If you were asked to name the most important thing you do as a Coffee Break leader, what would it be? Asking good questions? Facilitating the conversation? Getting through the lesson? Paying attention to group dynamics? Leading the prayer time?
All of these things are important and need to be developed as part of our leadership tool belt as well as one more. The spiritual growth of each member is important to every Coffee Break Leader. They recognize that the end goal is to have people becoming more like Jesus. That end goal means guiding people towards him as a spiritual guide.
Being a spiritual guide includes doing a few different things:
1. Thinking beyond information to transformation. Many of the questions in the Discover Your Bible study guides do a great job of helping the group get the information and interpret the facts. A spiritual guide goes beyond that skeleton of questions and thinks about the hearts of their group members.
2. Asking follow up questions. Follow-up questions explore the hearts of group members. With one ear listening to the group conversation and one ear listening to the Spirit’s prompting, the leaders guide group members to think about questions of the heart. Some questions to use in group could include:
- What about this passage resonates with where I’m at in life right now?
- What in this passage am I resisting?
- What do I need to change in response to what I’ve learned from this passage?
- How does this passage affirm where I’m at with God right now?
- Is there a relationship that needs attention?
- How might I ask others to pray for me after learning from this text? How will my prayers change?
- What will I do as a result of learning from this passage?
3. Practicing the skills. Being a group spiritual guide adds a rich dimension to our leadership that keeps us listening to the Spirit and growing ourselves. As with other leadership skills, it takes practice and intentionality. At first, asking these kinds of follow-up questions may feel risky. That’s okay. Take the risk!
Put your trust in the Spirit, the ultimate spiritual guide, and allow him to use your questions as he wills. Over time, and with his help, you will move beyond leading as a facilitator of information seeking to one who guides towards spiritual transformation.
How have you experienced Coffee Break as more than just informational and more as transformational?
How could you practice these steps in your Coffee Break Group?
Comments
Be sure to share what you think about being a Spiritual Guide!
I'm not a Coffee Break Leader but a Faith Formation Ministry Leader. I love your questions! I believe it is really important for us to read the Bible not just for information but for transformation. I heartily encourage all Coffee Break Leaders in being Spiritual Guides. I'm going to save this post for our small groups.
Thanks Kristin. This is my heart for Coffee Break. These are some very practical ways to integrate the focus on transformation into our weekly gatherings.
Thanks so much for this post, helping us to focus on transformation! I like the questions you've listed here. I really like that some of the questions are focused on the application of what we're learning. Sometimes there is a danger in thinking that we only need to change our hearts; but real transformation is lived out in our obedience. And, as we obey, we begin to experience even greater transformation. Our obedience fuels a heart change, which fuels our obedience, etc. It's like a dance!
Here are a couple of additional questions we might consider:
* What is God asking you to do?
* Where do you see God at work, and how can you join Him?
* Who else needs to know? Who can you share with about what you've learned today?
Thanks for your work!
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