My group on Sunday was a bit wild (I guess its like that every week now that I think about it!) but we were hit with a bunch of tangents. I then was reminded of an article I read by a youth pastor I know and respect on the subject of tangents and small groups. A good quick reed. I’m sure it will help you as you tackle tangents.
“Tangents” -By Kurt Johnson
If you’ve ever tried to lead a junior high small group bible study for more than about 3.5 minutes, you’ve experienced the universal struggle that all leaders face: Tangents.Ah, tangents; those wonderful little diversions. If you’re like most junior high small group leaders you probably feel like tangents are rarely wonderful and almost never little! I’ve got some bad news and some good news for you. The bad news: You will never eliminate tangents. The good news: You can minimize them and actually make them beneficial to the group.
Let me share a few thoughts about getting you and your small group out of tangent trouble.
1) Not all tangents are terrible. If you were actually able to trace the origins of the tangents your junior highers lead you down, you might be surprised to discover that most of them actually start off as an honest observation or question about the bible study or topic that is being discussed. What this means is that tangents don’t always originate because students are bored with the small group, but rather, because they are engaged and the discussion is sparking something in those strange, little minds.
2) All spiritual discussion is good discussion. Here’s what I mean. When a tangent takes over a group, it usually goes one of two ways: First, it may go down a crazy, windy path towards television shows, the cute kid at school or the price of tea in China. In these cases, you probably want to try to bring the tangent to an end as quickly as possible for the sake of your bible study time. But a second route tangents take is simply a small diversion from the original question or topic. These tangents typically stay spiritual in nature but add an unsuspected twist or turn. In my opinion, tangents that are still spiritual in nature are worth pursuing. If 7th grade boys want to talk about why bad things happen to good people instead of your study on the Beatitudes…LET ‘EM! If you find them going down some tangent trail about helping the needy in the middle of your study of Exodus…GREAT! When these types of tangents arise, I suggest going with them instead of shutting them down.
3) You can slam the breaks on a tangent. When you do feel like it’s time to bring a tangent to an end or to head it off before it starts, here is a super basic method: Brian: “Hey mister small group leader, do dogs go to heaven?” Mister Small Group Leader: “That’s a great question, Brian. Why don’t you track me down after our bible study time and we’ll talk about it then.”I predict we will have people living in condos on Mars before we figure out how to end junior high tangents. Instead of trying to end them, I vote for leaders who determine to use tangents for good in their groups. I also vote for condos on Mars…that would be so stinkin’ sweet!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Upcoming Dates
We have a few things coming down the pike that we probably need to talk about and get everyone on the same page.
October 28th- Worship Night: I am really excited about the possibility that we have Sunday to really join together for a special time of worship, prayer, reflection, etc. We’ll spend some time as a large group, small group, and individually. You don’t need to plan anything, just come prepared to worship and encourage the students to participate. The worship band is “Prime Cut”, no that’s not their name, just their quality. Maybe we should make that their name…I don’t know. Sorry for the rambling.
November 4th-Study Night: Week 5 Study as normal.
November 11th –Service Day: This is the day many of you have emailed me about in regards to what is required, etc. Basically, we want to take a day that we would normally meet and use it as a natural vehicle for students to be able to do some ministry as a group. Since we are already meeting they don’t have to make a “special day” available for ministry.
We have many of those opportunities throughout the year that we take advantage of, Car Care, Family Fun Night, Spirit of Christmas luncheon, etc. Unfortunately, many kids can’t or won’t commit to something else. A couple of examples of something that could be done is go to a nursing home (we have a number of them in Bothell that we can hook you up with), maybe you have a neighbor that can’t keep the yard up and needs it worked on, etc. Basically find an need and meet it. If you can’t find one, I can help you.
I know some of you are not here this week, but I don’t want that to be a reason your group doesn’t serve. We can find some leaders to help in your groups for that day. Your group needs to be doing something on this day.
November 18th-Study Day: Week 6 Study as normal. This is our last regular day of the year. Use some of the time to challenge your students during the holiday break and maybe plan a time to get together.
November 25th-No SF-12 due to Thanksgiving Weekend
December 2nd-SF-12 Christmas Parties. We’ll have these at the church with some fun (Pat get your Christmas Carols ready!).
October 28th- Worship Night: I am really excited about the possibility that we have Sunday to really join together for a special time of worship, prayer, reflection, etc. We’ll spend some time as a large group, small group, and individually. You don’t need to plan anything, just come prepared to worship and encourage the students to participate. The worship band is “Prime Cut”, no that’s not their name, just their quality. Maybe we should make that their name…I don’t know. Sorry for the rambling.
November 4th-Study Night: Week 5 Study as normal.
November 11th –Service Day: This is the day many of you have emailed me about in regards to what is required, etc. Basically, we want to take a day that we would normally meet and use it as a natural vehicle for students to be able to do some ministry as a group. Since we are already meeting they don’t have to make a “special day” available for ministry.
We have many of those opportunities throughout the year that we take advantage of, Car Care, Family Fun Night, Spirit of Christmas luncheon, etc. Unfortunately, many kids can’t or won’t commit to something else. A couple of examples of something that could be done is go to a nursing home (we have a number of them in Bothell that we can hook you up with), maybe you have a neighbor that can’t keep the yard up and needs it worked on, etc. Basically find an need and meet it. If you can’t find one, I can help you.
I know some of you are not here this week, but I don’t want that to be a reason your group doesn’t serve. We can find some leaders to help in your groups for that day. Your group needs to be doing something on this day.
November 18th-Study Day: Week 6 Study as normal. This is our last regular day of the year. Use some of the time to challenge your students during the holiday break and maybe plan a time to get together.
November 25th-No SF-12 due to Thanksgiving Weekend
December 2nd-SF-12 Christmas Parties. We’ll have these at the church with some fun (Pat get your Christmas Carols ready!).
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