Small Groups | Knowable Word

Ask Good Interpretive Questions

October 3, 2014 By Peter Krol

This is a guest post by Ryan Higginbottom, Associate Professor of Mathematics at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, PA. When he’s not solving differential equations or blogging at A Small Work, he loves spending time with his wife and two daughters. He also leads a small group Bible study for his church. If you’d like to write a guest post for Knowable Word, please see the guidelines page.

But who do you say that I am? (Luke 9:20, ESV)

This piercing question follows a simple observation question (“Who do the crowds say that I am?”). Jesus requires his disciples to consider the popular answers (John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the prophets of old) along with the witness of his teaching and life. Jesus presses them to make sense of their observations.

Eric (2005), Creative Commons

Interpretation questions provide an indispensable turning point for small group discussions. Though we must observe well, we must not stop there. Wise leaders challenge people to make sense of observation through vibrant interpretation. Thus, having seen how to ask good observation questions in a small group setting, we are ready to take the next step.

One key idea will help you learn to ask good interpretation questions: Work backwards. Plant your flag on the main point of the passage, review the trail you hiked to get there, and develop questions that will guide your group back to the summit.

Working Backwards

Since the chief goal of interpretation is to identify the author’s main point in the passage, we want to lead our groups to that end. Ideally, we want to be able to state the central theme in a single sentence.

Then it is time to work backwards. Which observations were most significant? Which questions directed me to the main point? Which questions were good but tangential? How does the argument of the passage flow from beginning to end? Which highlights will best serve the group?

Case Study

My small group recently studied Isaiah 25:1-12. I stated the main point of the passage this way:

Praise God, for he will swallow up death, and he gives glimpses of that future reality now.

How did I structure my questions to guide the group toward this idea?

Beginning with the first stanza, Isaiah 25:1–5, I asked observation questions that pointed the group to previous themes in the book—such as the destruction of strong cities—and to repeated words or ideas, like strength (Isaiah 25:2, 3, 4) and the “ruthless” (Isaiah 25:3, 4, 5). I also asked what this stanza teaches about God.

These conversations set us up for the following interpretive questions that led the group to the main point:

Why will the strong and ruthless people glorify God? How would such people glorify God? This question prods the group to see God’s victory being so complete that his enemies can do nothing but honor him for his strength. God is such a stronghold for his people that his enemies are in awe.
Why does Isaiah 25:5 refer to “the song of the ruthless”? Probably, the ruthless would sing when victorious; if God silences this song, it means he is weakening their military power.
Why do the verb tenses keep changing (past, present, future)? This question explores the relationship between what God has done and what he will yet do. Thus, arriving at the chapter’s second stanza (Isaiah 25:6–12), we’ll see the connection between God’s having defeated human enemies and God’s coming defeat of the greatest enemy, death. The “forever” tone of Isaiah 25:2 foreshadows the eradication of death prophesied in Isaiah 25:7-8.

Final Thoughts

Here are some final tips for asking good interpretive questions.

Prepare, but be flexible. By all means, prepare well. Study, pray, and trust God as you prepare notes to guide your leadership of the discussion. But be flexible as well. Multiple paths of observation can lead to the same main point. Remember that you are fallible and others may correct or adjust your interpretations if they can prove it from the text. You may have even missed the passage’s main point and landed on a sub-point! Don’t dismiss unexpected responses. Push your group’s collective noses back into the text, and if they see something you didn’t, be ready to learn and rejoice. This is part of the beauty of studying the Bible in a group.
Ask honest questions. This point is related to the previous one. Make sure that your questions are offered in a spirit of honest inquiry. Do you want to know how your group interprets the passage, or are you just waiting for them to catch up and agree with you? Be curious. Seek the truth. Remember that the Holy Spirit gives understanding in different measures and at different times. When you ask a “What did he mean?” question, be ready to listen for sensible interpretations, not just for confirmation of your own conclusions.
Take one step at a time. Figure out the meaning of one stanza or paragraph and then move on. You don’t have to survey the entire passage before discussing the component pieces. The themes from each paragraph usually swirl together in the same current to bring the main point to shore.
Avoid asking, “What does this mean to you?” Since God’s truth lies in the text and not (naturally) in our hearts, we can extinguish this tricky little flame for good.

