Talking about guilt and shame can very heavy and difficult to discuss.
One of our Group Leader Essentials is modeling authenticity. The more vulnerable we can be, the more open our group members will be.
Our prayer is that group discussion and prayer times would give many in our church a safe place to share their hurts, guilt, and shame. But many will not feel safe enough to share anything below surface struggles.
Offer to be available to talk with group members privately if they would like to discuss their situation in a safer environment. Discussing deep guilt and pain in front of more than one person may be too difficult.
If someone shares a difficult situation with you that needs more guidance, please reach out to your Community Group Coach or Campus Pastor.
Resource on leading your group to share authentically:
How open should we expect our group members to actually be with each other?
Where is the line between sharing openly and sharing too much?
What barriers keep us from being real?
How do we create an atmosphere where people feel safe enough to share what is really going on?
In this talk Jason DeGraaff and Brad Files address these questions and share how as group leaders we can live out Group Leader Essential #4 - Modeling Authenticity.
