Reflections on our Everyday Lives

52 Ideas for Small Group Discussions

It was not until he was in his mid-30s that Ralf Würtz became a Christian and found a spiritual home in the Evangelisch-methodistische Kirche, the German branch of the United Methodist Church (UMC) His curiosity regarding the word of God and his efforts to understand the bible led to him becoming a lay preacher in the UMC. In addition to preaching, he enjoys writing about different spiritual topics for various church publications.

During a course in Christian social work, he met the Baptist theologian Gyburg Beschnidt. For several years she had been responsible for the small groups and house group work of the Union of Evangelical Free Churches in Germany. She also looked after various groups as a pastor and hospital chaplain, at a Bible society and in the area of Christian social work and development aid. She is involved in ecumenical and international work. Recently, she has become a leader of an online house group that gets together via video conference.

This collection of discussion topics for house groups is enriched by different perspectives on church and congregation. The spiritual introductions by Ralf Würtz and the methodological questions and suggestions by Gyburg Beschnidt offer a variety of ways to engage with one's own faith, the church and the world in which we live. The recommended sources (e.g. links to Wikipedia and You Tube) are very helpful.