What constitutes a good question?

Small groups are only as good as the questions asked in them. If that's the case, then what exactly constitutes a good question?

Good questions...

1. Are open-ended. They cannot be answered with yes or no. This is important because when given the opportunity to answer a question with yes or no, a junior high student will always take it. That, in turn, stifles a conversation before it even begins.

2. Ask Why? So often, teens who have been raised in the church can repeat the “right” answer, or at the very least, the answer leaders want to hear. Unfortunately, teens don't always believe what they're saying. Asking Why? pushes teens to actually think about what they're saying and decide for themselves whether or not they believe it, something that's an important step in taking ownership of their faith.

Read the rest of this article here. 

Jen Bradbury on Youth Ministry

Jen serves as the Minister of Youth and Family at Atonement Lutheran Church in Barrington, Illinois. A veteran youth worker, Jen holds an MA in Youth Ministry Leadership from Huntington University. Jen is the author of The Jesus Gap: What Teens Actually Believe about Jesus (The Youth Cartel), The Real Jesus (The Youth Cartel), Unleashing the Hidden Potential of Your Student Leaders (Abingdon), and A Mission That Matters (Abingdon). Her writing has also appeared in YouthWorker Journal, Immerse, and The Christian Century. Jen is also the Assistant Director of Arbor Research Group where she has led many national studies. When not doing ministry or research, she and her husband, Doug, and daughter, Hope, can be found traveling and enjoying life together.

More about Jen

Jen's Books

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A Mission That Matters: How To Do Short-Term Missions Without Long-Term Harm

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Now Available!

Unleashing the Hidden Potential of your Student Leaders

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The Real Jesus

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The Jesus Gap

What Teens Actually Believe About Jesus

Based on National Research

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