My friend Scott Boren is writing an excellent series of blogs on the 9 practices of missional small group leaders. (Go to his blog here.) Today he writes about Practice #3: Leading as a Team. Scott tells his own personal journey that led to his conclusion that Core Team Leadership is so vital. He even refers to my book, The …

Today I read a good blog by Michael Sove on the Joel Comiskey Group website. Read the blog HERE. Michael wrote about sharing leadership with a core team as well as the vitality of sharing ownership with the whole group. He wrote: My group has come alive since praying in and incorporating a core team approach.  But don’t settle with …

I received a good question from one of our small group leaders today. I think this is a critical question that many leaders and groups are asking: What are the top 3 things a healthy small group should be doing? Shouldn’t it be more than just social, or just project driven? Here’s my response: Below are the top 7 hallmarks of a …

For several decades, small group leaders have been taught that leading is a solo act. I’ve seen (and even used) a model that pictures a small group leader sitting alone in the middle of a circle, surrounded by all the members of the group. That picture illustrates that the leader has been given the sole responsibility for finding, inviting, shepherding, calling, praying for, …

This morning I received an email from a potential leader who stated she does not know if she’s the “right person” to lead a small group. This is a common response to being called to lead. I find the issue basically comes down to one or both of two factors. A person’s confidence level will depend on their personal sense …

Last night during our small group meeting, Chris mentioned that we should bring all the kids up from the basement and, as parents, pray with and over them. After the kids came into the living room, sitting on parent’s laps and on the floor in front of us, Chris glanced over at me. I just nodded at him, and he …

A healthy small group needs 5 ships to carry out its mission: Fellowship: This one’s the flagship. A group needs authentic Christ-centered community to be healthy. But how do you get there? The other 4 ships flank and reinforce the flagship.. Ownership: Share ownership of the group by making sure every member of the crew has a role in the group. …

In my last post on January 27, I wrote about the difference between sharing ownership with the whole group and sharing leadership with a Core Team. As Alyssa Dourte suggested in her comment to that post, sharing ownership is a great way to prepare some group members for eventual Core Team leadership. I’ve shared why every group participant should have a …

Like to know one of the biggest secrets to leading a healthy, vibrant, life-changing small group? Last year, our survey of Life Group Leaders showed that groups who shared leadership as a Core Team were much stronger in all the other areas of group health. Having a Core Team is one of the “Seven Signs of a Healthy Small Group”: …