Issue 1 : January 2009

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Hints & Tips

Q Place e-Help for Small Groups (Formerly Neighborhood Bible Studies e-Helps)

In This Issue My First Q Place New Guidelines!

Hot off the Press!

A Simple Story

Quick Links News about Q Place Q Place Past Hints & Tips Bible Study Guides More About Us Book Store

To order any of the Tough Questions Series by Garry Poole, call 1-800-

January 2009

Dear Fran, Are you a rule keeper or a rule breaker?

Perhaps you have seen the Guideline Card that Neighborhood Bible Studies has recommended for years to be used in small groups. I don't like to think of these suggestions as rules, but they remind me of the Proverbs in the Bible: wise advice that I'd do well to pay attention to!

My computer dictionary defines "Guideline" as "a general rule, principle, or piece of advice". Years of experience in small group spiritual discussions have proven these guidelines to be practical and necessary. They actually stimulate discussion and help you think! A group that follows them will be able to study together with enjoyment and great profit.

Now, Q Place has melded guidelines for Tough Questions groups and Bible studies! They are listed below. These simple suggestions are key to making your group the best it can be!

Use them and enjoy the benefits of a healthy group!

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Poole, call 1-800369-0307

Sometimes a rule breaker,

Fran Goodrich e-Help Editor

New Guidelines for Tough Questions and Bible Study Groups!

Q Place Basics

My First Q Place

My very first Q Place (small group discussion about God) took place almost 20 years ago. It began a thrilling journey that still fuels me!

We were two believers in Christ and four "exploring" non-believers. Our discussions were deep, honest, and open, and we all loved our time together.

At the end of our first study guide, none of the nonChristians had crossed the line of faith, but they all wanted the group to keep going. Plus, they wanted to invite others to join us. I was thrilled!

To my surprise, they invited Christians to our group. I had a

1. The purpose of a Q Place is to discuss questions about God. 2. An initiator starts a Q Place and continues to facilitate a healthy small group process.

3. Q Place is not for experts. It's for new discoveries.

If you think you are an expert, resist the urge to teach. Instead, try to listen and ask questions so that everyone can discover answers for themselves.

4. The format is informal discussion, not lecture. Q Place discussion guides provide the questions for the discussion.

5. Share your ideas honestly and openly.

6. At each session a different person can ask the questions and moderate; rotating the questionasking encourages group ownership and dynamic discussions. Answers are directed to the group, and the moderator should not put a stamp of approval or disapproval on answers.

7. Always show courtesy and respect toward others, even if they don't agree with your position. Do not judge others, and avoid side conversations.

8. Do not attempt to resolve all differences or conflicts of opinion. Keep moving when there seems to be an impasse.

9. If at all possible, read the section for discussion and answer the questions ahead of time.

10. Begin and end on time.

11. Review the discussion guidelines whenever there's a new person in the group.

Q Place Discussion Tips 1. Stick to the topic or passage under discussion.

Don't skip around. Build a common frame of reference. Refer to other sections only if your group has studied them together, or if they are mentioned in the discussion questions.

2. Avoid tangents. Many ideas will surface during the discussion. If the subject is not dealt with in any detail in the chapter, do not let it occupy too much

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our group. I had a lot to learn about facilitating one of these groups, but I knew enough to at least present the guidelines. What I didn't know was what to do with the Christians who became preachy and eventually judgmental.

It didn't take but a few weeks of this disrespectful behavior on the part of Christians before all the nonChristians stopped coming to this group.

This sad, but valuable experience made me passionate about the guidelines! Our seeking friends will usually only open the door a crack to see if we are really going to respect their questions and process of exploring Christianity.

My prayer is that you will be wiser because of my experience!

Fran

time. Discuss any peripheral topic after the study.

3. When discussing the Bible, let it speak for itself. Instead of quoting other authorities (other books, church leaders, notes in the Bible...), try to discover the facts, meaning, and application of the passage together. Avoid religious jargon and technical expressions not found in the chapter you are discussing.

