Starting Q Places

Every once in a while we find it fitting to celebrate what the Lord is doing through Q Place! Denise’s story—which you’ll read below—is something to celebrate, indeed! She’s a believer now—all because someone stepped out to welcome and invite her to a safe and loving conversational environment! In turn, God is now using Denise to share His love. It is our hope that Denise’s journey encourages you to consider starting a Q Place. ~ Pamela Klein, Editor, On Q. My name is Denise, I’m from Brazil. I’m married and have two girls. When we moved to the US from...Read more …

“Oh! The Bible!? I don’t like the Bible!” These were the words spoken by a woman who came to my Trial Meeting. A Q Place Trial Meeting is the first meeting of a Q Place, where participants get to experience the group for the first time. It’s literally a trial—any potential participant can “try a Q Place” risk free, with no expectation to return. When the woman blurted out her remark, we all could’ve heard a pin drop. But because of my Q Place training, I knew questions were the best way to respond. So, I asked the woman, “Can...Read more …

Dennis from Southminster Presbyterian Church in Arlington Heights, IL, attended a Q Place VITAL event and heard something he hadn’t heard before: that if people don’t feel judged, they are actually interested in talking about spiritual things. This was exciting for him; and Dennis decided to do something. Equipped with this new piece of information, he invited each person from his engineering firm to go out to lunch with him, one-on-one. Then, while eating lunch together, he asked for their opinion: “I was at a conference where I heard that if people feel safe and not judged, they are willing—...Read more …

One glance at your own Twitter or Facebook feed and you’ll note the increasing frequency of complex personal, political, and religious conversations. There’s a lot happening in our world today—yes, so much to talk about. But is “online” the best place for this dialogue? In an interview with Barna research, Q Place President Mary Schaller addresses this growing practice: Barna Group: Over the years, Barna research has charted the rising occurrence of spiritual conversations happening online, especially among the Mosaic generation (young adults). What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of spiritual dialogue in the digital realm? Schaller:...Read more …

I have a Q Place that used to meet on Sunday afternoons in space that our church plant rented from a teen center in our city. One Sunday, an hour before our start time, two of the three ladies I was scheduled to pick up canceled. So I altered my departure time in order to make that last pick up and still arrive at the building in plenty of time. When we arrived, my co-initiator, Jenny, who is also our worship pastor’s wife, was already there with the key to the building, but she couldn’t remember the passcode for the...Read more …

If you’re a parent, then more than likely, you’ve assembled a child’s toy. If you’re reading this, you lived through it. Typically, toys come with instructions written by somebody somewhere whose job it was to build the toy and painstakingly communicate—step by step—precisely how they did it. This is meant to help me. And I’m sure the intentions behind the pictures and numbered steps and labeled parts and phrases like, “Put part B into part A using nut D and bolt C,” are noble and kind. But they are as clear as mud! You know what I’m talking about. Let...Read more …

This is Walk the Way. Brought to you by Q Place. I’m Jeff Klein. In Lakeland, Colorado, Bear Valley Church has hosted an Awana Kid’s Club for years on Wednesday nights. And for years, parents have come, dropped off their kids and headed back home. Until recently. That’s when Pastor Jim Walters decided to invite some of the parents to stay around while their kids went to club. He hosted them, along with some partners, and began simply having spiritual conversations. Toni was one of the parents who stayed around. A single mom, Toni hadn’t experienced too many ‘positives’ with the...Read more …

God’s plans are often different than mine. I have sometimes wondered why God’s plans are so often different than my own! I’ve concluded that it’s one way He lets me know He’s in control—not me—keeping me relying on Him. And although perhaps not what I had planned, despite my wondering why, I’ve learned that God’s way is always better than mine. This has proven true in my experience as a Q Place initiator as well. In the last couple of years, I felt God leading me to start a Q Place at my local YMCA. My friend Mona and I were planning...Read more …

I started my first Q Place in 1995, and since then I have had the opportunity to start many more. I’ve had groups in my neighborhood, at a coffee shop, at a home for unwed mothers and in the local YMCA. These past twenty years, others have grown in understanding about faith; and equally as much, my own faith has deepened. My hesitancy has grown to quiet boldness, I’ve learned how planning and prayer go hand in hand and how a simple invitation is a wonderful beginning. Now don’t think for a moment that I am a bold and courageous...Read more …