What about you? What have you learned about asking good interpretive questions in a small group?

Ask Good Observation Questions

September 26, 2014 By Peter Krol

You’ve finished preparing, and you’re ready to lead your Bible study discussion group. The next few Friday posts will focus on the skills we need to lead people well through OIA Bible study in a group context.

This first article is a guest post by Ryan Higginbottom, Associate Professor of Mathematics at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, PA. When he’s not solving differential equations or blogging at A Small Work, he loves spending time with his wife and two daughters. He also leads a small group Bible study for his church. If you’d like to write a guest post for Knowable Word, please see the guidelines page.

When reading the Gospels, have you noticed how often Jesus asks questions? His disciples must have been incredibly frustrated. They wanted answers; he served up another round of questions. Why? Through intentional interrogation, he often showed them to be asking the wrong questions entirely.

Tim O’Brien (2006), Creative Commons

Because Jesus bound up so much of his ministry with inquiries, Christian faith and discernment will lead us to develop the ability to ask good questions. Such questions (and willing answers, of course) are a key part of healthy marriages, vibrant classes, joyful homes, and thriving mentorships. But in particular, good questions are the engine that chugs effective small group Bible studies into the station.

The Function of Good Questions

Perhaps you’ve been in a Bible study with a skilled and wise leader, whose questions guide the group through the critical parts of a passage. You may not even remember these questions, however, since good questions are almost invisible. But without them the group would function like a legs-up turtle. These are not the clever, witty, eloquent questions of the orator or debater. They don’t draw attention to themselves.

Bad questions, on the other hand, are as subtle as a fire alarm. Instead of encouraging discussion, they shut it down. They interrupt the flow of dialogue and generate silence, while the leader squirms and the group members wonder what’s for dinner.

What is the difference between a good question and a bad one? What are some characteristics of good questions?

Observation Questions for Small Groups

The foundation of any Bible study lies with careful observation of the text. This is no less true for group study than it is for individual study. So how do we ask good observation questions?

Let’s take Acts 19:1–10 as a sample passage. Imagine you are preparing to lead a discussion on it, and you want to draw people out by drawing them into the text. Your questions will make all the difference.

Bad Observation Questions

What baptism did the Ephesian disciples receive?
What was the first thing Paul did when he arrived in Ephesus?
When did Paul move to the hall of Tyrannus?

Good Observation Questions

What experience of Christianity did the Ephesian disciples have before Paul arrived?
How does Paul interact with the Ephesian disciples?
How is the passage structured?

Though the bad questions require observations for answers, the dialogue goes no further. These queries focus on a single detail, and the group members serve only to fill in the blanks left by the leader, who diligently steers clear of the conversation highway. Let’s be honest: While this approach offers a safe and easy way to create an appearance of participation, it also safely avoids the powerful, spontaneous, and unpredictable work of the Spirit in the minds and hearts of others.

The good questions, however, encourage meaningful discussion and interaction, while still drawing out specific observations. They are more open-ended, enabling group members to pick up on the important features of a passage and leave the smaller details alone. These questions simultaneously engage the group and open the door to interpretation.

What about you? What are some examples of effective observation questions you’ve asked (or answered!) in a small-group setting?

Sample Launching Questions for Bible Studies

September 5, 2014 By Peter Krol

Stephen Crawford (2011), Creative Commons

Bible studies often begin well with a good launching question. When I prepare to lead, I usually prepare the beginning at the end. I like to know where I’m going before I decide which way to kick the thing off.

For those who like examples, I now spread a feast. Here’s a list of sample launching questions I’ve used in the last 6 months with (hopefully) enough context for you to make sense of them. The “Central Truth” was the passage’s main point that I wanted the group to see by the end of the study. The Launching Question was my very first question to begin the study.

Exodus Launching Questions

Context: church small group with a variety of ages and life situations among the members.

Exodus 3:7-4:17

Central Truth: God’s agents must share God’s heart for God’s people, but often they don’t.
Launching Question: How do you normally respond to the weakness or suffering of other people?

Exodus 4:18-31

(I can’t take credit for this one. My co-leader Warren Wright led this study.)

