As the leader, I usually arrive about 10 minutes early to wait for the members. We enjoy a light chat over coffee. I like to ask about everyone's well-being because we are a spiritual family caring for one another. Then, guided by the leader, we begin the main meeting.
* Opening Prayer
I try to start the meeting with a corporate prayer. This is because a Christian book club is a special gathering. It's not just a place to accumulate knowledge but a place of worship where we offer our entire lives to God. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, human change cannot occur. This is the decisive difference between a regular book club and a Christian book club. We begin the meeting by earnestly praying to God.
* Sharing and Listening (Beginning of Discussion)
Once the main book club meeting begins, one person opens the meeting by sharing what they have prepared in advance. Those who wish to can go first, or the leader can designate someone depending on the situation.
It's important here that the leader does not lecture. After the meeting starts, there's a high possibility that the leader might say, "As I read this text, I thought..." and share their own stories and lectures. This is because it's considered normal in traditional church meeting leadership.
However, in a book club, the participants are the protagonists, not the leader. Of course, the leader must thoroughly understand and prepare all content. This way, they can analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the participants and provide feedback when necessary to help them grow. However, the leader should remain in the background as much as possible.
Therefore, the start of the meeting is very simple. The leader can simply ask, "Deacon OOO, could you please present what you've prepared for today?" It's simple but the most effective beginning.
Once one person starts presenting, everyone else should listen attentively. Listening is actively hearing to understand and empathize with another person's thoughts and feelings. The power of listening is amazing. What's particularly important is that while listening appears to be a skill for others, it is actually a skill for oneself.
Because the presenter has read the same book as you, listening to their summarized content naturally leads you to compare it with what you prepared. You gain a more objective view of yourself and experience intellectual stimulation and an expansion of thought. Furthermore, you feel a desire to add something to their story, and ideas for what to say come to mind. A warm spiritual bond is formed, and the other person feels much closer emotionally.
* Empathy and Response (Discussion in Progress 1)
After one person presents, we applaud together without fail. Unfortunately, Korean culture tends to be stingy with praise. However, encouraging someone's presentation after they have read, pondered, and organized their thoughts is a sign of respect for that person and powerfully instills spiritual motivation for them to work harder.
While the leader can offer light praise and move on, the quickest and surest encouragement is for everyone to applaud together. You can say, "Deacon OOO, well done! Please give him/her a round of applause."
Then, you should give others an opportunity to talk about what they thought of the presentation. You can politely ask, "Elder OOO, Deacon OOO just presented. How did you hear it? Could I ask for your feedback?"
Feedback consists of two parts. You can talk about the parts you empathized with, or you can talk about parts you thought differently about or more deeply. At first, this might feel awkward, and responding immediately after hearing someone's story requires significant mental skill, which can be difficult. However, most people adapt well after two or three meetings.
After one person presents, you should ask for feedback from at least two people. If the meeting includes about six people, including the leader, four people can also give feedback. However, always keep the time commitment in mind.
The reason feedback is important is that by listening to others in the group, the presenter can discover their strengths and areas for further development. Through encouragement within the community, the presenter's self-esteem is boosted, and a good desire to work harder is formed.
What's truly important here is that feedback for a person should happen immediately after they present. For example, it's impossible to have two or three people present consecutively and then go back to give feedback on the first person, because the content of their presentation will have been forgotten.
A Christian book club should not be a place where a few smart people boast about their knowledge. It should be a place of transformation where all participants can biblically change their worldview.
Therefore, it is crucial to diligently follow the process of one person presenting in turn, followed by feedback from about two people immediately after their presentation, to encourage and transform their thinking. Only by approaching it in this way can everyone truly experience being precious members in the Lord.
* Conversation (Discussion in Progress 2)
The flower of a book club is conversation. When you ask for feedback on a presentation, conversation naturally happens. There are several methods for book club conversation, but in the Reading Christian Book Club, we use discussions based on good books and conversational discussions. Discussions based on good books focus on the content of the book, while conversational discussions are natural, like talking with each other.
