H Small groups are a vital part of nearly every type of ministry setting in some form or fashion, and leading small groups well involves the application of biblical wisdom to effective listening and communication skills. For this assignment, select one of the challenging scenarios below that are commonly faced in leading small groups, and write a 500-750-word essay that answers the question prompt connected to the scenario you chose:
You have been leading a small group for some time, and you are finding that one to two people are starting to dominate the discussion, while others in the small group rarely participating in the discussion. How can biblical wisdom help you apply effective listening and/or communication skills to lead the group to engage in a more balanced and inclusive interaction in the group discussion?
During one small group session, the discussion seems to suggest that the Bible “means” different things to different people. How can biblical wisdom help you apply effective listening and/or communication skills to lead the group to see that the meaning of the biblical text is the same for everyone, while the application of the biblical text will likely differ for the members of the group in some ways?
After leading a few small group sessions, you are finding that you are doing most of the talking during the entire small group sessions, and you are having trouble getting others to ask questions or share their thoughts. How can biblical wisdom help you apply effective listening and/or communication skills to cultivate more discussion from the group members?
After leading a few small group sessions, you are finding that the members of the group are very talkative; however, they are having trouble staying focused in their interactions. How can biblical wisdom help you apply effective listening and/or communication skills to strike a balance between not dampening the participation of the group members and yet keeping them focused in the group sessions in their interaction?
The paper should be written in the following format:
Include a separate, introductory paragraph that mentions the importance of effective listening and communication skills for leading small groups well.
The body of the paper should summarize that particular challenging scenario selected from the list above in your own words. The body should also clearly and directly interact with Scripture in order to show how the application of biblical wisdom can lead to effective listening and communication skills in the chosen scenario. This section of the paper should include biblical references from both the Old and New Testaments.
Include a separate concluding paragraph that summarizes the overall thoughts of the paper.
In addition to Scripture and any course resources used, the paper should include at least two additional academic resource from the GCU Library.
The Bible, www.biblegateway.com or any NIV Bible
Read “7 Tips for Effective Listening,” by Lewis and Graham, from Institute of Internal Auditors, Inc. (2003).
Read “Can You Hear Me Now? Teaching Listening Skills,” by Nemec, Spagnolo, and Soydan, from Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal (2017).
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