Seeker Group Training - SELC District · Each group should get into the actual Bible passage within...

Seeker Group Training

All Rights ReservedMissions International • PO Box 681299 • Franklin, TN 37068

©2006

For more information, please contact Missions International

PO Box 681299, Franklin, TN 37068615-599-5499, ext. 101

[email protected]

Permission to photocopy this training materialis granted by Missions International for use in

Lutheran Church Missouri Synod congregations.

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Facilitator GuideEMPOWERED BY (SG)2The Seeker Series

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Training Session 1Facilitator Notes

A Special Note to the FacilitatorThese four meetings are designed to be experiential in nature. Adults learn best in the context of an environment where they actually have to do something. All that to say: This is not a lecture based training course. We want to get people involved in touching and experiencing the discussions. Also, participants are going to be encouraged to begin thinking and praying about who they want to invite to their Seeker discussions. We want them to have lead time to prepare and to extend invitations. Across the nation, Seeker studies are being used by God to sow the wonderful seeds of the Gospel. You are in for a fantastic journey!

Training Session 1 GuidelinesCourse Objectives (10 minutes)Consider starting the first meeting with introductions. Ask everyone to tell the group what caused them to come to the training. Open in prayer after the introductions.

Next, let everyone look over the course objectives. Simply highlight the experiential nature of the training and that each meeting will have the three components and that there will be homework!

Training Section One: Experience a Study (30 Minutes)You won’t have time to get through the entire study. That’s okay. We simply want everyone to get a taste of a Seeker Study at this point. With this in mind, walk everyone through the information which explains the four components of the discussions. Don’t belabor the point here. The information will make more sense after they have experienced it a few times. Then quickly assign people different pieces of the first study, “The Search for Peace.” For maximum participation, break folks up into as many groups of four as possible. You want one person leading a piece of the discussion. For example: One person leads the Icebreaker One person leads the Transition and so forth…

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Each group should get into the actual Bible passage within 10 minutes! So they will need to move quickly through the icebreaker and transition components. Remember, this is basic orientation at this point.

Training Section Two: Facilitating Tips (10 minutes) Spend a little time as a group answering the three role play debrief questions. You will be doing this three more times in the training so don’t spend too much time here. Next, allow everyone to read the two facilitating tips. Ask people if they have any comments or questions about the tips. Also, feel free to highlight something that you think is important. Seeker studies are different than your typical “Bible study” and Christians need to behave a bit differently!

Training Section Three: Inviting our Friends (10 Minutes) Each of the four training meetings will emphasize some aspect of preparing to invite people to a Seeker discussion. Give people time to fill out their four circles. If you have time, people could share their four circles and pray over them in groups of 2-3. Before you dismiss, highlight the homework assignment.

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Training Session 1

Course ObjectiveOver the next four meetings, the Seeker Study Training will equip you in three distinct ways:

1. Leading the various components of a seeker study (40 minutes) 2. Learning to facilitate a discovery oriented discussion (10 minutes) 3. Learning how to invite friends to a Seeker Study (10 minutes)

To accomplish these three objectives, each training meeting will be divided into three sections: Experience a Study, Facilitating Tips, and Invitation Game Plan. In the “Experience a Study” portion you will go through portions of an actual Seeker Study so that you get a feel for the various components of a meeting. In the “Facilitating Tips” section you will interact on the unique distinctives of a Seeker Study and learn how to create a safe discussion environment. In the third section, “Invitation Game Plan,” you will concentrate on praying and preparing to invite friends to your discussion group.


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Training Session 1

Practice SessionNow that you understand a little bit about how the discussions have been constructed, let’s get out on the playing field and give one of the studies a try. If you have seven or more people present, consider dividing up into two or more groups for this practice session. Quickly decide who is going to take what part of the discussion as outlined below. • One person takes the Icebreaker questions (5 minutes) • One person takes the Transition questions (5 minutes) • One person reads the Passage aloud (3 minutes) • One (or more) person takes the Discussion questions. (20 minutes)

Remember: Your job is simply to ask the question and then let the group enter in. Don’t be afraid of silence!

The Seeker Series

Role Play a Seeker Study: 40 minutes

Facilitating Tips - Habits of Effectiveness: 10 minutes

Preparing to Invite: 10 minutes

Meeting One Meeting Two Meeting Three Meeting Four

Group transitions to running the Seeker Series with their invited friends

Experience a StudyOne of the best ways to get comfortable leading a Seeker Study is to actually lead one! Nothing beats experience. With this in mind, you will be role playing an actual study that you will use when you officially start your group. Before launching into the role play though, let’s step out to the big picture for a moment so that you understand how the studies are constructed. Each discussion meeting is broken into four components: 1. Icebreaker (to build community) (10 minutes) 2. Transition icebreaker (related to the study) (10 minutes) 3. Passage (read together) 4. Combination of discussion questions (30-40 minutes) Observation questions: What the passage is actually saying? Interpretation questions: Reading between the lines for meaning. Reflection questions: What connections can I make to my world, to my past, to my future? Application questions: Implications, possibilities, and additional questions; something that was resolved for me…

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The Search for Peace

Icebreaker Questions

If you could go back in time what period of time would you like to visit? How come?

