• All Sites:
  • Pastors
  • Leadership
  • Kids Ministry
  • Student Ministry
  • Groups Ministry
  • Women's Ministry
  • Worship Ministry
LifeWay

Group Ministry

Conversations on Group Practices

  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Bible Study Insider
  • Groups Resources
  • Free Bible Teaching
Group Leadership
August 22, 2017

How to Address a National Disaster in Your Small Group

By Caroline Case

Race is back in the headlines. Your church members, friends, and co-workers are probably all divided over the tragedy that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia. You have probably already ranted on Facebook, posted on Twitter, or argued with someone over the dinner table.

But have you been quiet about it?

Have you taken the time to process, to evaluate, and to question? Below are a few steps small group leaders can take to promote humility and honest, informed discourse over the cultural crisis currently haunting our hearts.

1. Open the Floor

One of the worst things you can do as a small group leader is to ban discussion. Your small group members are probably anxious to talk about what took place in Charlottesville, so open the floor for discourse. They’re probably wanting to discuss which pastor tweeted what, and which “side” they should stand on (Do we blame Black Lives Matter alongside the KKK? Are evangelicals at all to blame for white supremacy? Are there any Christians who agree with the protestors in Charlottesville? What’s the relationship between politics and religion?). Begin the group with the opportunity for others to gently and compassionately express their opinions.

2. Keep It Positive

Keep it positive by monitoring the discussion and withholding accusation. It’s really easy to point out the bad guy. It’s really easy to blame someone, because black-and-white thinking provides us with accessible answers. Yet as we have seen, we live in a world of gray—a world where people claim to represent a belief system but have strayed far from it. A world where hatred can be so tangible, it comes in the form of blood and bruises. In curses to our brothers. In burnt flags. In vehicles that won’t stop. But no matter who your cultural enemy is: don’t accuse them. Bring the hope of the gospel to bear on the conversation.

The will of God, to which the law gives expression, is that men should defeat their enemies by loving them. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

3. Pray and Be Quiet

Oftentimes it is a far braver thing to not respond than to respond. Both before and after we discuss the protestors in Charlottesville, we must pray. And in our prayer, we must be silent. We must hold our tongues. We must seek His face. We must beg for answers. We must listen for His response.

Men think that it is impossible for a human being to love his enemies, for enemies are hardly able to endure the sight of one another. Well, then, shut your eyes—and your enemy looks just like your neighbor. – Søren Kierkegaard

Caroline Case is a proud Nashville transplant from Naples, Florida, who serves as the Production Editor for LifeWay’s SmallGroup.com and Discipleship in Context teams. Caroline has a Bachelor of Communication from Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, FL. She is pursuing her Master of Fine Arts in English and Creative Writing at Belmont University in Nashville, where she will go on to pursue her doctorate and teach.

You may also like -

  • Be Positive and Encouraging, Even if it Hurts a LittleBe Positive and Encouraging, Even if it Hurts a Little
  • Seven Benefits of Knowing GodSeven Benefits of Knowing God
  • How to Frustrate a GuestHow to Frustrate a Guest

Filed Under: Group Leadership Tagged With: Bible Study, Coaching, Community, Discipleship, Fellowship, Group Dynamics, Growth, Leadership, Learning, Ministry, National Disaster, Prayer, Spiritual Growth, Teaching, The Meeting

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Group Ministry

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

previous arrow
next arrow
Slider

Subscribe to Podcast

on Apple Podcastson Androidby Emailvia RSS
@BibleInsider
FOLLOW

Follow Groups Ministry on Twitter

My Tweets

Follow Group Ministry on Instagram

Follow Group Ministry on Facebook

Follow Group Ministry on Facebook

All Ministry Sites

Pastors
Leadership
Kids Ministry
Student Ministry
Groups Ministry
Women’s Ministry
Worship Ministry

Copyright © 2019 · LifeWay Christian Resources · All Rights Reserved