Wooddale Tipster
TIP OF THE MONTH
TIPS FOR SMALL GROUP
LEADERS - MATERIALS
When you volunteered to be a
small group leader probably the first thing that came into your mind was: what
materials can I use that will be interesting to my group. In fact it should be the last thing you
should consider.
You need to assess your
group’s needs before you select the materials you will use. Starting your group
with a book study Experiencing Community by Thom Corrigan may give you a good
way to understand your group’s needs.
Let’s think about how Jesus assessed
needs. When he had a group of 5,000 he realized they were hungry. So he fed
them. People learn better when their stomachs are full rather than preoccupied
with being hungry. On another occasion he had a small group of twelve. He used
the table food of the bread and wine to give an object lesson about his body
and blood. Then there were one-on-one situations. The woman at the well needed
to see Jesus as the Son of God so he broke tradition and talked with her. Mary came to Jesus distraught with the death
of Lazarus. He wept with her and then brought him back to life. In each of
these situations Jesus selected the method that best fitted the need.
So it is with your group when
it is getting started you need to select the materials that fit the need. Later
you can ask for group input on what materials they would like to use.
There are many sources of materials, The Wooddale bookstore and library are good places to start. There are book studies (“Jesus” by Leith Anderson), Bible studies, and videos (“God is Closer Than You Think” by John Ortberg; “The Truth Project” by Dell Tackett; “Doing The Right Thing” by Chuck Colson) just to name a few. The Wooddale website is also a good resource (WOODDALE.ORG/RESOURCES & SUPPORT / RESOURCES /LEADERS RESOURCES
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