Mistakes Part III

The Need to Finish Curriculum That Isn't Working

Often times, a leader thinks that once you start a 6 or 8 week study, you have to finish it, regardless of how much it is not connecting with your group and stinking up your meeting room. Here's a rule of thumb: If something's not working, can it. Move on to something else. You should use the Life Group Member Evaluation (contact your Group Guide if you need one) as one of the initial ways to determine where people are in their journey, what's banging around in their hearts, and what a relevant and helpful course of study might be for them based on that info. You may also want to contact your Group Guide to discuss the results, once your members fill it out, to make well-counseled decisions if you're not sure what you're seeing.

It's not a great idea to do "homework," for homework's sake. As good as it is for people to be thinking and studying and chewing on topics on their own the other 6 days of the week- sometimes we should recognize that it's too often busywork that leads to a sense of dread, guilt or defeat. Be mindful about this reality, and make sure you don't equate unfinished homework with a lack of spiritual depth. The study might just stink, or the homework isn't producing growth, or both. Be aware, as well, that some studies we use at Crosspointe come packaged with homework that borders on corny or one-dimensional, or is full of leading questions and fill-in-the-blanks. great studies, great DVD's, great books- bad homework. Even though some of the content of the homework can sometimes be helpful, for you the leader, in thinking through application and discussion, it may  may be a waste of time when the members go on their own with it.  If your members can leave the meeting time, challenged with one applicable thought that engages their mind, challenges behavior patterns and/or creates a desire in people to see life and the world God's way- that's plenty (and better than 3 pages of fill-in-the-blank....).

Here's another rule of thumb: If you're not getting feedback on a specific study, people probably don't like it. Most group members who don't like a small-group curriculum tend not to tell the small-group leader—they grin and bear it, or else vote with their feet and stop attending. 

It goes a long way with group members in understanding their group has a mission when the leader pulls the plug on a study that's not helping them move toward it. Don't be afraid of this- be the kind of leader that pays close enough attention to the environment they've created to say, "yikes...does this stink or is it just me? Let's go another route!"