“We need the tools that help us become evangelistically effective. I highly recommend Puzzling Questions.” Alan Hirsch, author, activist, dreamer
“Simple and inviting… This is exactly the kind of resource that we could use in North America.” Professor Alan Roxburgh, speaker, consultant and writer on the missional church
“Puzzling Questions is a rare treasure. It is a course that prioritizes relationship, conversation, and the opportunity to investigate together life’s ‘Big Questions’. As an evangelistic tool in contemporary society, Puzzling Questions is ideal for anyone who is interested in the spiritual side of life, and would like to take up the challenge of inviting others to explore with them. I hope that you take the invitation, and begin to see the many ways that God is involved in the whole of life.” Revd Dr Joanne Cox, Methodist Church of Britain and Ireland
“This resource can also be used as the first step towards discipleship after conversion. It begins the journey of facing issues and working through them as followers of Jesus.” Ian Bunce, Baptist Union of Great Britain
“Puzzling Questions gives the opportunity to adults who want more out of life to chew over big questions and it does so in an imaginative, sensitive and accessible way.” Lucy Moore, Messy Church
“If you’re looking for a resource that you can use to gather your friends together and explore spiritual issues, then Puzzling Questions is for you… it is a resource that will create a safe place for people to explore some of the most frequently asked questions by those who are outside the church but who are interested in spirituality. I highly recommend it.” Revd Marc Owen, Baptist Union of Wales
“Puzzling Questions is a fantastic resource that enables churches to bridge the gap by providing a tool where the individual is a partner as opposed to a participant in the process of discernment… it instantly connects with the postmodern society in that it asks questions and creates a safe space to explore the meaning of happiness. This allows the participant to arrive at a place where they will discover that there is indeed a greater purpose and meaning of life within their grasp – if they choose to accept it!” Mark Dunwoody, Youth Ministry Consultant, Diocese of Montreal, Canada
“A useful and non-threatening introduction to spiritual issues which can be used in a whole variety of contexts. I would particularly recommend it to churches that have contact with adults who are alien to the world of church but who might be willing to discuss relevant issues.” Dr Stephen McQuoid, GLO General Director
“In a climate where more and more people appear to be on a journey towards encountering God, and yet in a culture where it is incredibly difficult to make that connection, Puzzling Questions is a gift to those of us in the wider church who are missional and committed to creating pathways upon which people can journey towards discovering God.” Revd Mark Bailey, Lead Pastor, Trinity Cheltenham and Regional Director, New Wine
PUZZLING QUESTIONS Leader’s Guide A six-week course to explore life’s deeper issues
Paul Griffiths, Martin Robinson and Julie Kite
Oxford, UK & Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
Copyright © 2012 by Paul Griffiths and Martin Robinson. The right of Paul Griffiths and Martin Robinson to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. First published in the UK in 2012 by Monarch Books (a publishing imprint of Lion Hudson plc) Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Road, Oxford OX2 8DR, England Tel: +44 (0)1865 302750 Fax: +44 (0)1865 302757 Email: monarch@lionhudson.com www.lionhudson.com ISBN 978 1 85424 950 0 Distributed by: UK: Marston Book Services, PO Box 269, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4YN USA: Kregel Publications, PO Box 2607, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49501 Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton, a member of the Hodder Headline Group. All rights reserved. “NIV” is a trademark of International Bible Society. UK trademark number 1448790. The text paper used in this book has been made from wood independently certified as having come from sustainable forests. British Library Cataloguing Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Printed and bound in Malta
Thank you! This has been a collaborative project. Although the names of Julie, Martin and Paul are on the front cover, this Leader’s Guide would not have been possible without the help of many friends and colleagues – to whom we say a big “thank you”. Paul Knight first made us aware of the research that identified the questions that many spiritually inclined people are asking today, and started us on our way to creating a course for such people. We are grateful to the many church leaders who allowed us to practise our material in their churches and among their friends. In particular we want to thank Steve Jones, Sharon Lanfear, Marc Owen, Kent Anderson and Sue Philips, who all took time to think through this project with us and to offer numerous suggestions which have made it far better. We also want to thank Tony Collins and his team at Monarch for doing such a great job in bringing the Puzzling Questions course to a wider audience. It was a particular pleasure to again work with Miranda Lever, who has that wonderful ability of bringing the best out of people. Finally, the finished product would not have been possible without the partnership of the Baptist Union of Wales, the Baptist Union of Great Britain, Bible Society and Forest Gate Community Church.
6
Please register your PQ contact and course We would like to journey with those who use the PQ material and, if you wish, advertise your course on the PQ website. We are keen to support you in any way we can as you use the PQ material, and where possible to help you share your experiences to encourage and inform others. It costs nothing to register and your information will not be passed on to anyone else.
Those who register will receive a number of additional benefits: • Information about PQ materials • Notice of training days • A PQ newsletter with stories of those who are running the course, plus helpful hints and tips • Discounts on various PQ materials and training courses • Having your courses listed on the PQ website
7
How to register Please send your name, address, contact telephone number and email address to: The Ugly Duckling Company PO Box 31 Lydney GL15 6YP UK or email: enquiries@puzzlingquestions.org.uk
Feedback report At the end of the Delegate’s Workbook is information about an online survey that PQ delegates can fill in, which informs us about their experience on your PQ course and what they think about spiritual issues. Please can you encourage your delegates to fill in the survey.
