Shepherding Lessons - Ministry Exchange (MX)

Shepherding group ideas:
These curriculum ideas are designed for a more intimate small group of
student leaders (clusters) for support and encouragement rather than for
training. Some of these ideas can be repeated during a semester or year
without the lesson becoming trivial.

It’s All About You
It’s uncomfortable but good to listen and be listened to.

. Spend time where everyone’s attention is on one group member while they talk about themselves for 10-20 minutes. They have to fulfill the time requirement which will be easy for some and difficult for others but overall it will be fun, insightful and community building.

Top 3 Life Moments
Our lives are the summation of “life” moments that have shaped us for good
or bad and to understand each other and ourselves we must begin with those
“life” moments that meant the most to us.

. Spend a few minutes per person to reflect and share their “top 3 life shaping moments”. . This time can conclude with cluster members asking insightful questions about each others lives or with prayer thanking God that he redeems all things good or bad for his purposes. Romans 8:28

Doubts About God
Christians are really good at hiding their doubts about God and it’s to our
own detriment. In Matthew 28:17 “When [the eleven] saw him, they worshiped
him; but some doubted.” we see that disciples can be mixed bags where doubt
and worship and a commissioning combine to describe a life devoted to
Jesus. If some of the eleven can doubt while worshiping the risen Christ
and still receive the same empowerment to accomplish God’s mission then
surely we can have doubts too and still be used on our campus. We need to
realize that all of us struggle with doubts and let God use us collectively
in community to encourage each other so that we can defend against the
flaming arrows of the enemy. Ephesians 6

. Spend time sharing our top doubts we have about God. The group should take a humble listening posture rather than a “let me fix you” approach. If the cluster member wants advice or a scripture then allow the group to speak to the doubt with love and the Word.

Top 3 Struggles
Christians struggle in this life with various difficulties from school
stress, to family situations, to sin and we all need to expose these
struggles to the light and life that Jesus gives us. John 16:32,33

. Spend some time sharing openly about current struggles that the cluster group can pray for. The group should take a humble listening posture rather than a “let me fix you” approach. If the cluster member wants advice or a scripture then allow the group to speak to the doubt with love and the Word.

Bible Study

. Spend time as a cluster reflecting on a passage and how God is speaking into your lives through it. . Spend time venting about cluster members’ Bible studies, problems, difficulties and successes.

Prayer & Scripture
Have a time of praying the scriptures.pick any topic and passage you
believe is relevant,

. Spend some time where the cluster members reflect on both in meditation then spend time praying the scriptures over the topic. . This might also be used well in conjunction with sharing doubts or struggles.

Contact Evangelism- GIGs
It might be scary but students need to be pushed beyond themselves and the
mundane “Christian or IV” life.

. Spend some time sharing how each member would begin spiritual conversation with a stranger but don’t take too long. . Next have everyone pray for the lost on campus, then pair up and go see what the Lord might do when we obey and take risks for him! . Come back and share stories with each other about what God did.

Simple Key Truths
There are truths that every student needs to learn to speak into another’s
life as well as receive into their own. This is an exercise designed to
emphasize the power of God’s simple truth and learn how to speak it without
adding our own words.
Have the students come up with several key simple truths about God. (ex. It
was God’s pleasure to purchase you with his blood, no matter what you’ve
done you are totally forgiven, Jesus loves you and will never leave you…)

This can be done in community with the cluster group deciding what truths
are key and which ones are not. . Spend time discussing how we add to God’s truth as we do ministry in our small groups or as we receive it ourselves. . Have the cluster members pair up and pick one truth each to speak three times to their partner without laughing, giggling or adding more words. (I recommend eye contact; speak with confidence and a moment pause between repeating it.) . How would speaking simple truths into others lives change the way we do ministry? What affect would it have on those we minister to?

QT Revelations

. Ask the question, “What has God shown you lately?”

Ask a Question

. Allow group members to ask any question they want to anyone in the group.

Vision for Campus

. Develop and draw the vision for your campus. What do you want to see on campus? . Develop campus goals according to the vision

Gifts and Abilities

. List your abilities and gifts. What do you do well that gives you energy? What do the people around you think are your gifts and abilities? . What words would you use to describe yourself? What environment or circumstances do you function best in? (e.g. pace, indoors or outdoors, with people, kinds of tasks) Longings and dreams . What do you want to do with your life? Do you have a life dream? What motivates you? Why did you join leadership and how does that fits with your bigger dreams? Is there a passage of Scripture or Biblical character that speaks to your heart?

The World’s needs

. Of the needs of the world around you, what stands out as most important? What you like to do to make a difference?

Relationship with God

. What kind of relationship with God would you like to experience? Is there a Biblical passage that speaks to you about the kind of relationship you seek? What image do you have of God? What metaphor would you use to describe him?