Central Truth: God prepares and provides for His servants so that they may be ready for service.
Launching Question: How does God prepare you for service? Or: How do you prepare for important events/actions?

Exodus 5:1-21

Central Truth: When God’s plan doesn’t match our plan, we usually look for someone to blame.
Launching Question: What would you like to see God do in our Growth Group? (Dream big!) What will you do if the group doesn’t meet your expectations?

Exodus 5:22-7:7

Central Truth: To know Yahweh as your God, you must experience deliverance and the fulfillment of his promises by the hand of his mediator.
Launching Question: What do you think it means to know God? How does one go about knowing God?

Exodus 11:1-12:28

Central Truth: All must know that Yahweh owns everything and remakes his creation at will.
Launching Question: What does it mean to “redeem” something? In ordinary usage? In the Bible? [I wanted to get at the idea of ownership.]

Exodus 12:29-13:16

Central Truth: Future generations must know that Yahweh owns the firstborn (=everything) and remakes his creation at will.
Launching Question: What is the most important thing you would like to be remembered for in the future?

John Launching Questions

Context: ministry small group with summer interns (all undergraduate college students). I felt like I could push the boundaries of social awkwardness just a little to make John’s points clear.

John 1:1-18

Central Truth: The eternal God entered human history to reveal himself so we might become his children, but our natural response is to reject him.
Launching Question: Let’s test the quality of your sex education: How is a baby born?

John 3

Central Truth: We must know two things to see and enter the Kingdom of God: 1) The Bad News: our need for rebirth, 2) The Good News: the arrival of a savior.
Launching Question: What happens when a willing couple can’t get pregnant? [Insert discussion of modern fertility treatment procedures and the understandable desire to make new births happen.] Why do you think people won’t accept Jesus’ message today? [Connect to our inability to force a new birth.]

John 19

Central Truth: The King’s work is complete.
Launching Question: Would you like to have a romantic relationship? Why? How else do you respond to your innate sense of incompletion or loneliness?

I invite your opinion. How could these launching questions be improved?

Be Sure to Begin Well

August 29, 2014 By Peter Krol

How should I begin this post? Should I ask a question? Tell a story about the last time I tried to create a clever introduction? Perhaps I must always make a broad and over-generalized but intriguing suggestion. Or maybe ultra-vivid, razor-sharp imagery will slice your jugular and capture your attention while your lifeblood slips through my fingers.

I have many options, but each promotes the same goal: hooking you early and giving you reason to read on.

Perhaps such a communication technique is a place where “the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light” (Luke 16:8). The secular world runneth over with advice on presentations, public speaking, dynamic teamship, and interpersonal communication; but many Bible studies are boring. And the boredom wastes no time to settle in. The first 5 minutes often signify what is yet to come.

Steve Jurvetson (2011), Creative Commons

In his excellent Growth Groups training manual, Colin Marshall recommends introducing Bible studies with a “launching question.”

A launching question should be:

• Purposeful—introducing the main ideas or applications that will be addressed.
• Interesting—engaging the group’s attention and arousing their minds.
• Easy—making them the experts so all can contribute early in the discussion.
• Open—with many possible answers.

There are two general types of launching questions:

• Topical—to raise the issues related to the goals of the study, by posing a dilemma or asking opinions.
• Textual—to raise an issue in the text being studied which will help to unravel the whole passage. (p.39)

While we don’t have examples in Scripture of Bible study discussions, we have plenty of examples of good introductions. They’ll mold our thinking as long as we don’t train ourselves to ignore them and move quickly to the “body” of the text. Here’s a sampling:

In Galatians 1:1-5, Paul introduces his key themes of apostolic authority and true gospel.
Matthew 1:1 insinuates that this Gospel will focus on Jesus’ Jewishness and kingship.
Daniel 1:1-2 exposes the book’s main idea early: Though there are earthly kings who wield power according to their own pleasure, there is a heavenly King of kings who decides what finally happens and what gets given into whose hands.
Psalms 1 and 2 provide context for the collection by bracketing a double blessing (Psalm 1:1, 2:12) around those who 1) delight in God’s law and 2) submit to God’s king.

What other biblical introductions motivate you to read on?