9
Contents Introduction
12
The aim of Puzzling Questions
13
What is different about Puzzling Questions?
14
History of the course
15
Using the Leader’s Guide
15
The Knowledge – Missional Understanding
17
Social Networking
18
Identifying your mission fields
25
Spiritual journeys
27
Looking good – living attractively
31
What is the gospel?
36
The missionary spirit
40
Understanding how our friends think
44
The art of communication
54
Why people struggle to share their faith
58
Discipleship today
63
Running the Course
69
Overview of the course
70
Who is Puzzling Questions for?
74
Typical format
76
Course content
77
PQ DVD
80
PQ CD
82
The ambience we are trying to create
83
How the course can be used
87
10
Puzzling Questions
L EA DE R ’S GU I DE
Materials available
90
Delegate’s Workbook
93
How to get the course started
95
The introductory event
98
After PQ
Discussion Groups
101
105
Introduction
106
Group size matters
107
How to lead a Puzzling Questions small-group discussion
108
Group Issues
120
Who am I?
123
What is God like?
125
What happens after I die?
127
How can I be happy?
129
Why is there suffering in the world?
131
What is the spiritual world and how does it impact my life?
133
Bits and Pieces
135
Inviting someone to attend the course
136
Who, where and when
146
Food
154
Organizing your own training day
160
Using PQ as part of your church evangelism strategy
164
Feedback
166
Delegate’s feedback
169
Resource table
172
11
Contents
PQ website
175
Support for those running the course
177
Developing a prayer strategy for PQ
179
Other ways of presenting the PQ material
182
The talks
185
Final thoughts before you start a PQ course
186
Information about The Ugly Duckling Company
187
CD contains: Talks PowerPoint slides Different discussion questions for when you present the material as talks Delegate’s feedback
12
Puzzling Questions
L EA DE R ’S GU I DE
Introduction Many of our friends are spiritually curious. Social researcher David Hay has noted that there has been a significant increase in the number of people expressing an interest in matters to do with spirituality.1 Admittedly, they often lack the “spiritual” vocabulary to express this innate orientation, and do not connect it with churchgoing. And yet, increasingly, our friends are keen to chat about spiritual matters. It can seem at times that wherever you turn there are expressions of this increased spiritual curiosity. The latest blockbuster films showing at the local cinema often engage with a spiritual theme, bookstores have sections dedicated to spiritual writers, newspapers carry horoscopes, and there are now spiritual magazines on sale in your local supermarket. Almost every weekend there is a psychic “fayre” being run somewhere in the country, with many people going along to have a look at what’s on offer, buy some stuff that will help satisfy their spiritual hunger, and grab one or two experiences from those offering help in engaging with the spiritual. What is more, our friends, or people like them, are regularly going on pilgrimage to some of our important sacred sites.
1 Something There: The Biology of the Human Spirit, London: Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd, p. xi.
Introduction
The aim of Puzzling Questions So what is the aim of the Puzzling Questions course? It is to provide a space in which our friends can take time to explore some of life’s deeper questions, discover the spiritual issues that really concern them, develop their own spiritual vocabulary, and connect with others who are on a spiritual journey themselves. The goal of the Puzzling Questions (PQ) course is not to convert anyone. Please don’t misunderstand us: we are not opposed to people on a PQ course deciding to become followers of Jesus! In fact, we would be very happy if that were to happen, but that is not our primary goal.
Different places on their spiritual journey Our assessment is that many people who are expressing a newly found spirituality are nowhere near making an informed or rational decision for Jesus. Thinking in terms of the Engel Scale (see the section “Spiritual journeys”), we are suggesting that most people do not have the knowledge or the experience to embrace Jesus. What they need, as we have noted above, is an opportunity to engage with material that will take them on a few steps in their journey. We have often described ourselves as a “pre-Alpha” course. This is the place to bring your friends who are not ready for the questions that other courses encourage. It allows them to explore more primary spiritual questions.
13
14
Puzzling Questions
L EA DE R ’S GU I DE
What is different about Puzzling Questions?
Missional exegesis 1. The Engel Scale charts the spiritual journey that people are on today. 2. Most current evangelistic courses cater for people who are somewhere between -7 and +2. 3. Research suggests that most people are somewhere from -7 to beyond -10, represented by the grey shading. 4. Because of the cultural shift that is occurring today, courses often fail to connect with where people are, with their current level of knowledge and with their particular questions – and also attempt to engage with them through formats that are difficult for post-moderns. 5. What we have attempted to do is provide mechanisms that not only deal with the issues that people are wrestling with, but do so in a more accessible format.
