Train Small Group Leaders

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Due to the potential of life change that can come through small groups, it’s always been important to have leaders who are trained, not only to facilitate discussion, but also to shepherd members of their group. Take some time to examine what you’re doing to train small group leaders in your church. What kind of training do you provide? How encompassing is your support and encouragement?

Train Small Group Leaders to Meet the Challenges of the Days in Which We Live

Small groups form for various reasons and so training always needs to be specific to the focus and primary agenda for their meeting. But, in addition, training needs to prepare small group leaders for challenges relevant to the days in which we live.

  1. Since a question for small groups may no longer be about the “place” where they should meet but rather the online “platform” they should use, additional training may be required.

Some groups may meet online temporarily with others meeting that way for the long haul. Some may use a combination of online and in-person. Small group leaders need to be effectively trained to not only know how to use technology but also how to use it in ways that are safe and productive for their small group.

You’ll first need to determine the best platform for your small group needs (based on number of participants, length of meeting time, cost, group member’s ability to access it, etc.). Some common platforms include:

Church Online Platform
FaceTime
Google Meet (was Google Duo)
Google Chat (was Google Hangouts)
GoToMeeting
Microsoft Teams
Skype
Zoom

Also be sure to train small group leaders about the differences of leading a group online versus in-person. Here are some articles on other sites that can be of help:

  1. Though support groups used to be the main type of group for helping people work through addictions and mental health issues, more and more people are experiencing anxiety and depression today. Almost any type of group will consist of people with these kinds of needs more and more. Are your small group leaders prepared?

Small group leaders need to be trained on how to respond both within the group meeting and one-on-one. How can they and the group be a support system to one another? When is it time to guide the person in finding help outside of the group?

As relates to the days in which we live, perhaps providing leaders with coping skills suggestions to pass on would be helpful. Also remember that leaders too need support and comfort. Here are some articles on other sites that may be of help:

Maybe a study on dealing with anxiety and depression would be beneficial. The following links will take you to one of our affiliate stores:

If meeting online, people may find it easy to hide their feelings behind the screen. Small group leaders need to learn how to observe, connect, and engage with people in ways that get below the surface.

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Don’t Hijack Your Small Group

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Perhaps you have a lot of needs or struggles in your life. You need someone to minister and speak into your life. Small groups, which are supposed to provide safe environments for sharing, seem like a good place to unload … right? To that I would need to answer both yes and no.

Small groups should be a place where you can open up and honestly share about your hardships. Yet, the word “group” suggests that it is intended to be about more than one person. A small group ministry provides one of the best places for a church to live out body life to its fullest.

Body Life - One AnothersClick on image to enlarge in Pinterest & repin.

For God to use the same word, allelon, over and over highlights His intent for our life together as believers to be mutual or reciprocal, not unidirectional.

Here is what you need to remember when sharing your needs and struggles in a small group:

1) You are not the only one in the group with needs and struggles.

2) A small group is not a support group and even if it was a support group, the above, number one, still applies.

3) When group members share their struggles, it should be for the purpose of engaging in fellowship, not to “dump” on others.

4) Guard against setting expectations that others meet your needs. God is the ultimate source of comfort, peace, wisdom, and “everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3), not people. God will use people, but you must never expect them to be your all in all.

5) Look for opportunities to minister to other group members rather than coming solely to have them minister to you. True healing and growth happen when we live within God’s intent. Sowing into someone else’s life has a way of putting our own needs into perspective.

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Don’t Let Your Small Group Be Hijacked

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I’ve been to small groups where the leader opened our time for sharing and praying for one another and the time focused on one person and his/her needs. While that may be appropriate at times, if it is always happening, especially if it is with the same person, the group is being hijacked.

Hijacked Groups Fail to Fulfill God’s Design

Of almost any setting in the church where God’s design for mutual, reciprocal ministry one toward the other can happen, it is in a small group.

Body Life - One AnothersClick on image to enlarge in Pinterest & repin.

If attention almost always goes unidirectional toward that one person, what you have is co-dependence rather than the interdependence.

Preventing the Small Group from Being Hijacked

Small group facilitators, or leaders, need to be trained in group dynamics to be prepared for possible takeovers and know how to redirect the focus before it is too late.

In addition, the purpose of small group ministry should always be kept before the group. This could be through teaching on God’s design for interdependence and the one another passages but also through modeling it.

You might need to communicate guidelines for being an “allelon” group on occasion, especially when you have newcomers.

Intentionally structure sharing and praying times to open the doors of opportunity for everyone to actively participate.

Work toward building an “allelon” culture within the group. When that happens, group members will so value this core quality that they too will work toward the prevention of a hijack. For example, when someone shows signs of a takeover, a member of the group might volunteer to meet one-on-one after group time rather than leaving it up to the group leader to determine how to handle it.

Hijacked Small Groups Need to be Rescued

If the small group has been hijacked you need to rescue it before irreparable harm comes to it such as the purpose for small group ministry getting lost and other members becoming frustrated, disillusioned, and possibly stop coming.

The rescue attempt should always be to protect everyone involved, not to violently take down the hijacker which invitably could lead to the person feeling embarrassed or rejected and possibly leaving the group.

To be sure, as in physical rescues, as much as you try to protect everyone, it does not always end well. You cannot control the person’s reactions. Yet, you must be able to stand before God and say that you made “every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Rom. 14:19; also see Eph. 4:3, Heb. 12:14). You must always “speak the truth with love” (Eph. 4:15) applying both grace and truth.

The next post will speak directly to the potential hijacker with truths they need to remember. You can share that post with your group as guidelines for group sharing. From time to time you might communicate these guidelines, in private, specifically with members who have a tendency to hijack your meetings. Encase the truths in gentleness, respect, and a humble and caring attitude. (Subscribe to be notified of new posts by e-mail.)

More on Small Groups:

Shepherding Ministry Venue: Small Groups
Small Groups Resources

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