Lesson 15. Live Discussion Questions

These questions are intended to be used to lead a live session at your organization. Clients should come having read the material prepared to answer the questions below. You may also want to use some of the online discussion questions as well as the assignment discussion questions in your live discussion.  

Chapter 35. Preventing Burnout and Compassion-Fatigue

1. The best definition for burnout is “compassion fatigue”. When would a person in ministry in under-resourced communities experience compassion fatigue?
2. Prove from Scripture that you do not have to develop compassion on your own but you can have a ready supply from God.
3. What temptations can you expect to have in rescue ministry that would contribute to burnout?
4. Of the list of ways to avoid burnout p. 184-185, in which way do you see yourself needing to improve to prevent your own burnout.

Chapter 12. Turning Frustration into Godly Challenge

1. What is a common reason for frustration?
2. What is probably God’s perspective regarding the things that frustrate me?
3. When is frustration appropriate?
4. What is the difference between righteous anger and unrighteous anger?
5. How do you express frustration toward others in a loving graceful way?
6. How is the way I deal with frustration affected by how I deal with my view of my own failures?
7. How does a mission staffer deal with frustration when a client you have tried to help messes up?

Lesson 15. Online Discussions

If you are using this material to facilitate live group discussions, then these questions can be used as a guide. 

If you would like to receive credit for this course, then submit a 400-word response for each discussion group of questions (i.e. Lesson 1. Discussion 1). You do not need to submit 400 words for each question, but for each group of questions. If responding to a live meeting discussion, then share written work as you would in a live meeting.

Lesson 15. Forum 1: Dealing with Detours and Disappointments

1. Give an example of a time when you experienced one of these three in life or work: Detours, Discouragements and Disappointments.
2. From your own experience, share what you have learned is the benefit of having detours in your life.
3. Explain how you know that none of these three are always a result of sin.
4. What could be the purpose of each of these in my life?
5. How does a believer keep from discouragement over disappointments?
6. Share one paragraph in this chapter that was helpful to you.
7. Discuss how a person in ministry can change their perspective to help in the dealing with everyday discouragement.
8. If you have encountered a detour that showed you something valuable, use that as a testimony to others.

Lesson 15. Assignments

Lesson 15. Assignment 1. Preventing Burnout

After reading the textbook assignment and the PDFs, and listening to the videos, write a two-page paper (minimum of 600 words) give pointers on how you know you can prevent going into burnout and how you would encourage a fellow staff person already in burnout to recover.

Lesson 15. Assignment 2. Journal Entry 

In this course you are required to keep a journal. In your journal, you should cover the following things:

1. Reflect on how the concepts from this week and the rest of this course have applied in your personal and professional life.
2. What are the primary areas where you believe God wants you to grow this next week, and what specific steps will you take toward that growth?
3. Reflect on your past week in general. Variations of your entry may include describing how you have been blessed in the past week with either opportunities to see God’s grace, suggestions from a supervisor or fellow staff person, things that happened that you wish you could have a redo, or insights you gained for future work.
4. You are required to have biweekly meetings with a mentor. For weeks 2, 4, 6 and 8 of this course write down the meeting date, and what you learned from your mentoring session.

Although there is no word count requirement for this assignment, a minimum of 250 words is encouraged (one double-spaced page).