What do you picture yourself doing in the retirement years?

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Transition QuestionsWhat kinds of things do we worry about in our culture today?

Of these things, which one(s) are you prone to worry about?

What prices do we pay by worrying?

The Search for Peace

One of Jesus’ missions during His lifetime was to help people in their search for peace. Let’s take a look at a portion of the Bible where Jesus talks openly about worry and where we can find much sought after peace.

Overcoming WorrySomeone out of the crowd said, “Teacher, order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance.” He replied, “Mister, what makes you think it’s any of my business to be a judge or mediator for you?” Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”

Then he told them this story: “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’

Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods -- who gets it?’ That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.”

He continued this subject with his disciples. “Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered,

Training Session 1

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not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.

Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance -- but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?

What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.”Luke 12 (from the Message)

Discussion Questions1. What did the man seem to be worried about in the beginning of the passage?

2. What do you think Jesus would say in response to the bumper sticker that said “He who dies with the most toys wins”?

3. What does the phrase “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God” mean to you?

4. What are various ways we “fill our barns with self?”

5. What attitudes does Jesus seem to be concerned with in these verses?

6. What alternatives does Jesus provide for worry? What are some keys to finding peace?

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Training Session 17. What do you think it means to “steep yourself in God-reality, God initiative, God-provisions?”

8. What factors contribute toward us getting preoccupied with “getting”?

9. What do you think it means to relax and respond to God’s giving?

10. On a scale from 1 to 10, where would you put yourself on the “worry scale” if 1= “I got total peace in my life” and 10= “I’m so stressed my eyeballs are bulging!”? Share a little bit about how you scored yourself.

11. In what ways might God want to help you find more peace in your life?

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Facilitating TipsRole Playing DebriefWhat went well?What surprised you?How could the discussion have been even better?

Facilitation Tip #1: You’re not the expertOne of the distinctives of a Seeker discussion is that it is not built around the expertise of the facilitator or discussion leader. Release your fear or apprehension that you will need to know how to answer all of the questions that come up. Your role is simply to get people talking and to engage each other and God’s Word. If you posture yourself as the expert, you will kill fruitful and authentic interactions.

Facilitation Tip #2: It’s about self-discoveryThe objective of a Seeker discussion is to sow seeds and to not necessarily reap a harvest. In other words, we want people to wrestle, ponder, question, and puzzle about spiritual matters in a safe environment. The goal isn’t to have nice, neat little packages at the end of the meeting. This is very different for some Christians. Many of us are used to being in classes or groups where we have been told what the answers are. In a Seeker discussion we want our friends to discover things on their own…at their pace.

Inviting Our FriendsThe first step in launching a Seeker Group is giving careful consideration to who you would like to invite. With this in mind, take a few minutes to consider the four criteria from the resource Maxhealth by Rick Tansey and Terry Walling (available from ChurchSmart Resources).

There are four criteria that provide a starting place

1. You know them on a first-name basis. 2. You have regular contact with them. 3. They don’t seem to enjoy a personal relationship with God. 4. You feel they are responsive and open to cultivating a relationship based on common ground.

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Training Session 1Assignment: Take a few minutes and brainstorm names of people that you could put in the various circles below.

There are four categories of people that you already know: FAMILY RECREATION NEIGHBORHOOD EMPLOYMENT

Homework Assignment: Over the next week, aim to pray each day for the names that you have put in the circles. Specifically, ask God to create openness in their hearts and minds to join your Seeker Group.

FAMILY

EMPLOYMENTNEIGHBORHOOD

RECREATION

MY WORLD

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Training Session �Facilitator Notes

A Special Note to the FacilitatorThis meeting will run in a very similar fashion to the first training session. It’s all about experiencing a Seeker study. You may want to point out to everyone at the onset of the meeting that their homework assignment for this session will be to build a draft of a Seeker study on their own (or with a partner).

Training Session 2 GuidelinesCourse Objectives (5 minutes)At the beginning of the session simply remind people of the components of the training. There are three pieces with a homework assignment at the end. Open in prayer.

Training Section One: Experience a Study (40 Minutes)This will follow the same format as the last meeting. The only nuance for Session 2 is that we want to give the group(s) more time to experience as much of the discussion as possible. Encourage the groups to get into the passage and discussion questions with 10 – 15 minutes after the icebreaker and transition questions. Remind everyone that they don’t have to answer all of the opening questions. More than one choice is given for flexibility. Remind the group(s) that they can choose to read the passage out loud together or silently.

Training Section Two: Facilitating Tips (10 minutes) Spend a little time as a group answering the three role play debrief questions. Next, allow everyone to read the two facilitating tips. Ask people if they have any comments or questions about the tips. Also, feel free to highlight something that you think is important. Remember…we are trying to highlight that Seeker studies are different than your typical “Bible study” and that Christians need to behave a bit differently!

