Your responsibility as a small group leader is primarily to shepherd the sheep that God puts into your care and to go out and bring more sheep into the fold. So . . .
· Do not view yourself merely as a Bible study teacher or the equivalent of a Sunday school teacher who presents lessons to the group.
· Do not limit your role to that of a meeting facilitator who plans and conducts discussions.
· Do not think of yourself only as a disc-jockey, whose job is to put the DVD in the player and push play.
Ralph Neighbour put it this way:
The Shepherd never says, “I will tend the flock on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m.” No! The Shepherd lives with the flock, sleeps in the fields with the flock, goes into treacherous situations to find a lost sheep, and carries the lambs in his arms. The Shepherd is the first one to go into the “valley of the shadow of death” to lead sheep to “green pastures.”
I love that description–actually I think it’s a definition–of a small group leader.
Be a shepherd!
How do you see yourself as a small group leader?
Portions of this post adapted from my book, I’m a Leader … Now What? How to Guide an Effective Small Group (Standard Publishing, 2007), chapter 4.
Allen White
Amy Jackson
Andy Rector
CJ Stephens
Jay Daniell
Joel Comiskey
Kathy Stahlhut
Micah Odor
Michael Mack
Pat Sikora
Ralph Neighbour
Randall Neighbour
Rick Howerton