If small groups are a priority in the life of the church, leading small groups must be a priority in the life of a leader. A church that sees small groups as valuable to the practice of biblical community will have leaders that live out that value in front of and among its people.
I find too many leaders would rather teach leadership than live leadership from within the community. But real leadership skills are developed and take shape when future leaders watch and learn leadership “on the job” from leaders who model. This means the leader will be vulnerable, to some extent. Transparent. Honest. Accessible. Trustworthy.
These are characteristics of a healthy small group practicing biblical community. These characteristics must be first manifest in the life of the leader who, in turn, brings others along with him or her.
If you’d like to explore more in depth about the role of small groups in the life of the church, my colleague Eric Geiger and I have published a helpful book, Transformational Groups: Creating a New Scorecard for Congregations. One entire chapter is dedicated to the subject of small group leaders.
What is the relationship between leadership and small groups in your church? How is your church multiplying itself? Feel free to weigh in and comment.