Lead Like Jesus: Principles For Small Group LeadersSample

WHAT COMES NEXT?

The kids or students in your group are loved by God, and you get to be one of the ways that love is expressed. As you work to help connect, clarify, nurture, inspire, and engage their faith, you get to be a part of their story. If that sounds like a big deal, it’s because it is. But the good news is that you’re not the only part that story. So while we emphasize that the work is important (because it really is), we also encourage you not to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Although each of us has a different capacity for just how much we can handle, you know your limits, and God doesn’t ask for more than that. And the things that you can’t do? Well, those things are for Him to do anyways. The job of a small group leader is a big deal, and sometimes it may feel like it requires more out of you than you have to give or are capable of doing. But why would we want God to call us to something that we can do without Him? Invite Jesus to be a part of the process, to guide the process, and He’ll take care of the things you can’t. 

That’s why leading small is so necessary. Loving the world into relationship with Jesus is a very big, important job. But you can only do what you can do. One person at a time. One conversation at a time. One relationship at a time. Remember that even Jesus, for all of His power and influence, took time to really invest in 12 men, and then those men, in turn, helped to change the world. And when you realize that the best way to love your few is to lead small, the job feels a little bit more doable, doesn’t it? So lead small and make a big difference. And trust God with the rest.

Questions:

What aspects of leading a small group make you nervous or anxious? Where can you trust God more?

What’s one practical thing you can start doing to lead your few even better?