Small Groups

Often we think of learning as a very personal or private activity. One person locks themself into a room with some resources in order to research and understand a particular topic or issue. While this can be a very effective way of deepening our grasp of a particular subject, it’s not an effective method of leading us to life-changing learning. If we are to be faithful servants of Jesus, then we need to be more interested in deepening our transformation than acquiring more information.

One of the ways that we can deepen the learning experience is to be involved in a ‘small group’ learning process. This is where we meet together with two or three others in order to share our understanding and experiences, to give feedback to one another, and to help each person keep the commitments that they make. Such groups go under different names: small groups, learning cells, learning clusters. Whatever we choose to call them, when they work well they become centres for encouragement, discussion, deeper relationships and accountability.

 Leading a small group discussion is an art, not a science. The sciences depend on predictable results: 1 + 2 = 3, and will continue to do so evening if the dinner burns, the rain falls, or if the boss gives you a raise. Whereas, if you ask a person a “how was your day”, you could get completely different results on two different days. This article aims to look at some principles that will help in leading discussions.