Discussion Leader’s Guide
Any person interested in starting a group to discuss How to Survive the Economic Meltdown can successfully do so and lead a lively discussion by following these guidelines:
- Decide how many weeks your group will meet and pick the chapters to read and discuss each week. I suggest that you have an introductory meeting and then meet for 5 weeks to go over two chapters each week or that you meet for 10 weeks to discuss every chapter in greater detail. Groups may be existing Bible studies, fellowship groups, prayer groups, or Sunday school classes. Or, you may want to start a new group. As a minimum, I suggest you emphasize God’s provision in Part One of the book. And in Part Two I suggest you focus on strategies that will get your group through the meltdown both financially and spiritually.
- How to Start a New Group: Copy the Table of Contents and the questions at the end of one or two chapters. Give a copy to the men and women you hope to include in the group. Ask them if they would like to be in a discussion group that would read the book and answer the discussion questions at the end of each chapter. These men and women could be a group from work, church, your neighborhood, or a combination. The optimum-sized group would be eight to twelve people (assuming some people will have to miss a week occasionally). Decide to meet for a set number of weeks. If the group gels, you may want to suggest the group continue to meet after you are finished studying How to Survive the Economic Meltdown.
- First Week: Distribute a copy of the book to each member together with a typed schedule. Assign the first chapter (or first and second chapters if you are discussing two chapters per week) as next week’s reading assignment and ask them to be prepared to answer the questions at the end of the chapter. Then go around the room and ask each person to share with the group where he is on his spiritual journey, as well as the results they hope will come through this study. This is a great icebreaker, and everyone will be encouraged and enjoy learning about where others are on their pilgrimage. Be sure to point out that there are no wrong answers to this question. Some may not have a relationship with Christ, others may have recently given their lives to Him, while others may have been walking this road for quite some time. Close with a prayer. Always begin and adjourn exactly when you said you would.
- Typical Week: Begin with an icebreaker question. As an alternative, you may ask someone each week to give a maximum five-minute personal testimony of how they became a Christian. During a one-hour meeting a good schedule to follow would be:
Icebreaker question - 5 minutes
Discussion questions - 45 minutes
Group prayer - 10 minutes - Alternative Typical Week: Prepare a twenty-minute lecture based on the chapter, or share one of the short videos available at www.survivethemeltdown.org followed by a shorter lecture based on the chapter. After your presentation, spend thirty minutes discussing the questions and ten minutes in prayer. Use your creativity to think of other ways to help your group learn, grow and be encouraged through this study group.
- Have coffee and soft drinks available. If you meet over lunch or breakfast, allow an extra fifteen minutes for eating, if possible.
- Leading a Discussion: The key to a successful discussion group will be your ability to insure that each member gets “air time.” Your role is to encourage everyone to render their thoughts and ideas on the subject of the day. If off-the-subject questions are asked, simply suggest that you discuss that at a separate time. If someone rambles too much, privately ask them to help you draw out the more shy members of the group. Take each question in succession, and make sure everyone has the opportunity to comment. If you have a shy member, take the initiative and ask, “____________, how would you answer question number 3?”
- You don’t have to be an experienced Bible teacher to lead a discussion on How to Survive the Economic Meltdown. If someone asks you a question beyond your scope, simply say so and move on. Often, someone else in your group will have the correct answer or if possible, locate the answer or someone who has the answer and get that information to the group the following week.
- The pleasure and added understanding you will experience from a group discussion will prove to be well worth the effort.