Training Section Three: Inviting our Friends (10 Minutes) Feel free to linger in this section. We want people to begin thinking and considering who they are going to invite. Allow the group time to look

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over the material in this section and to get people talking about their friends. You might consider having people talk about challenges that they will personally face in the invitation process. The next session will highlight more about how to invite a seeker.

Homework (5 minutes) Before you dismiss, draw everyone’s attention to the homework. The passage entitled “The Big Party” is from Luke 13 and is the passage we want them to practice building a Seeker study. Close in prayer.

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Course ObjectiveThe Seeker Study Training will equip you in three distinct ways: 1. Leading the various components of a seeker study (40 minutes) 2. Learning to facilitate a discovery oriented discussion (10 minutes) 3. Learning how to invite friends to a Seeker Study (10 minutes)

We Are Here

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Experience a StudyIf you have seven or more people present consider dividing up into two or more groups for this practice session. Make sure that everyone tries a different section from what they have experienced previously. Quickly decide who is going to take what part of the discussion as outlined below. • One person takes the Icebreaker questions (5 minutes) • One person takes the Transition questions (5 minutes) • One person reads the Passage aloud (3 minutes) • One (or more) person takes the Discussion questions. (20 minutes)



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The Search for Relationship


What movie have you enjoyed recently?

What did you enjoy about it?

Who was one of your favorite teachers and why?


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Transition QuestionsShare a little bit about a friend (currently or in the past). What did you appreciate about the friendship you had with this person?

What qualities do you look for in a friend now?

The Search for Relationship

One of Jesus’ missions during His lifetime was to help people in their search for meaningful connections in life. Let’s take a look at a portion of the Bible where Jesus tells a story about the connection of a father to a son.

The Story of the Lost SonThen he said, “There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, ‘Father, I want right now what’s coming to me.’

So the father divided the property between them. It wasn’t long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.

That brought him to his senses. He said, ‘All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I’m going back to my father. I’ll say to him,

Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.’ He got right up and went home to his father.

When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech:

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‘Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son ever again.’

But the father wasn’t listening. He was calling to the servants, ‘Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We’re going to feast! We’re going to have a wonderful time! My son is here--given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!’ And they began to have a wonderful time.

All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day’s work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, ‘Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast -- barbecued beef! - because he has him home safe and sound.’

The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen. The son said, “Look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you,never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!’

His father said, ‘Son, you don’t understand. You’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours -- but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he’s alive! He was lost, and he’s found!’”Luke 15 (from the Message)

Discussion Questions1. What do you think caused the young man to leave home?

2. What kinds of feelings do you think the son’s request stirred up inside of his father?

3. Why do you think the father gave him the money?


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4. What caused the son to eventually return home?

5. What stands out to you about the reunion of the father and the son at the end of the story?

6. What might have been some of the reasons that Jesus told this story in the first place?

7. Have you or anyone you know ever acted the part of the son?

8. Has anyone ever acted the part of the father in your life?

9. In what ways might the father provide us with a picture of who God is?

10. If you were to place yourself in the story, where would you place yourself?

- with your hand out asking for money

- on the road as you move away from home

- having a good time with my friends

- stuck in the mud

- coming to my senses

- on the long walk back toward home

- enclosed in the embrace of the father

11. What is one fresh insight for you personally from this discussion?


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Facilitation Tip #1: Remember their fearsOne of the most challenging aspects of leading a Seeker discussion is the need to sympathize with Seekers. Coming to the discussion group takes courage and he or she has probably come with some measure of apprehension. A Seeker doesn’t want to be made to feel foolish or incompetent. The discussion environment needs to be a safe place for the free exchange of thoughts. The Christians in the group and the discussion leader must work hard to guard the integrity of the environment. When you remember the fears of a Seeker, you go a long way toward building trust and rapport.

Facilitation Tip #2: Avoid rabbit trailsOne of the challenges of leading a Seeker Study is the inevitability that the discussion will move “off-target” from time to time. Although it is fascinating to debate the question, “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” it is rarely fruitful to let tangent dialogue to simply ramble on. The discussion questions move through a predictable flow so that a group can stay on target while considering the Bible passage. However, if a unique question does surface during the meeting that doesn’t quite fit or could take the group down a rabbit trail, simply redirect the group or individual by gently saying, “Now, that’s an interesting question. Would you mind if we talked a bit later about what you have raised?” We want to honor the question with tact and sensitivity while helping move the conversation forward.

Inviting Our FriendsOne of the major challenges most of us will encounter in Seeker Groups is getting the courage to ask our friends to come. We need to pray faithfully by asking God to create openness in the hearts and minds of our friends. But we also need to ask the Lord for boldness. In the booklet, How to lead a Seeker Bible discussion by Rebecca Manley Pippert (available through Inter-Varsity Press), the following story is shared:

“I daily prayed that God would give me boldness and fill me with his Spirit. I also prayed daily for the women I planned to invite. I actually wrote out my ‘invitation speech’ on a note card. I was still feeling nervous, so I called my


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Training Session �husband and asked him if I could practice on him! ...I invited a new neighbor on my block who said, ‘Sorry I don’t do Bible study.’ By then my confidence had started to build so I answered, ‘Well at least come to our first coffee, meet some of your neighbors and listen to what we’re going to do!’”