First, in a Christian book club, we don't just talk about anything; we should try to focus on the author's arguments and content as much as possible. For example, a conversation like, "The author said this, so I thought this," is a good conversation.
And within the book club, people can naturally exchange conversations. It doesn't necessarily have to be strictly related to the book; ordinary conversations are also possible. However, as you talk, your own experiences will likely connect with the book's content.
For example, you can exchange stories based on direct or indirect experiences of faith, such as, "I had such and such an experience related to what I read this time..." Each person's experiences are also good material for conversation, so feel free to share them.
* Leader's Role
So, what does the leader do during this process? In fact, the role of a book club leader is very challenging. The leader constantly orchestrates the meeting invisibly. They neither step forward too much nor hide too much. They must continuously observe the expressions and hearts of the participants to ensure the overall meeting proceeds well, guiding it like an invisible hand.
I understand the leader in a book club as a spiritual parent. A spiritual parent must simultaneously be with their children in three places. First, they must be in the place of learning the book. As they listen to what participants have prepared, they must analyze their strengths and weaknesses. And they must be part of the learning process of the book. If a participant has any shortcomings, the leader can help them grow by using others' feedback or by asking direct questions.
And finally, they must be with the book itself. While the leader is not someone who directly lectures, they must have a clear sense of direction for where their spiritual children should go. Therefore, they must diligently prepare for the meeting more seriously than anyone else.
* Questions During the Meeting, and the Power of Questions
What distinguishes a book club from a typical lecture is the presence of free questions and answers. As you read the book together and engage in conversation, questions are bound to arise. Also, while listening to someone else's presentation, you might have questions or want to delve deeper into certain areas. In a book club, you can freely share these and ask each other questions.
Questions possess amazing power. They foster an active attitude of participation in the meeting. They cultivate the ability to think critically about a topic. They also help connect your existing knowledge with new knowledge. Furthermore, they deepen your understanding of the book and prompt self-reflection.
Of course, the leader can also ask questions of the participants. When facilitating a book club, meaningful conversations often flow naturally even without much intervention from the leader. However, sometimes to deepen understanding of the book, or to enrich the conversation, the leader can ask various questions. The leader uses questions as needed, at the right time and place. These questions can be prepared by the leader in advance or generated spontaneously.
During the meeting, important theological questions may arise. The leader must decide whether or not to address them on the spot. Primarily, having participants present and receive feedback on their prepared content already provides immense learning. However, if the leader determines that a question is crucial based on the flow of the meeting, they can lead an additional discussion on that question.
Even in such discussions, it's much more desirable and fitting for a book club format if the leader doesn't lecture unilaterally. Instead, they should first ask participants for their thoughts to gather wisdom, and then the leader can offer their own biblical or theological perspective.
* Conclusion and Summary
The meeting proceeds for about one and a half to two hours in this manner. I have facilitated for up to four hours with about ten participants as a guideline. Generally, I try to finish within two hours with about seven participants. When the leader determines that all participants have presented, given feedback, and engaged in sufficient conversation through this process, the discussion is concluded.
In most cases, the author's core message will likely have been well-covered, so the leader can summarize the key points in one or two sentences to conclude. If possible, it's a good idea to give all members an opportunity to share their thoughts on the meeting. This naturally encourages self-reflection on their preparation and presentation.
* Closing Prayer
At this point, as the meeting concludes, the participants' hearts will likely be warmed by the content shared. I try to conclude the meeting with corporate prayer as much as possible. We pray together in a corporate voice for God to implant the shared content in our hearts and transform our lives. After the corporate prayer, I, as the leader, generally do not offer the final prayer. Instead, I ask one of the participants to do so, as I understand it is biblically beneficial to bestow spiritual responsibility and authority upon the participants, and that is how we proceed.
- 모임 때에는 무엇을 하는가요?
(The Korean version of this article and a Podcast episode)
* 크리스천 북클럽을 위한 '심플 가이드'를 소개합니다
(Your Simple Guide to Christian Book Clubs)
https://jungjinbu.blogspot.com/2025/05/your-simple-guide-to-christian-book.html
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