Over the last year much attention on discipleship has been focused on self-feeding.
Pastor David Trotter says that in ten years of ministry at three different churches, he has heard hundreds of people say that they aren't being 'fed' enough -- they are getting too much milk and not enough meat. But he makes the point that several other prominent pastors and bloggers have made recently: As followers of Jesus, we are called to feed ourselves and feed others who are new in the faith...
How does the responsibility for self-feeding integrate with your responsibilities as a leader/teacher? I think teachers can model, train and honor self-feeding.
Modeling - occasionally share with your group things you have gleaned in your personal study that has nothing to do with the lesson plan you are delivering.
Teaching - Help people with practical advice about where to start reading, how much to read, strategies that help you in your personal reading (journaling, note-taking, highlighting, reading schedules, etc.). I just learned a couple of weeks ago about a leader who bought Composition Notebooks (like those used in college classes) and a stack of men's magazines. The students clipped headlines and pictures of things that were personal to them. Pasted them to the cover of the journal then wrapped the whole thing in clear contact paper. The thought was that a spiritual journal is PERSONAL interaction with God so the place where those thoughts are recorded should be personalized.
Honoring - We honor self-feeding by assigning it value. Promote it as a noble challenge (See the 31 Day Challenge) and give people a chance to share what they have been learning in their personal time of "eating alone"
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