By beginning a Bible study well, we do the same thing: We give people reason to listen and take part. “But the Bible itself is reason enough to listen and take part. We shouldn’t have to try to make the Bible exciting,” you say.

And I say, “Right on. We don’t have to make the Bible exciting. But if we’re not careful, we’ll lead people to think it’s boring and irrelevant.”

That’s why the launching question is usually the last thing I do when I prepare to lead a Bible study. (See the 5th of the 5 practices for preparing effective Bible studies.) The goal of the launching question is not merely to capture attention; you could do that by painting your face and dancing in Gangnam style. The goal is to unleash the text and win people early to the main idea.

Therefore, before I can start the trip, I must know where I’d like to go.

5 Things to Consider When Framing a Bible Study

August 22, 2014 By Peter Krol

Rachel James (2006), Creative Commons

To lead our groups toward what God has said, we can reframe our Bible studies for different audiences, even when we cover the same text. But how do we go about framing the study for a particular audience? How do we construct a discussion plan for a specific group of people?

1. Don’t get ahead of yourself

The study’s framing is 4th on the list of 5 practices for preparing effective Bible studies. Don’t worry about getting the framing right until after you’ve taken care to 1) depend on the Lord, 2) understand the passage’s main point, and 3) apply the main point to your own life. Work on framing too soon, and you may lose clarity or credibility in your leadership.

2. Consider the group’s size

I’ll prepare a Bible study differently for a small group vs. a large group. With a larger audience, questions must be more direct to keep the discussion moving. If either the question is too open or the answer is too obvious, you’re most likely to suppress interaction. But for smaller groups, open questions like “What stood out to you in the passage?” may work just fine.

Thus in a larger group, I want the passage’s main point to take center stage. I’ll open with it and return to it often. In a smaller group, I prefer to help the group discover the main point through the discussion.

3. Be aware of your relationship with the group

For people he has never met, Paul—though warm—is somewhat formal (Rom 1:8-15) yet bold (Rom 15:15, 24). With close partners and key laborers, he gushes (1 Thess 2:17-20, 3:8, 2 Tim 2:1-8).

The truth itself will never change, but the way you pitch it may change depending on your relationship with your group. In studying 2 Timothy 3:10-17 with my church, I framed it as “What We Believe About the Bible”—personal, inclusive, familiar. I’d hesitate to use language like “what we believe” with a group of people I’ve never met; it might sound presumptuous. A better pitch for them would be “What the Bible Says About the Bible” or “What You Can Expect of the Bible.”

4. Know the group’s values and shared experiences

You’ll build more credibility as a teacher if you know your people. What do they want to get out of life? What brings them together? Why are they coming to your Bible study? What events have recently affected their community? What do they value? How do they talk? What do they do when they spend time together?

When you know your group well, you’ll craft a more personal and relevant Bible study, which produces higher impact and memorability.

For example, with college students, I try to be hip, but in an awkward sort of way (making it clear that I know I’m not really hip). I do this not to get them to like me but to communicate how much I like them. It’s my jam to understand these students better. For realz.

With families at church, I spend more time sharing about my family and our interactions with other families.

When I’m a guest teacher in a new place, I use that church’s pew Bible, and I listen to informal conversation to find something to incorporate into the study. It’s not hard to uncover a local news event or a church happening or an individual’s hope for the future. Working such things into the discussion (or into the framing of the study) makes the topic more palatable and helps it to stick.

5. Try different things

The key is not to master a set of techniques but to learn to love your people. Paul models such flexible servant leadership as he preaches to different groups of people:

Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt… (Acts 13:17)

Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious… (Acts 17:22)

We don’t teach to feel better about ourselves, nor to earn brownie points for being truth-bearers. We do it to serve God’s people and win outsiders into the Kingdom. We lead by laying down our lives and seeking to enter theirs (Mark 10:42-45).

What Do You Expect of Your Bible Study Group?

May 30, 2014 By Peter Krol

The first Bible study I attended in college let me down terribly. I arrived armed with my new NIV Study Bible—a graduation present from my gram—and fresh out of Christian summer camp counseling mode, ready to get busy. At the meeting, nobody else had a Bible. We never spoke of the Bible. I don’t think Jesus came up much either, except as an alternative lifestyle option. After the study, I wept as I walked back to my dorm room, fearing I had missed the Rapture, for surely I was the only Christian left on earth.