Pippert outlines a number of invitation principles worth considering:

1. Have a positive attitude. Your friends will be more likely to say yes to coming if your invitation is backed with enthusiasm. 2. Assure your friends that knowledge of the Bible isn’t a necessity or that accepting that Christianity is valid. Let them know that this is an environment to ask questions and to simply explore what the Bible has to say. 3. Before you invite anyone, make sure that you decide on the time and place of the first meeting. Ask your friends to simply come and to check out the first gathering with no strings attached. 4. Provide a follow-up call as a gentle reminder a couple of days before the first meeting. 5. Write down your invitation and practice it a few times until it becomes natural (we’ll cover more on this in the next training meeting).


Make a draft of your own Seeker Study. Use the discussion questions from the training sessions to be a guide for you. In particular, take some time to try your hand at developing Seeker discussion questions for the following passage from Luke 13 entitled “The Big Party.” Notice that the Seeker Studies you have experienced have three discussion question components:

a. Observation questions- What does the passage say?

b. Interpretation questions- What does the passage mean?

c. Application questions- How does this apply to us today?

Please refer to the appendix for more help on building a seeker study. The process is broken down into three simple steps.


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Training Session �The Big Party

Then he said, “How can I picture God’s kingdom for you? What kind of story can I use? It’s like a pine nut that a man plants in his front yard..It grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches, and eagles build nests in it.”

He tried again. “How can I picture God’s kingdom? It’s like yeast that a woman works into enough dough for three loaves of bread -- and waits while the dough rises.”

He went on teaching from town to village, village to town, but keeping on a steady course toward Jerusalem.

A bystander said, “Master, will only a few be saved?”

He said, “Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life -- to God! - is vigorous and requires your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you’ll sit down to God’s salvation banquet just because you’ve been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives. Well, one day you’re going to be banging on the door, wanting to get in, but you’ll find the door locked and the Master saying, ‘Sorry, you’re not on my guest list.’

You’ll protest, ‘But we’ve known you all our lives!’ only to be interrupted with his abrupt, ‘Your kind of knowing can hardly be called knowing. You don’t know the first thing about me.’

That’s when you’ll find yourselves out in the cold, strangers to grace…You’ll watch outsiders stream in from east, west, north, and south and sit down at the table of God’s kingdom. And all the time you’ll be outside looking in -- and wondering what happened.”

Luke 13 (from the Message)

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How to build a Seeker Study (in three simple steps)A seeker study that sings is built on three components:

Component #1: Warm-up. Relationship building sharing question(s) Component #2: Focus. A bridging question that ties to the study Component #3: Discussion. Questions to get people talking, thinking and sharing

When building a Seeker Study, first find a passage that will work for people that are complete novices in the Bible. Consider something from the Gospels as a good starting place. Once you’ve decided on a passage, work backwards from there by following the steps below.

Building the Warm-up Have fun with this section. Your goal is to pick a non-threatening opener shar-ing question that will simply get people talking. This is a time to break the ice and to get some relational warmth flowing in the room. Set the bar low here…we want this to be an easy and fun sharing question. For example:

What was one of your most embarrassing moments? Who was one of your favorite teachers from school and why? Tell us about one of your favorite vacations If you could do anything for a day what would spend the day doing?

Building the Focus questionThe goal of the Focus question is to get everyone in the room thinking a little bit more deeply now. The Focus question should tie into one of the main ideas from the passage. In a sense, we are getting everyone ready to dive into the passage. This is like pre-thinking or preparing the soil for the Bible study. For example:

On a study on handling worry the Focus question might be: What causes you the most stress: traffic, long lines or a bounced check?

On a study about relationships the Focus question might be: What qualities in your mind does a friend need to have? What relationship has had a positive impact on your life?

On a study about controlling anger the Focus question might be:Which of these is most irritating to you and why: getting cut off in traf-fic, being overcharged, or waiting in the doctor’s office?

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Training Session �Building Discussion questionsCreating Discussion questions on a passage encompasses four kinds of questions. The goal of these kinds of questions is to get people interacting around the Bible passage. There is a natural progression or flow when considering the four kinds of questions. Observation and Interpretation questions are a bit safer; they are focused understanding the meaning and intent of the passage. When a group moves to reflection and application questions, the participants are giving their own thoughts, feelings and ap-plications to the passage. Feel free to weave the first three kinds of ques-tions together. In other words, observation, interpretation and reflection questions can be mixed around. It’s best to leave the application oriented questions to the end of the study though.

Observation questions: Looking between the lines for what the passage is ac-tually saying. How high did the ball come over the net?

Interpretation questions: Adding thoughtfulness, analysis, making connec-tions, reading between the lines for meaning. What caused the ball to come over the net at that height?

Reflection questions: What do I think and feel about this? What connections can I make to my world, to my past, to my future?

Application questions: Implications, possibilities, additional questions, some-thing that was resolved for me, doubts I still have….

* Take a look at the sample Seeker study in the Appendix. Closely examine the discussion questions and how they are connected to the passage.

