Good questions are a staple of any worthwhile small-group discussion. They should be clear, using words that are easy to understand and that do not produce ambiguity. They should accurately uncover what God intended for the biblical text. They should be sensitive to the needs and life situations of your group members. And they should motivate people to think a little more deeply than they're used to thinking.

Of course, asking constructive questions is only the first step in building and maintaining discussion. The second step is avoiding the destructive questions that can tear any good conversation apart.

Below are five types of questions that can kill small-group discussions. (All of the example questions refer to Matthew 4:1-11.) These examples can help as you train small group leaders to foster transformative conversations in their groups.

Subjective questions

Some small-group leaders unintentionally transfer authority from the Bible to group members by instructing them to look inward ...