution for Women (The follow-up to Courageous Living Bible Study). If you prefer to learn by DVD or through self exploration there is a place for you!
Many churches are using DVD driven Bible studies as their primary format for Bible study in groups. Yet they are the target of much criticism. Because of this I think it’s important that we consider the pros as well as the cons when a group uses these.
I believe there are five pros:
1. DVD driven Bible studies assures the church leadership that biblical truth is going to be taught. A conversational Bible study can quickly become a night of shared ignorance. If a knowledgeable and spiritually mature Bible teacher is the talking head on the DVD that individual will teach the truth and the group will give their time focusing on application.
2. DVD driven Bible studies demand little to no preparation time.
3. DVD driven Bible studies can help in the recruitment of new group members. That is, if the teacher teaching on the DVD is a well-known teacher or preacher.
4. DVD driven Bible studies makes it possible for a group to experience substantial understanding without having someone in the group with the spiritual gift of teaching.
5. DVD driven Bible studies allows an expert to teach the group concerning topics that are often outside the knowledge base of any of the group
There are also some cons that cannot be overlooked.
1. If a group uses DVD driven Bibles studies exclusively individuals with the spiritual gift of teaching will never be able to utilize the gift God has given them.
2. If a group uses DVD driven Bible studies exclusively the Holy Spirit is given little room to be the teacher as He often makes truth known through the synergistic conversation that takes place when a group of Spirit-led Christ followers are seeking truth together.
3. When a group uses DVD driven Bible studies exclusively individuals who have the gift of teaching but are new to teaching will never have the opportunity to grow in their teaching abilities.
4. When a group uses DVD driven Bible studies exclusively group members seldom learn how to seek God’s revelation using their own Bible. Most of us learn how to use our Bibles by watching others. We watch them as they are cross-referencing, using the helps in their study Bibles, etc… And the only setting most people are in where this happens is during a small group Bible study.
5. When a group uses DVD driven Bible studies exclusively small group leaders are unable to evaluate the Biblical knowledge level and the worldview of each group member. Knowing this information is important so that the group leader can determine how to take next steps with each group member in their spiritual formation process.
Our Women's Ministry uses a balance of DVD and teacher driven studies. This Spring we will offer the Beth Moore DVD study on James and also a small group study on the book Resolution for Women (The follow-up to Courageous Living Bible Study). If you prefer to learn by DVD or through self exploration there is a place for you!
Friday, July 1, 2011
When Patriotism Interferes with Spiritual Growth
I am a patriotic guy. I love the United States of America. I catch myself in long conversations with others about her, where she seems to be going, and what that will mean to all of us and the generations that will follow.
But I am first and foremost a disciple of Jesus Christ. I’m realizing more and more that we sometimes forget that our first allegiance is to God’s Kingdom and that, in the end His Kingdom will prevail. We are “not of this world” and so we are to keep our minds “set on things above not earthly things.” Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a sin to care about elections or to keep up with what’s going on on the political scene. In fact, we should all vote and we should study the issues and the candidates so that we can make an educated decision. But it is downright spiritually debilitating to be more passionate about our country than Jesus Christ.
In your small group you probably have people who could talk politics all day long. Those same people lean forward and the volume rises when discussing the next election or some decision being made by the Executive branch. They’re asking you if you’ve read some blog post or seen in the paper or watched the news so that you are aware of a particular issue being discussed in Washington D.C. You receive emails from them telling you the latest political news or they send petitions your way, petitions they believe “every person who cares about this country” needs to sign. But when you talk about Jesus and His Word they clam up and you seldom if ever get an email with a scripture passage on it or a statement from something they read in their quiet time. It’s obvious that they have given more of their heart to their country than to their Jesus. If they were to do a serious check on their hearts, the cross for them looks much like a donkey or an elephant as they are more passionate about a political party than Jesus Himself. Don’t beat them up, don’t be angry with them, they probably don’t even realize this is true of them. But it may be important to point this out to them. Serving two masters is impossible and a Christian disciple can only follow fully one person, Jesus Christ. Until they have as their deepest passion Jesus and the gospel their spiritual growth will forever be stalled.
You may be asking yourself… Will Howerton shoot off fireworks, celebrate our independence, watch Saving Private Ryan to remember the sacrifices made for this country? I will. I am a patriotic guy, a pretty old-fashioned conservative fella in love with his country, even concerned about his country. But I am learning that I cannot allow my allegiance to Jesus to be interrupted by my passion for my country.
But I am first and foremost a disciple of Jesus Christ. I’m realizing more and more that we sometimes forget that our first allegiance is to God’s Kingdom and that, in the end His Kingdom will prevail. We are “not of this world” and so we are to keep our minds “set on things above not earthly things.” Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a sin to care about elections or to keep up with what’s going on on the political scene. In fact, we should all vote and we should study the issues and the candidates so that we can make an educated decision. But it is downright spiritually debilitating to be more passionate about our country than Jesus Christ.
In your small group you probably have people who could talk politics all day long. Those same people lean forward and the volume rises when discussing the next election or some decision being made by the Executive branch. They’re asking you if you’ve read some blog post or seen in the paper or watched the news so that you are aware of a particular issue being discussed in Washington D.C. You receive emails from them telling you the latest political news or they send petitions your way, petitions they believe “every person who cares about this country” needs to sign. But when you talk about Jesus and His Word they clam up and you seldom if ever get an email with a scripture passage on it or a statement from something they read in their quiet time. It’s obvious that they have given more of their heart to their country than to their Jesus. If they were to do a serious check on their hearts, the cross for them looks much like a donkey or an elephant as they are more passionate about a political party than Jesus Himself. Don’t beat them up, don’t be angry with them, they probably don’t even realize this is true of them. But it may be important to point this out to them. Serving two masters is impossible and a Christian disciple can only follow fully one person, Jesus Christ. Until they have as their deepest passion Jesus and the gospel their spiritual growth will forever be stalled.
You may be asking yourself… Will Howerton shoot off fireworks, celebrate our independence, watch Saving Private Ryan to remember the sacrifices made for this country? I will. I am a patriotic guy, a pretty old-fashioned conservative fella in love with his country, even concerned about his country. But I am learning that I cannot allow my allegiance to Jesus to be interrupted by my passion for my country.
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