Soul-Shaping Small Groups

In small groups we usually spend gobs of time sharing what is happening in our lives, but little time sharing it, as a community, with Jesus. There is nothing more deadly in small groups than to have one person hoard too much time with a “request” (unless, of course, it is a real crisis). I recommend that after one individual briefly shares, everyone in the group goes back into prayer to listen and silently lift the person to God. Sometimes I will tell them to imagine the person basking in God’s light and receiving God’s joy.  In my model, listening involves a sixty-second quiet time, after which the group is invited to pray aloud for the individual. Scripture verses, words or phrases can be spoken in this period as well. With four people in a group, the entire process for each person should not last longer than ten minutes (five minutes if you have eight.) It is important for the leader to honor this time limit and encourage people to pray for each other for longer periods during the week. (Specific prayer partners can be assigned to individuals for this purpose.)

Authentic sharing and humble surrender to God in small group settings draw us magnetically. God works differently with people, and often there is a pattern of interaction that is unique for each person. Just like God spoke to Daniel in dreams and to David through prophets, so we begin to decipher God’s ways with certain individuals, based on the purpose and calling of each.

The last segment of the group time [befriending Scripture] can last anywhere from thirty to forty-five minutes, depending on the group process. Find your own rhythm with this and allow yourself to get creative in how you use Scripture.  For some, the standard Bible study with a question-and-answer format works well,  especially for new Christians. However, you may find, as I often do, that this leads the group more into an intellectual discussion of their faith rather than an experiential encounter with God. There is nothing wrong with the intellectual approach, as it may well draw some people closer to God in a different way. However, there are many other methods of using Scripture that are not tried very often in small groups, which you may want to experiment with.

[One is] to focus on and pray Scripture [by choosing] a very small portion of Scripture to meditate on over a period of time. In one of our small groups we spent two weeks meditating, praying and contemplating the familiar words “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” We repeated these words prayerfully and in prayer, insight from this small verse came bubbling to the surface. What does it mean that the Lord is my shepherd? David wrote this and identified with God. In what ways did David see that what he did was also what God did? How might this have been helpful to him? Is there overlap between my profession and who I know God to be? What does it mean to not be in want? I always want. Why does having the Lord as my shepherd reduce my want? Is this what I really think, believe and live?

Discussion and prayer around these issues was enriching and inspiring. It was intellectual and heartfelt, but it didn’t try to conquer the entire terrain of Psalm 23. We were centered around how these few words of Scripture spoke to us about what was going on with us in our circumstances.

Taken from Soul-Shaping Small Groups: A Refreshing Approach for Exasperated Leaders by Kim V. Engelmann. Copyright(c) 2010 by Kim Engelmann. Used by permission of InterVarsity Press PO Box 1400 Downers Grove, IL 60515. www.ivpress.com.