Expectations sure are funny things.

Dani Sarda i Lizaran (2009), Creative Commons

We all have them, but often we don’t realize it until they’re not met. Sometimes we set them disappointingly low to avoid disappointment. Sometimes we set them frustratingly high to push through frustration. We wield our expectations like hot pokers to get people moving in our preferred direction. And we retreat into our expectations to find comfort when life goes awry.

Though expectations can be abused, they are not always a bad thing. God has expectations. God often tells his people what to expect. Jesus called his disciples with expectations (Mark 1:17), and he took care to shepherd them through their expectations preceding his death and resurrection (John 13-16).

As you study the word with others, you may find it beneficial to set and communicate clear expectations. Otherwise, you increase the danger of frustrating or disappointing yourself or others, and you may limit your return on the Lord’s investment.

What expectations should you consider?

Content – what will you study? Will your group be a Bible study or a book discussion group?
Meetings – how often will you meet? What time will the meeting begin and end?
Attendance – do you expect group members to commit to attending, or are you open to sporadic involvement?
Preparation – should attendees do anything to prepare? Do you want them to read the passage once? Five times? Spend an hour or five hours studying it before the meeting?
Participation – is your group more of a cooking class or a cafeteria? Both have their places.
Proficiency – will you aim the discussion at a certain skill level? Should group members have any experience with OIA Bible study before joining this group?

Through the spring, I led a pretty low-commitment, low-expectation Bible study, though I did ask members to read the passage once and consider a few questions before each meeting. The expectations were just right for the group of people we had, though by the end many of them were ready for something more.

This summer, I’ll be leading a Bible study with a higher octane rating. It consists of 13 hand-picked people who are learning to minister to others. I’ll expect them to commit to weekly 90-minute meetings and 3-5 hours of preparation. I’ll communicate up front that, by the time they arrive at the meeting, they should know the text well enough that they won’t need a Bible in front of them to discuss it.

There’s a time and a place for different sets of expectations. But if you’re not clear on them, the law of entropy will drag you down to a slow crawl every time. And disappointment may drown discovery. Don’t wait for circumstances to decide outcomes; life is too short, and Christ’s mission is too important.

But if the Lord has different expectations than you have, go with his. It’s much easier that way.

Growth Groups: Colin Marshall

May 21, 2014 By Peter Krol

Colin Marshall has been training people in small groups ministry for over 25 years, and he’s given the rest of us a superb manual in his Growth Groups: A Training Course in How to Lead Small Groups. Over the last year, I worked through this material with the co-leader of my small group. Few books have influenced me as deeply as this book has.

Marshall covers everything from small group strategy to Bible study preparation to leadership development. He explains how to ask good questions. He demonstrates how to respond to difficult people. His manual is short and to the point. His writing is clear. His use of Scripture is remarkably careful and inspiring.

Here are some of my favorite nuggets:

Christian groups are not primarily about helping people with their problems…The focus of Christian groups is growth, not problems.

As well as communicating the meaning of the Bible, the studies we prepare should teach good habits for interpreting the Bible.

We tend to give commentaries more authority than they deserve.

To apply the Bible to our group we need to be studying and understanding our group members and the context in which they are living as Christians.

These are sure-fire conversation stoppers: saying an answer is wrong, refusing to discuss an issue, or saying ‘It’s different in the Hebrew text.’

Even though he is teaching through discussion, the leader must be able to guide the group to right conclusions.

We don’t want to become spiritual guides for people and make them dependent on us rather than God.

If you’d like a decent resource to help you learn to lead a small group (or train others to lead them), I couldn’t recommend this book any more highly.

A few warnings:

Forget about buying this one from Amazon. I’m not sure why Amazon has weird editions (perhaps it has something to do with the book’s being published in Australia). Just go with Westminster Bookstore.
Be careful not to end up with the Trainers Notes (basically, the leader’s manual) unless you get it in addition to the regular/student manual.
Watch out! Marshall will challenge your assumptions about the purpose of small groups, how to handle needy people, and what to do if your group loses steam.

Check it out!

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