As facilitator, you set the pace and tone for discourse and sharing. Even though your role is to encourage group discussion rather than answer yourself, during the initial meetings you may need to respond to some questions to get the group to be open and converse. Be transparent; divulge what God is teaching you, admit your faults, and be honest. When you share openly and briefly, you model good discussion for your group. As trust and friendships grow, your members will be become eager to participate.

Begin your study with relationship building exercises:

• 15 minutes visiting at the start of each study allows members to connect and form friendships
• At the beginning of your meetings, you may want to use one or more Conversation Starters and One Word Answer Questions to initiate the process
• Divide into pairs or small groups of three to four people. Allow them to discuss a question and report back to the group. Many who are reluctant to present answers in the larger group are willing to share in a smaller group