A few things I have learned while trying to select study material for people in order to grow their faith. After sizing up spiritual weaknesses, I can come up with a good study list. Stuff people need to know. For instance a broke man might need to learn about managing money. What about a husband who needs to communicate more often with his wife. But what does the poor man choose the beatitudes or the book of James. The inattentive husband picks a business or leadership study.
We give groups options as to what they are going to study. Our group attendance has never been higher, people are more optimistic. This looks great. I just wonder if focusing on the growth opportunity areas is the wrong way to go. Is the notion of a spiritual Renaissance man foolish.
An even better question to me is, where in my life do I need to learn a lesson of two. Where am I choosing to spend my learning time. What study should I be looking at?
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2 comments:
Thanks for the comment on partnership, bro. Figuring out partnerships that allows us to both mobilize our people and serve with excellence is going to be key to the next wave of Kingdom development. It's funny you specically mentioned a Homeless Center. We have a killer partnership with both Homeless Centers in our community. I posted on it today if you want to check it out.
Jamie,
I came across this entry on your blog and thought "what a coincidence, I was just thinking about small groups at dinner tonight" ;) It is great that you are trying to find the perfect mix of being prayerful and flexible with curriculum, and it can be frustrating when a group decides to study "Famous Bible verses spotted during televised football events" instead of the Biblical principals of finances, but the reality is you don't need to sweat over it. While the study topic seems to draw people to a group, God has a way of making that study just perfect for all that he intends to draw together. Whether it is a couple struggling with a health issue that just need others to love on them for a while or a group of men who all silently struggle with the same addiction and discover they are in it together, God, time and again takes a group of people that choose to meet on a topic and swirls their lifes together in a way that glorifies Him and changes them. In the end, we all realize we just paid $20 to buy a book when all we needed was an excuse to have some fellowship and accountability.
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