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Training Session 3 GuidelinesThis training session will begin shifting participants toward the idea of taking the bold step of inviting people to the Seeker study.

Homework Check-In (5-10 minutes)Start the training session with a check-in time regarding the homework. Ask people to pair up in groups of 2-3 to share what they came up with in designing their Seeker study. After everyone has had a chance to discuss their draft studies, bring the whole group back together and ask: 1. What was it like trying to design a Seeker discussion? 2. What part was the easiest for you? 3. What part was the most difficult?

Training Section One: Experience a Study (30 Minutes)After the homework check-in, form role-play discussion groups again, just like Sessions 1 and 2. This time folks only have 30 minutes so they will need to move quickly.

Training Section Two: Facilitating Tips (10 minutes) Debrief the study together with the three questions. Next, allow everyone time to read through the two facilitating tips. Ask for questions or input from the group regarding the tips, and feel free to highlight anything that you feel strongly about.

Training Section Three: Inviting our Friends (10 Minutes) Read one invitation aloud and ask the group to react to the phrasing and the tone of invitation by asking: What part of the invitation do you like? How would you improve on the way the invitation is worded? Would this kind of invitation work with your friends?

Homework (5 minutes) Before you dismiss, highlight the homework and remind them that the group will practice the invitations at the beginning of the next training session. Close in prayer.

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We Are Here

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Icebreaker QuestionsWhich of these organizations do you have the most respect for and why?

World Vision Red Cross Peace Corps MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Habitat for Humanity (building homes for the poor)

The Searchfor a Cause


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Training Session �Transition QuestionsWhen you consider these five issues that are impacting our world today, which one are you most drawn to and why?

Poverty Disease Leaders (the need for more servant leadership) Illiteracy (education) Spiritual hope (experiencing God’s love)

The Search for a CauseOne of Jesus’ missions during His lifetime was to help people in their search for a cause. Let’s take a look at a portion of the Bible where Jesus shares His perspective on giving our lives away for a cause.

Invest YourselfThere was once a man descended from a royal house who needed to make a long trip back to headquarters to get authorization for his rule and then return. But first he called ten servants together, gave them each a sum of money, and instructed them, “Operate with this until I return...”

When he came back bringing the authorization of his rule, he called those ten servants to whom he had given the money to find out how they had done.

The first said, “Master, I doubled your money.”

He said, “Good servant! Great work! Because you’ve been trustworthy in this small job, I’m making you governor of ten towns.”

The second said, “Master, I made a fifty percent profit on your money.”

He said, “I’m putting you in charge of five towns.”

The next servant said, “Master, here’s your money safe and sound. I kept it hidden

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Training Session �in the cellar. To tell you the truth, I was a little afraid. I know you have high standards and hate sloppiness, and don’t suffer fools gladly.”

He said, “You’re right that I don’t suffer fools gladly -- and you’ve acted the fool! Why didn’t you at least invest the money in securities so I would have gotten a little interest on it?”

Then he said to those standing there, “Take the money from him and give it to the servant who doubled my stake.”

They said, “But Master, he already has double...”

He said, “That’s what I mean: Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag.” Luke 19 (from the Message)

Discussion Questions1. How did the servants handle the money differently?

2. What expectations did the master seem to have regarding the use of the money while he was away?

3. Why do you think the master called the one servant (who hid the money) a fool?

4. What caused the master to remove the money from this servant and give it to another servant?

5. What do you think Jesus meant at the end when He said, “Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of?”

6. What do you think He meant when He said, “Play it safe and end up holding the bag?”


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Training Session �7. If the “money” represents the way that we invest our lives, what point do you think Jesus is trying to make?

8. When you consider the advertisements that you are exposed to, what messages are being sent about the ways you should “invest your life?”

9. Why do you think some people are motivated to invest their lives in causes like the ones mentioned at the very beginning of the discussion (i.e., World Vision, Red Cross, etc.)?

10. Where would you put yourself on Jesus’s investment scale:

1= Playing it safe…10= Risking my life for something bigger than myself

11. What can you take away from this discussion? (Pick one of the following.)

-something about God -something about investing in a cause -something about yourself


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Facilitation Tip #1: PrepareWhen we fail to prepare, we prepare to fail! That might be overstating it a little bit, but preparation will go a long way toward a smoothly ran meeting. If you can actually share the load with one or more people in the group, that often works well. There are a number of small but important details like the place, refreshments, and reminder phone calls. On top of that, the discussion leader needs to go into the meeting time feeling prepared regarding the passage to be discussed. Many leaders find it helpful to go over the passage during the week, reading and considering the nuances of the verses. If you are preparing your own discussion questions, you will need to carve out time to develop the list of questions that you want to use.

Facilitation Tip #2: Close on timeWhen in doubt, start on time and end on time. Ending a meeting on time demonstrates that you respect people’s time. Nothing can be more frustrating than being in a meeting that has gone over. If people want to stick around after the official meeting has broken up, they will. So, do everyone a favor and stick to the agreed upon time frames. It will keep the group fresh and much more likely to come back for the next meeting.