Hot Off the Press!

How to Start a Q Place, by Mary Schaller, Q Place President, is a book we've all been waiting for, and it is now ready to order!

This book will help you selfdiscover the concepts of Q Place. The Four Stages of the Q Place Method (Preparation, Invitation, Trial, and Growth) are described in all the detail you need to get started. Chapter Six explains how to start a Q Place ministry within your church.

Mary has simplified the process of leading a seeker small group. The point of this book is to help you and a couple of friends explore and discover together how a Q Place works, while asking the Lord to show you if this is how he might use you with seekers you know.

Mary's story of her own journey in a "Q Place" is embedded within each chapter. Part of her story is in the next article.

In the book's Foreword, Garry Poole writes, "...I couldn't be more enthusiastic about this book, How to Start a Q Place! Recently, in an effort to remain true to its original ministry focus, Neighborhood Bible Studies has taken the bold step to ruthlessly evaluate its current evangelistic effectiveness and make adaptations and adjustments wherever needed. I'm thrilled to see this unwavering commitment to developing a relevant, cutting-edge approach to reaching out to people far from God with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I'm honored to be affiliated with the ongoing mission of Q Place to equip Christians everywhere to facilitate life-changing discussions with spiritual seekers. This book summarizes the process of how to join them in this great adventure!"

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Regular Price: $10 Introductory Price: $8 To order call 1-800-369-0307

A Simple Story

Excerpt from How to Start a Q Place by Mary Schaller

"Until recently I lived in a small affluent community in northern California with friends I had grown to know and love through countless conversations on the side-lines of kids' soccer, baseball, and basketball games as well as numerous field trips, coffees, parties, and PTA meetings. They were neighbors, educators, coaches, or parents of my three children's friends. Most of them were not Christians.

"On many occasions I had invited several of them to attend my large church in our adjacent community. The church was known for its excellent sermons by a gifted preacher, great children's programs, and a talented worship team. And yet it held no appeal for those I invited. Most of them graciously smiled and declined my invitations to church. End of discussion.

"Periodically, to my surprise, one of my invitations would be accepted. Each time, I was sure that once my friend came, he or she would become a regular attendee and would learn what it meant to be a Christian. The Sunday messages were so compelling that I thought a decision for following Jesus would be made within weeks or months after that first visit. Someone would give a testimony in our worship services that confirmed the typical scenario of coming to our church and meeting Jesus there.

Unfortunately, that had not been the result with those I invited. Was I a failure, or were the odds against that happening in my secular community? My friends would come once or twice and never come back. Why? I wondered. When I asked them, they said that the sermons just didn't seem to address their particular questions about God or they felt like an outsider. Or it just didn't seem relevant to their lives. These people were busy. And they were not sure it was worth investing their time to attend a worship service every week when they weren't sure there was a God worth worshipping.

"I couldn't give up that easily. I had grown to love these friends and wanted them to know the same life-giving power that I had found in my faith. Occasionally I'd have http://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1102360186963&format=html&print=true

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a spiritual conversation with my friends over coffee or lunch. However, these were few and far between. And it seemed it was much more important to me to talk about God than it was to them! I would be so excited when we had the one conversation of the year about God that I'd usually blow it with my overwhelming enthusiasm to "download" everything they should know about Christianity in one sitting.

"In late 2001, I spoke to two of my Christian friends (Kristin and Judy) about the possibility of starting a discussion group for spiritual seekers in our community.

We started praying...[and then] we invited thirty women to come to my house...."

What happened next? The book, How to Start a Q Place (call 1-800-369-0307 today to order), unfolds the exciting story of what took place in Mary's living room with these spiritual seekers. Read the book and discover how you can help those around you in their search for God!

Save 20%

Buy How to Start a Q Place now and get $2 off the regular price!

Call 1-800-369-0307 to order.

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