Do you think it’s okay to give up bible study with a group that you have said you’ll meet with to finish uni or school work? Do you think that those two hours of studying for uni (or getting distracted from studying, depending on how focussed you are) are worth more than studying God’s word, or worth more than the encouragement you’ll be by just turning up? Are they worth the discouragement that you cause other people when you don’t turn up?
Perhaps you’ll think it’s just that once that you’re skipping it. If it’s okay to miss it for study does it make it okay to miss it for work – did you have the opportunity to ask if they wouldn’t roster you on at that time. Is it okay to miss it for sport? Is it okay not to go just because you’re tired?
For me the answer is generally no. I hate to disappoint people, I don’t like to cancel on someone when I’ve said that I’ll meet with them. It seems to me that the answer for a lot of people is yes. Is one of those correct? Do we have a right to be disappointed when people are continually flaky or are our expectations just too high?
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This is something I have been thinking about for the last few weeks. The reason, I am starting a Bible Study (then again I think you knew this). Like you I think the answer is generally no (There are times were someones workload is particularly high – on those rarer occasions it is fine.) When the Bible Study starts next week we will talk about this, whats expected in terms of attendance will be decided upon by the group, so I don’t know how that will look… I think I will only push for some sense of commitment to the Bible Study rather than demanding that people attend every week. The men’s group at church asks that people commit to attending every fortnight (they meet fortnightly) and they still don’t have members that are there one time and away the next two.
I don’t think it does any good to make hard and fast rules about attendance, but it is a good idea to start the group by gathering opinions and knowing what to expect from each person. One person can let you know that they often have to work late, so the whole group can try not to be disappointed if they’re not there Or as in our group, one of the guys is a musician and he’s been on tour for the last couple of months so he and his wife haven’t been here. That’s both sad and encouraging for us because they’re not here with us, but they’re doing some excellent things for the Lord.
Let me know how your group starts out and how it continues.
Expectations are killers. I try not expect anything from anyone. That way, when they do something, it is joyeous. When they don’t, no big deal.
Of course starting a group is a little different. You have to get some idea of the commitment before you do it or it is a waste of time.