Making a lasting impact requires close relationships.
by Life Together
As you plan your role in your church's small group ministry, it's important to remember the key principle behind your role as spiritual mentor: More time spent with fewer people has a greater impact. Let's break this down:
1. The starting point of all effective mentoring is RELATIONSHIP. Mark 3:14 says, "And he chose 12, whom he named apostles. 'I have chosen you to be with me,' he told them. 'I will ...
Okay, so that may seem obvious, but one of the critical roles of a small group leader is to shepherd the people in your group. Does the word "shepherd" scare you? It shouldn't. God has provided you with the gifts and abilities to care for those in your small group.
In a healthy small group, the members, as well as the leaders, must be "healthy." In fact, I would ...
Everybody needs a coach—whether to help you plant a garden, build a home, improve a golf swing, or lead a small group. The question is: What does coaching look like? How do we inspire, shepherd, and develop leaders of groups so that they grow in wisdom, maturity, and skills?
To help our coaches, we've outlined four key practices for the oversight of leaders.
Modeling: Pursue Christ-likeness. Grow in the life of full devotion you're inviting others to lead. Paul said, "Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). I remember when Ryan, now almost 16, was about four years old. We were walking down Michigan Avenue in Chicago and I was holding his hand. I let go to pick up a large piece of paper in our path on the otherwise clean sidewalk. I threw it in a trash can and turned to grab Ryan's hand—but he was gone. For a split second, I panicked—it was a busy street with many passersby. I turned around and discovered he was several feet behind me, picking up another piece of trash he had spotted. He threw it in the can and grabbed my hand. It struck me—he watches everything I do!
We're always modeling, whether we realize it or not. Coaches should pursue the Jesus way of life for their own benefit and growth, but should be aware that leaders are looking to them—at least sometimes—to show the way and to live a life worth emulating. We inspire others when we pursue Christ. It's job one for coaches.
Learn how to get everyone in a small group participating.
by Life Together
When it comes to getting everyone to participate in your small group, it's important that you—their leader—know your level of openness is the primary factor in setting the tone for the group's involvement and openness.
Along with that, here are 5 ways to get your small group members to participate in group life:
1. When you ask the first question, you should answer it first. When you're done, ...
Max is a wonderful Christian who was serving his Lord at the highest levels when we first met. I noticed he walked with a limp. When he wanted to stand up and talk to me, he would always lean against a wall or hold my arm. Tactfully I said, "Max, what's the problem with your leg?" He replied, "Ralph, some years ago a disease attacked my leg and destroyed the ligaments around the ankle. The bones are ...
If you want your small group to go to the next level, you have to lead the way.
Jay Firebaugh
I recently talked with a cell leader who was afraid to be real with his cell group. "If they knew I had these type of struggles, they would never respect me." In truth, just the opposite is true. I have found when cell leaders open up and share what is really going on in their life: good, bad, and ugly, rather than being repulsed by it, group members are drawn to the leader. They are struggling with ...
Your example can show others real Christianity at work.
Dreama Pritt
What a wonderful opportunity God has given us to reach and teach disciples in small groups! The best way to do this is by example. Just as we follow the example of the New Testament church, we teach and are taught by the examples of those around us. How many times have you personally met someone and thought, "I want to be like them"? Or, just as significantly, "I don't want to be like them!" Our relationships ...
Our children are dormant volcanoes, ready to erupt for God!
Holly Allen
Dad aren't you glad we went to our cell group tonight? We got blessed? I like getting blessings over me!
Ten year old Zachary, one of the spiritual "bricks" in our church, said this to his dad after a cell meeting. (Our spiritual bricks are those 9 to 13 year old boys who draw or make airplanes during church and ask when will it be over every five minutes.) I asked Mike, the dad, to describe what happened ...
I realized that children had not been welcome in our midst, and therefore Jesus had not been welcome either.
Matt Messner
Our small group of adults was moving harmoniously into deeper worship as we sang the familiar choruses to the accompaniment of a skilled guitarist. Between songs, we sat quietly in an attitude of worship, enjoying the evident presence of God. The tranquility was quickly shattered as my exasperated 2-year old, with tears flowing down his face, barged into the scene notifying me of how one of his fellow ...
I can look into God's word many times a week, but these things will be forgotten if I'm not transformed into Christlikeness as a result.
Dan Lentz
I was involved in a group leader training session recently when the leader asked the group to do the following exercise: "Take off your watch and put it in your pocket. Now take a piece of paper and draw your watch in as much detail as you can without looking at your watch." After a few minutes of drawing circles, lines, and numbers, we were instructed to take our watch back out of our pocket and ...
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