Now That's a Good Question!: How To Lead Quality Bible Discussions

I use Dr. Powell’s book on asking good questions as the main outline for Bible study and small group leader training and development. The primary focus of the book is to help Bible study leaders go beyond presenting material they have learned to guiding students to learn from the Bible themselves.The use of good questions in any small group discussion benefits the leader by encouraging interaction, involving students in better discussion and assessing learners’ needs and progress. The student benefits by actively learning as they are motivated and engaged with the Word of God through guided inductive Bible study.This edition includes excellent practical suggestions for managing discussion challenges. With a little adaptation, we recently used the book to train focus group leaders of two large secular organizations with great success. I highly recommend Terry’s book for anyone who wants to lead more effectively in a small group environment.

If you are leading a small group of any kind for a church or ministry, this is the book you need to read. Short and simple, Powell outlines some basic concepts that small group leaders ought to enact in their groups, ranging from how to create Bible study questions to how to handle conflict in the group. He doesn't go incredibly in depth, but the information he provides is practical and necessary for any small group leader.

This book has excellent suggestions for how to generate useful, thought-provoking discussion questions for small groups (or any other ministry that allows for interactive teaching). It also has some decent guidelines for putting together a Bible study if you are a beginner. To me, the few "teamwork" exercises scattered throughout the book felt like the kind of stupid "rah-rah let's all pretend that this is beneficial but it's really just obnoxiously cheery and insulting to our intelligence" exercises that I had to suffer through at various job orientations (though maybe I'm just emotionally scarred by past experience).The one major weakness of the book was in its formatting. Some pages looked like the content was just barfed onto it in a jumble of font sizes and styles, bullet points, block quotes, infoboxes, and awkward stock photos. I think it's supposed to look light and playful, but it comes across amateurish with some pages so busy that it is hard to follow the flow of thought.Overall, despite the tacky formatting, I highly recommend this book for new teachers in church ministries.

This may be a small book and an easy read, but it's chocked full of great content and practical tips! It not only takes the mystery out of how to craft effective questions for a group discussion, it also includes insight on creating a climate conducive to learning, and guidance on studying the Bible (which is vital to devising good questions). Terry Powell gives great instruction on what makes a poor question, how to avoid leading questions and instead, ask thought-provoking ones. I had the privilege of attending some of his classes years ago and they equipped me tremendously in my roles since, which include teaching Bible studies and training leaders in ministry. I have utilized the information in this book many times in my own teaching and when training others. We all need practical down-to-earth resources as we seek to help God's Word reach the hearts and minds of others. For those who want to participate in God's transforming work, this book is a must-have for teachers or leaders of discussion groups!

We all have had an experience with bad questions and poor small group facilitating... I cannot stress enough how this book greatly helps reduce and eliminate both in practical, humble, and real ways. With firsthand experience, I have seen the content of this book last the test of time (being applied in everyday conversation and small group leading/teaching) not only in my life, but also in many other's lives who I know have also walked through this book. Dr. Terry Powell does an incredible job taking practical real life experience, and helping readers learn practical ways of growing as a small group leader and teacher from mistakes and mishaps. I am so grateful for this revised and expanded edition of a must read book!

As small group leaders, we know the importance of asking good thought- provoking questions in the classroom in order to generate lively discussion. The right questions will also encourage student participation which is one of the goals of teaching any subject.With excellent visuals on almost every page, Terry carries us through seven small but action-packed chapters using charts, scripture passages and step by step outlines in order to help us develop the skill required to ask a good question.in his book you will discover enthusiasm, humor and nuggets of truth that will bring understanding and meaning to your small group studies and give each participant a life changing experience.

This is a great book for all people who have questions about the Bible. It’s perfect for a small group Bible study. Terry has much wisdom about Bible questions. Love this book.