The Role of the Facilitator

Chapter Four of the Ujamaa Manual gives attention to the role of the facilitator. In the field of practical theology, this is a path walked in many authoritative studies. The implications and influence of an efficient facilitator deserves studies and books on its own, which is far beyond the scope of this discussion. However, the role of the facilitator should be mentioned in a chapter on methodology, because there will be no hand heavier, no voice more lingering, than that of the facilitator. In creating a Bible study on 1 Samuel 25, this study has described not only the context, but also its intentions and lenses, to minimalize the dependence on a good facilitator. When questions and their purposes will be described, as little as possible will be left to the inclination of the facilitator, so that the Bible study may reach its purpose. But the task of a facilitator is necessary and will remain, and must be discussed, at least briefly.

Facilitating is indeed cultivated by understanding and practise. The task at hand is to construct a Bible study with as much understanding and wisdom built in, that even an

inexperienced facilitator would be comfortable to present. As explained about the context of this study in Chapter One of the Ujamaa manual, the envisioned facilitator of this study may be trained or not, and if, is often a person of clergy who may be more comfortable with directive leadership and teaching, and not used to facilitating. The author should intrinsically consider the principles of facilitating while creating the questions, and not leave this very important aspect completely to the uncertainty of whether a group has a good facilitator or not.

Because CBS is a collaborative process, it requires leadership that facilitates, not dominates. Collaboration means working together, sharing resources and finding some common action. The Ujamaa Manual claims that facilitating is an art and a form of spirituality, not only a technique, and that anyone can do it (Ujamaa 2015: 14). While it is understood that the manual is a practical help book and not an academic resource, this seems very thin. For the purpose of this study, it cannot be enough to say that good facilitating is necessary – although it will still be needed and still be true. Nevertheless, one should not underestimate the

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shortly stipulated in Chapter Four of their manual. Since this is a critical appreciation of the CBS method, their contribution to facilitating is also evaluated.

Firstly, Ujamaa regards doing CBS a spiritual exercise, and accentuates this factor when instructing the facilitator (2015: 14). The God of love is known to love all of humanity, therefore, it is important to carry that belief into one’s own anthropology. Facilitators are encouraged to see the image and hear the voice of God in everyone. Equality and human dignity are valued, and the whole of the Manual and the CBS process witnesses this. This emphasis is utterly suited for this study; although this is an academic exercise, the spirituality contained here is one of deep concern for the well-being and flourishing of all human beings, who deserve it equally. Apart from aptly supporting the feminist goals of this study, the valuing of human dignity may be considered an overarching goal. The mechanics of this spiritual posture is contemplated further when the contribution of Martha Nussbaum is discussed, on how to create positive emotions towards other human beings, even when they were previously strangers (see Chapter 3.4.2).

The next value that the facilitator should regard is one of group ethics. The facilitator is recommended to understand the group, how it is constituted and its major concerns, to be aware that everyone participates and joins in discussion, because all the “right” answers are not with only one person, and to remember that the facilitator is only one voice of many in the group (Ujamaa 2015: 14). The facilitator needs to let the group process take place: hold silences, designate roles, manage dynamics, promote turn-taking, keep to the time, summarise results, move the group from reflection to action.

The core value of contestation, previously explained, is also applicable to group work in the CBS context. Sometimes, one needs to manage conflict, which should be considered a failure. The goal of any CBS and any ICBS is not for everyone to get along, but to create a safe space where participants may honestly engage with any topic, including the difficult or divisive ones, and also with one another. Very important is that all participants must be helped to truly engage with the questions (Ujamaa 2015: 15); and when emotions arise, the facilitator should be proficient in debriefing and reflective handling.

All the responsibility for practical arrangements are that of the facilitator, and these

arrangements should be done inconspicuously and professionally, even in humble settings. The discourse leader should provide information when requested, and help community members to utilize local reading resources, while being careful not to exclude those who are

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illiterate (Ujamaa 2015: 15). Ice-breaking and efficient time keeping seem unimportant, but is very much so. The facilitator should be well prepared and pre-empt every detail: the venue, seating arrangements, handwriting. The management of these elements are also paramount to this study, even more so since it would be a multicultural group, comprised of people from diverse backgrounds, in a country with racial problems. Practical aspects controlled poorly, could easily make a participant feel unwelcome or offended, and could easily be avoided with preparation. The details of the practical implications of this current study is expounded in Chapter Five, after the workbook is presented.

The set of skills alluded to above can be described as a combination of practical preparation (knowledge of the material, participants, venue and setting), spiritual competence (knowledge of the church, embodied theologies, and the development of the group) and interpersonal abilities (handling conflict, debriefing emotions, including and containing all types of personalities).