Welcome to Season 1 Episode 25 of Your Church Matters. In this episode, I offered 10 Commandments that can be immediately implemented to increase the effectiveness of small group Bible study, no matter what you call it (Sunday School, Small Groups, Life Groups, etc) and where you have it (homes, community building, church campus, etc).
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1. Thou shalt not bore thy class. (BE ENGAGING)
- Lecture vs. Engaging Discussion
- Powerful, open questions vs. Closed statements or rhetorical questions
- Be curious
2. Thou shalt celebrate authenticity. (BE REAL)
- Every person has a story
3. Thou shalt prepare with intentionality. (BE PREPARED)
- Spiritual (prayer and consistently walking with God)
- Mental (preparation of the lesson, crafting powerful questions)
- Emotional (What’s your story? How do you connect with this lesson?)
- Physical (good night’s sleep, get up early enough to avoid rush, prepare space)
4. Thou shalt redeem the time. (BE TIMELY)
- Chronos (arrival time, start time, stop time)
- Kairos (what’s going on in the world? In the lives of class members?)
5. Thou shalt engage THE STORY. (BE FOCUSED)
- The Bible, today’s text, how today’s text connects with the entire witness of Scripture
- THE STORY has one main character – Jesus!
6. Thou shalt embrace the mission of the church. (BE ON MISSION)
- Do you know your church’s mission?
- Connect the dots (bible study, worship, missions, ministry, outreach)
7. Thou shalt encourage the Body. (BE CONNECTED)
- Do life together (body, family, community)
- People who get connected to an open, discipleship based small group are 5 times more likely to plug into the body life of the church than those who only attend worship services
8. Thou shalt empower disciples. (BE PURPOSEFUL)
- The purpose of the church is to make disciples who make disciples.
- Intentionality, accountability, support
The purpose of the church is to make disciples who make disciples. Click To Tweet
9. Thou shalt unleash ministers. (BE CATALYTIC)
- Every Christ-follower is called to ministry
- Discovery, opportunity, accountability, trust
- Small group is mini-church (lose the bad church model of casual observers)
10. Thou shalt journey with joy. (BE JOYFUL)
- We have more to be joyful about
- Not “terminal positivity”
- Eternity focused, purposeful, deep joy
To comment on this episode or leave a question for a future episode:
1. Comment section below
2. Email: contactgerrylewis@gmail.com
3. Voicemail: 817-929-0643
4. Direct tweet @drgerrylewis
*Special thanks to Keith Cooper (Guitar Music)
