Question: Who is in my group?
Principle: The small group leader’s main function is that of a shepherd who knows his or her sheep.
Here are a few questions a good shepherd will ask:
Where are my people spiritually? As a shepherd, you must know where people are individually and where the group is as a whole. Are participants newborns in the faith, like spiritual teenagers, or are they mature adults? (See passages such as 1 John 1:12-14; 1 Peter 2:2; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3; and Hebrews 5:11-6:1 for discussions on how to shepherd people at different spiritual levels.)
In what areas do they need to grow? Do your group members need more knowledge about beliefs and doctrine? Do they need to learn the disciplines or practices of the Christian life? Do they need to understand the virtues of the Christian life or the fruit of the Spirit? There are several effective tools you can use in your group to assess their spiritual maturity in these different core competencies.
How do they learn best? Do participants in your group tend to learn best through application-oriented discussion? Do they learn best by doing, hearing, or reading—or is it a combination? Would individuals learn better in a group, or would some one-on-one mentoring be helpful?
Good shepherd-leaders will ask these questions and more. But mainly, they are concerned for the sheep. Like the Good Shepherd, they know their sheep by name and are intimately involved in their lives.
Question: What do you believe?
Principle: Teach what is in accord with sound doctrine (Titus 2:1).
As you choose curriculum, be sure it leads you to study God’s Word, not just someone’s opinions—even opinions that relate to Scripture. Satan is sneaky. He can, without a group even realizing it, knock you off track through innocent-sounding questions. Be careful! A writer can easily move a group to consider his opinions about a doctrinal stance by asking a series of questions that lead the conversation in a certain direction.
Be sure to examine a potential Bible study closely before using it in your group. If you don’t feel confident or competent to examine a curriculum piece for doctrinal purity, ask a church leader to do so first. Some churches have an “approved” list of studies that have already been checked out. Know what your church teaches on certain “gray areas” of doctrinal issues. Teach only what is in accordance with what your church leadership has established and, of course, what is taught in Scripture.