Inviting Our FriendsIn our last training session we talked about how critical the invitation process is. First and foremost, we must ask God to move in people’s hearts as we consider asking friends to join our Seeker discussions. He will go before us! Which leads us to the inevitable question, “So what do you actually say when you invite someone to a Seeker discussion?”

Here are a few examples of ways that you could frame your invitation:

Example One“Hey, you won’t believe what some of the folks in the neighborhood are cooking up! Because some of us are interested in spiritual topics and some of us don’t know too much about the Bible, we’re going to meet at Joe’s house to see what the Bible has to say. Here’s the good news: you don’t have to know anything

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Training Session �about the Bible. The discussion times are for anyone who has an open mind and is interested in finding out a little more about the Bible. I think it’s going to be great! Can you join us? It’d be super to have you come!” -- or --

Example Two “I’m having some folks from the neighborhood (or your friends, or people from work) over to my house in a few weeks to talk about spiritual topics. We’re going to have a discussion for an hour once a week to see what the Bible says about itself. You don’t need to know anything about the Bible. In fact, that’s one of great things about the discussions. It’s really for folks who want to ask some questions and have an open mind. I’m really looking forward to it. Why don’t you come and check out our first meeting and see if you like it?” (Example 1 and 2 are adapted from How to Lead a Seeker Bible Discussion, p.53-54) -- or --

Example Three“I’m planning a little get-together with four or five other couples in my home in a couple of weeks. We’re going to discuss spiritual issues for about an hour over coffee and dessert. There’s no obligation to attend any future meetings, and it’s made up of people just like you -- people just starting out on their spiritual journey. We’d love to have you join us and I think you’d enjoy it. What do you think? Would you and your wife have any interest in joining us?” (From Seeker Small Groups by Garry Poole, p.89)


Make a draft of another Seeker Study. Use the discussion questions from the training sessions to be a guide for you. In particular, take some time to try your hand at developing Seeker discussion questions for the following passage from Luke 18. Notice that the Seeker Studies you have experienced have three discussion question components:

a. Observation questions- What does the passage say?

b. Interpretation questions- What does the passage mean?

c. Application questions- How does this apply to us today?

Please refer to the appendix for more help on building a seeker study. The process is broken down into three simple steps.

Develop your own “Invitation Speech” that you would like to use with your friends in the future.

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Training Session �Giving Your Life Away

One day one of the local officials asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to deserve eternal life?”

Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good -- only God.You know the commandments, don’t you? No illicit sex, no killing, no stealing, no lying, honor your father and mother.”

He said, “I’ve kept them all for as long as I can remember.”

When Jesus heard that, he said, “Then there’s only one thing left to do: Sell everything you own and give it away to the poor. You will have riches in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

This was the last thing the official expected to hear. He was very rich and became terribly sad. He was holding on tight to a lot of things and not about to let them go.

Seeing his reaction, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who have it all to enter God’s kingdom? I’d say it’s easier to thread a camel through a needle’s eye than get a rich person into God’s kingdom.”

“Then who has any chance at all?” the others asked.

“No chance at all,” Jesus said, “if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”

Luke 18 (from the Message)

Draft Invitation Speech:

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The Seeker Series


Training Session 4 GuidelinesThe most significant goal of this session is to help each participant discern what their next steps are toward launching a Seeker discussion group. Make sure that there is adequate time at the end of the module to discuss the nuts and bolts issues.

Homework Check-In (10 minutes)Consider going over the homework together as people can benefit from the various ways that others have scripted their invitation. Remind everyone that the reason we have asked them to create a script is so that when they actually get to the invitation part, they can be natural and relaxed.

Training Section One: Experience a Study (20 Minutes)With other time considerations for this session, jump right to the passage and the discussion questions. Have anyone who has not led the discussion question portion do so for this role play time.

Training Section Two: Facilitating Tips (5-10 minutes) Move right into a discussion of the facilitating tips. Allow everyone an opportunity to read through the information and then ask the group for questions or input regarding the tips.

Training Section Three: Inviting our Friends (15 Minutes) Explain the Next Steps planning chart and hand out the 1” x 1 ½” post-it-notes. Allow people to work by themselves or with other teammates.

Commissioning (10 minutes) Before closing out the fourth session training, take some time to do a few things: 1. Ask people to celebrate one highlight for them personally from the training. 2. Have people share what some of their next step plans are. 3. Pray together and commission one another and ask for the Lord’s blessing as the Seeker groups get started.

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The Search for Meaning


Share about one of your best vacations.

Who was one of your favorite teachers and why?

What’s something that drives you crazy and why?

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Training Session �Transition QuestionsWhat are some of the reasons that we like to share and listen to others?

What was one of the most meaningful films you have seen and what made it so meaningful to you?

Share a meaningful experience you’ve had and what made it meaningful.

When you look at TV, movies, and advertisements, what is being communicated about what’s important in life?

Why do you think people are searching for meaning in their lives?

The Search for Meaning

One of Jesus’ missions during His lifetime was to help people in their search for meaning in life. Let’s take a look at a portion of the Bible where Jesus spells out the meaning of life from His perspective.