Introduction
History of the course Puzzling Questions originated as a series of Sunday morning guestservice talks written in part in response to some research conducted by Coventry Cathedral. This research sought to identify the questions being asked by those who were outside the church but were interested in spirituality. The findings of the research were published in a number of books by Church House Publishing. From our own experience we had identified some of the questions that the research had flagged up, but we also felt that there were a few amendments to be made to the list. It wasn’t long after writing the talks that the idea arose of creating a simple course based on the presentations. After we had devised the concept of a pre-Alpha-type course we contacted various graphic designers to help us create high-quality publicity materials that could be used to promote the course. These have been developed over several years and can now be obtained by visiting our website, www.puzzlingquestions.org.uk What has surprised us the most is been the way that God has blown his Spirit through the course.
Using the Leader’s Guide In writing the Leader’s Guide we have attempted to create a “one-stop” manual that will, we hope, cover most, if not all, of the issues that you will encounter when running your own Puzzling Questions course. In addition to the Leader’s Guide there is the PQ website, where you can obtain further information, or you can email the PQ office and ask us directly.
15
16
Puzzling Questions
L EA DE R ’S GU I DE
There is no right or wrong way to use the Leader’s Guide. You will notice that one of the heftiest sections is entitled “Missional understanding”. The reason for this is that we wanted to offer input on some of the key pieces of knowledge that would be useful for running a successful PQ course. We would encourage you to read this section first, as it helps you to better understand what PQ is trying to do. However, it is possible to run a very good PQ course while only dipping into the “Knowledge” section. Alongside information on how to run the course and who to get involved, and options on how to present the material, catering, and how to host a discussion, there is also a great section on how to invite someone onto the course. Courses often fail because we don’t have any friends to invite or we don’t seem to be able to invite them. In this section we explore what an advertising strategy for a local church might look like, as well as how you actually say to someone, “Would you like to…?” You will notice that alongside the “Knowledge” section of the Guide there is also some input on the skills that we need to sharpen to get the best out of the group that we run. Having read through the Leader’s Guide you might think that it would be a good idea to organize a training day for your team. For those who want to do this we offer advice on how to go about it. In addition to running your own training day there will also be opportunities to attend training events organized by us.
Conclusion We are really excited about what God is doing through the Puzzling Questions course. Scripture informs us that the Spirit of God is at work in the world, drawing people to Jesus. What the Puzzling Questions course gives you is a tool to use to help your friends respond to the work of God in their lives. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is with you. Enjoy the adventure!
Social networking
The Knowledge – Missional Understanding
17
18
Puzzling Questions
L EA DE R ’S GU I DE
Social networking Introduction On a typical Puzzling Questions course it is usual to find people who are friends of those who attend the church that is hosting the event, or people from work who have come along with a Christian colleague, or family members of a church attender, or someone from the parents and toddlers group. At some time in the previous few weeks an invitation has been given, whether over coffee or during a conversation at lunchtime or as a notice to those who attend a church group, and to the delight of the person giving the invitation it has been accepted. As with all such courses, the success of any enquiry group is dependent on having people in your network of relationships who can be invited along. In his book The Rise of Christianity,2 Rodney Stark considers how Christianity has grown. He looks at the impressive numerical growth that occurred during the first three centuries of the church’s life and ponders what methods lay behind its achievements. Writing from a sociological background, his conclusion is that the early church grew primarily as it intentionally witnessed in and through its existing social networks. It seems that the gospel spreads best through relationships. Even in our technological world the most effective way of communicating is word of mouth. At its most basic, conversion usually involves accepting 2 Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity: A Sociologist Reconsiders History, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996.
Social networking
the opinion of your Christian friends. Today, most people do not become followers of Jesus because they want to embrace his particular beliefs but because they want to bring their lives into alignment with those of their friends and family. Most people journey to faith in the company of a Christian friend. The normal route to conversion runs along the lines of admiring the attractive Christian lifestyle of a friend (we will explore what that means later), engaging in numerous spiritual conversations with them, and then accepting an invitation to go along to a Christian event of some kind – normally more than one event. This idea of friends introducing friends or passing on the faith through the networks they are involved in or become a part of can be seen in the ministry of Jesus. It is obvious that Jesus understood the importance of relationships. In reading the first few pages of the Gospels we discover that Jesus recruited his initial followers through relational networks. Andrew became a follower of Jesus because John the Baptist (who was a relative of Jesus) pointed him in Jesus’ direction. After meeting Jesus, Andrew then went and found his brother, Simon Peter. Philip was from the same town as Andrew and Peter, and James and John were fishing partners.
Identifying our relational networks In acknowledging that the gospel spreads through our relational networks, it is important that a church take time to reflect on the many people who are part of its networks. For many churches today, their mission field is defined almost exclusively in geographical terms. We think about our mission field as being made up of the people who live around our church building. When we talk about doing evangelism we think about reaching out to
19
20
Puzzling Questions
L EA DE R ’S GU I DE
the people who live in the houses that we drive or walk past to go to church. We have been blinkered by this perspective, which is left over from the days of Christendom. Today it is important to realize that we are part of many different networks. So, what are the missional networks that God has brought us into?
Geographical mission field This is our “default” mission field: the group of people who live in the houses surrounding the church building. Most of our evangelism to this group is based on a “come-and-see” strategy.