Beyond Monologue: Reading Group Questions
The following originally appeared in the invisible castle resource Beyond Monologue: Preparing Interactive Talks, available here. We are including it here for the benefit of those listening to the upcoming audiobook version of Beyond Monologue:
reading group questions
There are numerous ways you could discuss Beyond Monologue in a group. One would be to spread it across a number of leadership/preaching/staff team meetings, at whatever pace seems fit. Another would be to devote one evening, morning, or day to it.
If you spent a day on it, then you could hold it at a location where everyone will have space to sit and quietly read the introduction and the ‘why’ section (chapters 1-7) in the morning, and the ‘how’ section (chapters 8-13) in the afternoon. Participants could do the exercises in the eighth and twelfth chapters during this afternoon reading time. After each reading session, you could have a discussion time.
Below are the outlines for two discussion sessions, each lasting approximately sixty minutes. Every session requires that participants have already read the relevant chapters.
The timings are obviously flexible, and you could remove, add, or adjust questions as you feel fit. But, hopefully, it gives you a helpful starting framework to use in your setting.
Session One: The ‘Why’ Chapters (1-7)
Part One: Our Experience (20 mins)
Share the story of your own journey to faith. What was the process, and what were the key moments of crisis?
What part did talks or organised events play in all this? What else was important?
What was the interplay between the talks and events, and everything else?
Part Two: Our Practice (20 mins)
Think about the six factors Luke identifies as driving his interactive speaking approach:
1) Conversion as process in community (ch. 2).
2) The distance of many contemporary people from the Christian faith (ch.3).
3) The contributory nature of current communications technology (ch.4).
4) The need for continuity; letting people make steps to more of the same, not leaps into something else (ch.5).
5) Events as changing rooms, not just catwalks; calling for places where storylistening can happen, and people find they and their stories belong (ch.6).
6) The non-verbal symbolism of our events (ch.7).
Were you already taking any of these factors into account before reading Beyond Monologue, and how has your reflection on them affected your practice?
Which of the six factors do you think you or your Christian community have most overlooked?
Why do you think you or your Christian community tend to overlook this?
Part Three: Our Reflections (20 mins)
Does Luke’s proposed response to these six factors address them adequately? What other adjustments, aside from those suggested by Luke, would you want to make to your current evangelistic practice, in light of what you read here?
What other questions did the first seven chapters provoke, which you would like to discuss?
Session Two: The ‘How’ Chapters (8-13)
Part One: Our Worked Examples (30 mins)
Share with one another your worked examples from chapter twelve, and provide one another with feedback on them.
Part Two: Our Practice (30 mins)
What aspect of formulating a good question came most naturally to you? And which one was most challenging, and why?
How well does this approach integrate with your existing speaking style? Are there any further adjustments you might need to make when employing it?
When will you have an opportunity to use this approach? Is there anything, aside from the talk, you would need to adjust in the organization of that event—room layout, seating, or something else?
What other questions did chapters eight to thirteen raise for you, which you would like to discuss?