PROBLEM: The small group pastor and the small group coaches aren’t praying for the small group leaders.
SOLUTION: 1) Model it, 2) Start each meeting doing it, 3) Remind coaches and small group leaders often of the importance of this via email, text, etc… 4) Periodically email a prayer you’re praying for the coaches and/or leaders to every coach and leader. This group email will be huge in making prayer for one another part of the small group ministry’s culture.
PROBLEM: Small group leaders aren’t praying for small group members.
SOLUTION: See list above
PROBLEM: The small group leader confuses a group spending time together and meeting one another’s needs with making mature disciples.
SOLUTION: Conclude what is necessary to make a mature disciple, train your leaders to be about that, and remind them often to give their time and attention to the things that make a mature disciple. Be careful, in the process don’t demean the importance time together and meeting one another’s needs. This is a major part of the disciple making process.
The best training resource I’ve seen on training leaders to make disciples who make disciples is the Real Life Discipleship Training Manual.
PROBLEM: No one person is given oversight of the group.
SOLUTION: Be very specific to choose a leader/host. 1) In writing, on line, in the worship guide, etc… note who the person who spearheads the group is. What is seen in writing is embraced as fact. 2) When a story is being revealed about a particular group from the pulpit or in a video in the weekend worship experience be sure to state who the leader/host of the group is.
Keep this in mind… It doesn’t matter what term you use for the point person of a particular small group. It does matter that people realize that someone has oversight of the group. Anything that accomplishes much has someone spearheading that thing.
PROBLEM: There are too many people in the group.
SOLUTION: Determine the optimal number for what the group is trying to accomplish (making disciples, learning the Bible, restoring emotional brokenness, etc…) then limit the group to that number of people.
PROBLEM: A discussion-based Bible study is actually a night of shared ignorance.
SOLUTION: Be certain the person facilitating the conversation knows what God is unearthing in the passage being discussed. It is that person’s responsibility to be certain the biblical truth finds its way to the forefront during the conversation. As I’ve said many times…lots of ideas can circle the runway but truth has to land.
PROBLEM: The leader of the group doesn’t know what the passage of scripture being discussed really means.
SOLUTION:
- Train your small group leaders to exegete a passage so that they know what the author of the passage is saying.
- Utilize video driven resources with a talking head that is teaching, not someone who is simply doing something creative as a conversation starter/
- Give group leaders a list of on line resources such as Bible dictionaries, commentaries, etc… that they can use when preparing.
- Choose curriculum that not only creates a substantial conversation based on scripture but also has helps that will drive the group back to the truth when the conversation heads into confusing waters.
