 Listen to Yesterday Conversation
What is Leading TogetherOn Monday mornings at 9am join us for a 10 minute telephone conference which will be record for future reference. This telephone conference will be to discuss hot topics, key issues, and practical tools to helps us all lead a little better. After the 10 minutes Pastor Zach will be available till 9:30am to talk and discuss with those who call (this part will not be recorded.) The 10 minute recording will be posted to www.nlthrive.org/Leader-Tools
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A conversation between Pastor John and Pastor Zach about our new series, Restless. In the conversation we share a couple of tools on how to help your group care for others well.
 Read Previous Asking Good Questions Part 1 Part 2
Preparing Dynamic Questions Let's look at an example from Mark 4:35-41 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another,“Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Try It Out 1. Write out 5 – 10 questions before your group meeting and run them past another facilitator you respect. 2. Look for ways to ask fewer questions to create dialogue in your group.  Read Previous Asking Good Questions Part 1
Closed Questions vs. Open Questions During the two sub-par meetings, Peter focused entirely on the Bible passage. We covered the book of Jonah, so Peter asked, "Where did Jonah flee?" "To a ship bound for Tarshish," a member replied. "Great answer," said Peter. "Anyone else?" Silence. "Why did Jonah flee?" asked Peter. "Because he was disobedient," said another member. Peter tried to get more people to talk. "Would anyone else like to share?" A few mumbled a variation of the same answer, but when all was said and done, there was only one answer: Jonah was disobedient. Peter listened well, gave positive feedback, and did everything right. What more could the group say? There was basically only one answer to give. Jonah fled because he was disobedient. Someone might have added a few more adjectives like, "Jonah was gravely disobedient," but why bother? Even a superb, highly trained leader could not elicit more discussion from the question. Peter could have waited in silence for an hour, hoping for someone else to talk, and we had have sat there in silence with him. I talked to Peter a few days later. I shared with him my own failures and discoveries—especially in the area of asking questions. Fortunately, something clicked in Peter, and the next lesson was excellent. We covered Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Peter began with a few closed, observation questions to help us understand the biblical text. But this time he quickly applied the passage to our lives with questions like, "When was the last time you had a crisis? How did you handle it?" Peter followed with another application question, "How did God become a refuge in your life through your crisis?" Everyone had something to share. "Many years ago I administered the most successful tailoring business in the country," Paul began. "I loved my job and even made suits for the President. At the height of my success, the doctors told me it was either my health or my job, so I had to leave it. But God… " Then Carol shared, "Recently, my daughter Mary said she'd be home at 10 p.m., but at 1 a.m. she still hadn't arrived. I'm a nervous person anyway, but this time I was beyond myself. Through prayer, God began to… " Our group shared deeply that night. We bore each other's burdens. We came away edified, encouraged, and eager for more. Preparing the right questions before you start the meeting can give you assurance that the discussion will be lively and dynamic. Closed questions have only one correct answer. When a leader uses too many of them, he positions himself as a Bible expert who's trying to discover the brightest, most Biblically literate students. Open-ended questions, on the other hand, elicit discussion and sharing. There is more than one right answer. Open-ended questions stir cell members to apply biblical truths to their own lives. Read Post #3 About Asking Good Questions  Someone once asked random people what is the most valuable thing you have ever lost? Here are some of their responses:
Three Secrets to Great Questions Secret #1: Ask open-ended questions!
Read Post #3 About Asking Good Questions |
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