What the Bible Says About MeaningOne of the religion scholars came up. Hearing the lively exchanges of questions and answers and seeing how sharp Jesus was in his answers, he put in his question: “Which is most important of all the commandments?” Jesus said, “The first in importance is, …love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.” And here is the second: “Love others as well as you love yourself.” There is no other commandment that ranks with these.

The religion scholar said, “A wonderful answer, Teacher! So lucid and accurate…Loving God with all passion and intelligence and energy, and loving others as well as you love yourself. Why, that’s better than all offerings and sacrifices put together!”

When Jesus realized how insightful he was, he said, “You’re almost there, right on the border of God’s kingdom.”Mark 12 (from the Message)

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Training Session �Discussion Questions1. What kind of conversation (“hearing the lively exchanges”) does it appear this religion scholar had walked into?

2. Why do you think the religion scholar replied, “A wonderful answer…”?

3. What’s the difference between passion and energy?

4. In what ways does this portion of the Bible help us understand what Jesus considered to be meaningful?

5. In what ways might “loving God” and “loving others” make life more meaningful?

6. What would be an example of “loving others as well as you love yourself?”

7. If you had to give yourself a score from 1 to 10, how would you score yourself on loving God and how would you score yourself on loving others?

8. What’s one thing that you could do in the next week to love God more or love others more?


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Facilitation Tip #1: Dealing with sticky questionsWhat if someone in the group asks one of the following questions: “What do you think of the Pope?” “Aren’t there many roads to heaven?” “Why does God allow disasters?”

How should you respond? First, try taking a deep breath and saying a quick prayer! After that, keep in mind that the purpose of the Seeker discussion format is to create a safe place to talk openly about spiritual topics. We need to be careful to show respect for different religious traditions and at the same time be willing to share the distinctives of the Gospel message. Remember, it’s God’s job to woo a person to Himself. Our job is to cultivate the environment where seeds can be planted. Ultimately, we want people to have a life-changing encounter with Jesus. Here are a couple of ways you can handle tough questions:

If a question is asked that you don’t know the answer to, don’t be afraid to say, “That’s a great question, I don’t know the answer to it. Would anyone else be willing to research that this week and we can talk about it the next time we are together?”

When someone is really off-base with a comment or perspective, consider saying: “I appreciate your perspective on____. Just for a minute, let me share what the Bible has to say about this which is ________.”

Facilitation Tip #2: Dealing with difficult peoplePeople who talk a lot: If someone is dominating the discussion you may need to redirect things by asking the group, “Hey, does anyone else have a perspective on this question?” or “How about you, Cindy, what do you think about question 3?”

People who are quiet: One of the best ways to get quiet people involved is to gently draw them out by directly asking for their involvement. If someone has been silent for much of the study, don’t be afraid to ask them for their opinion once in a while.

People who give the wrong answer: Try to avoid telling someone that they


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Training Session �are wrong. You may have a different perspective on a passage, etc. You can redirect a wrong answer by turning it back to the group and allowing them to respond to what has been said. Sometimes though, you have to jump in to set the record straight. Try to be tactful but forthright with what the Bible has to say about the subject.

Inviting Our FriendsAs we have discussed in the other training sessions, the invitation process is a critical piece for launching a Seeker Study. You have been praying and considering. Now the question is: How will you get your Seeker Group up and running? The Next Steps planning chart will help you and others to brainstorm your plan. Remember the old adage: “Failing to plan is planning to fail!”


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Next Two Weeks Action Steps

Next Steps ChartThe Next Steps Chart is a planning and brainstorming tool. Using smaller sized post-it-notes™ do some brainstorming on steps you will need to take to get your Seeker Group off of the ground. Feel free to do this as a group or a team if you will be doing the group with others. Use the questions below to stimulate your thinking. One action step goes on one post-it-note™. Don’t worry about sequencing the post-it-notes initially...you can do that after you have brainstormed. Next Step Questions: Who should be included in this? When can we get started? What needs to sorted out first? What could get in the way? How will we get started? How should we promote this? What decisions need to get made? When will we review our progress? Other Questions???

This Month Action Steps Two Months Action Steps

Place Post-it-Notes™ on the Next Steps Chart


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Appendix

How to build a Seeker Study (in three simple steps)A seeker study that sings is built on three components:

Component #1: Warm-up. Relationship building sharing question(s) Component #2: Focus. A bridging question that ties to the study Component #3: Discussion. Questions to get people talking, thinking and sharing

When building a Seeker Study, first find a passage that will work for people that are complete novices in the Bible. Consider something from the Gospels as a good starting place. Once you’ve decided on a passage, work backwards from there by following the steps below.

Building the Warm-up Have fun with this section. Your goal is to pick a non-threatening opener shar-ing question that will simply get people talking. This is a time to break the ice and to get some relational warmth flowing in the room. Set the bar low here…we want this to be an easy and fun sharing question. For example:

What was one of your most embarrassing moments? Who was one of your favorite teachers from school and why? Tell us about one of your favorite vacations If you could do anything for a day what would spend the day doing?

