CJ had his own hesitations when he was asked to apprentice and eventually lead a Monday night group. “I thought, ‘How am I going to lead guys who are older and wiser than me? What if I don’t have enough biblical knowledge to answer all of their questions? What if it becomes too much for my schedule?’ And, to be honest, these are all insecurities that I still wrestle with, even five years later.
Yes, You Can Lead a Small Group
“What keeps me inspired to come back and lead each week are the people,” he continues. “If we’re a church passionate about loving people and helping them find their way back to God, there’s perhaps no better place to see that more effectively played out than inside of dinner groups. To be able to facilitate and experience this has been incredibly humbling.”
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Dinner group is where real community is formed, and you simply need to be yourself. “You don’t have to be perfect to be a dinner group leader,” Gretchen says. “All you need is to want to encourage people to grow closer to each other and to God. Dinner group doesn’t have to be a big production either. All you need is somewhere to meet and some food and the rest you leave to God.”
What all of these stories from people who saw themselves as unlikely leaders have in common are feelings of inadequacy, insecurity and fear. But sometimes when we feel unready, and like we don’t have what it takes, we’re actually in the perfect place to really lean on God and take a leap of faith.
“God doesn’t ask us about our capabilities, but our availability,” says Nick, the director of dinner groups. “Because when we love and depend on God, he will increase our capability.”
This article originally appeared here, and is used by permission