Building the Focus questionThe goal of the Focus question is to get everyone in the room thinking a little bit more deeply now. The Focus question should tie into one of the main ideas from the passage. In a sense, we are getting everyone ready to dive into the passage. This is like pre-thinking or preparing the soil for the Bible study. For example:

On a study on handling worry the Focus question might be: What causes you the most stress: traffic, long lines or a bounced check?

On a study about relationships the Focus question might be: What qualities in your mind does a friend need to have? What relationship has had a positive impact on your life?

On a study about controlling anger the Focus question might be:Which of these is most irritating to you and why: getting cut off in traf-fic, being overcharged, or waiting in the doctor’s office?


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Building Discussion questionsCreating Discussion questions on a passage encompasses four kinds of questions. The goal of these kinds of questions is to get people interacting around the Bible passage. There is a natural progression or flow when considering the four kinds of questions. Observation and Interpretation questions are a bit safer; they are focused understanding the meaning and intent of the passage. When a group moves to reflection and application questions, the participants are giving their own thoughts, feelings and ap-plications to the passage. Feel free to weave the first three kinds of ques-tions together. In other words, observation, interpretation and reflection questions can be mixed around. It’s best to leave the application oriented questions to the end of the study though.

Observation questions: Looking between the lines for what the passage is ac-tually saying. How high did the ball come over the net?

Interpretation questions: Adding thoughtfulness, analysis, making connec-tions, reading between the lines for meaning. What caused the ball to come over the net at that height?

Reflection questions: What do I think and feel about this? What connections can I make to my world, to my past, to my future?

Application questions: Implications, possibilities, additional questions, some-thing that was resolved for me, doubts I still have….

* Take a look at the sample seeker study on the following pages. Closely examine the discussion questions and how they are connected to the pas-sage.

Appendix


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Sample Seeker StudyThe Search for the Afterlife

Warm up: Share about a time you locked yourself out of your car or home.

Focus: What comes to mind when you picture what Heaven will be like?

Passage: The Search for the AfterLife

One of Jesus’ missions during his lifetime was to help people prepare them-selves for the AfterLife. Let’s take a look at a portion of the Bible where Jesus shares his perspective on getting into Heaven.

The Big Party 18Then he said, “How can I picture God’s kingdom for you? What kind of story can I use? 19It’s like a pine nut that a man plants in his front yard.. It grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches, and eagles build nest in it.” 20He tried again. “How can I picture God’s kingdom? 21It’s like yeast that a woman works into enough dough for three loaves of bread--and waits while the dough rises.” 22He went on teaching from town to village, village to town, but keeping on a steady course toward Jerusalem. 23A bystander said, “Master, will only a few be saved?” He said, 24”Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life--to God!-is vigorous and requires your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you’ll sit down to God’s salvation banquet just because you’ve been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives. 25Well, one day you’re going to be banging on the door, wanting to get in, but you’ll find the door locked and the Master saying, “Sorry, you’re not on my guest list.’ 26”You’ll protest, “But we’ve known you all our lives!’ 27only to be inter-rupted with his abrupt, “Your kind of knowing can hardly be called knowing. You don’t know the first thing about me.’ 28”That’s when you’ll find yourselves out in the cold, strangers to grace…29You’ll watch outsiders stream in from east, west, north, and south and sit down at the table of God’s kingdom. And all the time you’ll be outside looking in--and wondering what happened. Luke 13 (from the Message) Navpress 2002

Appendix


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Discussion questionsObservation QuestionWhat might Jesus have been trying to communicate about Heaven in these pictures?

Interpretation QuestionWhat do you think was behind the bystanders question in verse 23?

Intrepretation QuestionWhat does it mean in verse 24, “…you’ll assume that you’ll sit down to God’s salvation banquet just because you’ve been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives”? What do you think Jesus meant by ‘hang-ing around the neighborhood’?

Intrepretation QuestionVerse 27 talks about knowing God. What is the difference between know-ing about God and actually knowing God?

Observation QuestionWhat does verse 29 tell us about who will be coming to the big party (Heaven) at the end?

Reflection QuestionWhat’s your reaction to the two pictures Jesus uses of Heaven (God’s kingdom) in verse 18 and verse 21?

Reflection QuestionWhat will it be like to be left ‘out in the cold’?

Reflection QuestionIn the end, do you think only a few will be ‘saved’ or will there be many at the great banquet?

Application QuestionIf the party started today which statement best describes you and why:a. I’m still trying to decided if I want to go to the partyb. I think I get to go in the front doorc. I’ve got my dancing shoes shoes on because I know I’m going to the party!d. I’ve got some lingering doubts about whether they’ll let me ine. I’m not sure I believe there is a party at the end

Appendix


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Application QuestionWhat can you take away from this discussion (pick one of the following)? - something about God - something about Heaven - something about yourself - a question that this discussion has surfaced for me

Appendix

Seeker Group Training - SELC District · Each group should get into the actual Bible passage within...

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Transcript of Seeker Group Training - SELC District · Each group should get into the actual Bible passage within...