Leading to Change Lives

Every good teacher, leader, coach, and instructor has, as a fundamental goal for their lives, to implement change.  Our objective is to create a change in thought, a change in habit or a change in lifestyle.  In essence, leaders are change agents.  My high school track coach, Mr. Henegar, drew the best out of me because he was not ok with me staying at my current athletic level.  My Algebra teacher, Mrs. Peterson, helped me to get the only academic A I earned in High School.  I didn’t get the A because the course was easy.  I got an A because she was able to change my current mediocre thinking and caused me to strive to learn. In order for improvement, there must be change.  For life transformation, there must be change.

I think you get the idea.  Your Job as a Life Group leader (or insert any area you lead here) is to facilitate change; you are a change agent.  (Can you hear the old song, “Secret Agent Man?”)   In this month’s Blog we will discuss some practical principles that will help keep us sharp and ready to be the change agent God has empowered us to be. 

 

1. If you stop growing today, you stop teaching tomorrow.  The moment we stop seeking growth, the moment we stop challenging ourselves as leaders, will be the moment our capacity to lead will begin to decline. There is no “I have made it level.”  If we are going to successfully lead change in the future, we must maintain a lifestyle of study, prayer, and seeking greater understanding today. 

2. You cannot communicate out of a vacuum; you cannot impart what you do not possess.  Too often we are guilty of finding the quickest way to prepare for a lesson.  We all have time restraints and it is tempting to lead out of personality instead out of prayerful study.  If you are a small group leader, be careful to spend ample time in preparation.

3.  Do not reward under achievers.  While I am passionate about giving praise when someone tries something new, I am never ok with an under achiever.  An under achiever gets by with what is necessary.  They ask, “What is the least I can do to fulfill my obligation?”  When running track in high school, Coach Henegar praised me when I accomplished a new personal best time.  But, if four weeks later I was still at that “personal best,” in no uncertain terms he let me know I could (and I should) do better. Let me encourage you to fight the temptation to “just get by.”  Lives are at stake.  People are at stake. Eternity is at stake. 

 

Next month, we will continue the topic on how to facilitate change.  The Kingdom of God thanks you for all the work you put in to be a change agent.

The Discovery of A Leader Part 2

Last month we discussed the concept of finding verses discovering leaders.  Today's blog continues the process of discovering leaders by looking at Jesus' example of leadership training.  Jesus’ ministry provides simple principles for training leaders.

1.  Jesus did ministry - As a Pastor it is tempting to want to administrate ministry – but real ministry happens face to face.  Jesus never used Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.  I don’t even think He had an office or a laptop, yet His ministry changed the world.  Jesus spent time in prayer and with people – leadership development starts here; prayer then people.  We should never ask someone to do what we have not done or are unwilling to do ourselves.  We set the example

2.  Jesus did ministry with others – Jesus did few things by Himself.  Too often we are guilty of solo ministry.  Leadership training and development happen when we take someone along with us.   The disciples SAW how Jesus led before they were ever asked to lead.  Paul said it this way, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).  As a leader, our responsibility is to model how others should live.  Training cannot happen out of the context of relationship.  Whether you are an introvert or extrovert, building relationships with future leaders is imperative.  Allow them to see your “success” and “failure”.  Do ministry WITH others.

 If you lead a Life Group, are you being intentional about training future leaders?  

3.  Jesus released his disciples to do ministry while he watched.  One of the great examples of this is when the 5,000 people were hungry and all they had were a couple fish and a few loaves of bread.  Jesus clearly said, “You feed them” (Matthew 14:16).  I imagine the disciples were nervous – but no need to fear for Jesus was very close by.  Give small leadership opportunities – lead prayer, lead a lesson, call someone... then stay nearby.  Release.

4.  Jesus empowered people for ministry.  At some point, after you have walked with someone through the steps of leading, you will need to release them to succeed and to fail.  Don’t worry, the failures are as important as the successes.  People will fail.  It is out of the times that we fail where we are reminded that ministry only happens as the Holy Spirit directs.  As people step out and lead, always be available but don’t prevent them from failing.   Fight the urge to micromanage.  Empower leadership.

Summary:  As a Life Group leader, it is your responsibility to train future leaders.  Prayerfully consider the following steps.  1.  Ask God to place someone on your heart that you can train.  2.  Ask this person to join you as you minister.  Allow him/her to see your mistakes and victories; be candid about successes and failures.  3.  Ask the individual to minister while you remain nearby to help.  In a Life Group setting, it is as simple as asking the individual if they would be willing to facilitate next week’s lesson.  4.  Release, but stay in relationship.  

The Discovery of A Leader Part 1

I often hear conversations about how to find leaders.  While  it is true that leaders are indeed sometimes found, more often they are discovered.  Let me explain. 

As we seek to reach the unchurched and unsaved in our community, our church will grow; it is a natural by product. With numerical growth there also must be a growth of leaders who will assist in equipping, edifying, and encouraging new believers.  But, if we wait until we NEED more leaders we will begin a process of FINDING a leader.  The conversation goes something like this,

You:  “Hey Joe, we need a leader for a small group we are starting (place in your own leadership need).”

Joe:  “What day?” 

You: “Thursdays.”

Joe: “Ya, I am free on Thursdays.  How long?”

You: “Maybe a couple months.”

Joe:  “What do you want me to teach on?”

You: “Well Joe, I don’t really need you to teach – I need you to facilitate a meeting about God’s love.”

Joe: “Sure! I got that.”

If the story ends like many stories I have heard; the small group didn’t go so well.  At a minimum, Joe lectured and people lost interest.  In some really bad cases, the group turned into a griping session about the changes at the Church.

If we wait to FIND a leader when we NEED a leader, we have waited TOO LONG.  Let me suggest we make it our daily lifestyle to DISCOVER leaders. 

The growth of a leader takes time.  Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes we make is to FIND someone to lead out of necessity instead of having taken the time to train a leader.   Leadership training is a process that starts out of relationship. 

If you are searching for leaders, the Holy Spirit will place a name or face in your heart. (If I have a kindred Spirit with someone, that is often God’s way of telling me that I need to invest in this individual).  I usually start with a casual meeting.  Out of that meeting either I DISCOVER that they have a spirit of humility and demonstrate an interest in growing or they don’t.  When leadership potential is DISCOVERED, leadership training then begins.  I will discuss this process in next month's blog. 

Life Group Landmines

I always get excited when a new Life Group starts.  I know and have experienced how small groups can change a person’s life. However, If you are like me, you have probably had a bad small group experience at least once in your life.

You know the kind, where someone takes over the discussion or where the leader allows too much time of awkward silence. There is nothing worse than a bad small group experience. In fact, this is the reason why so many people are reluctant to be a part of a small group.

 As group leaders, our job is to protect our small groups and make them a safe place where people can share, grow, and learn together. Here are five landmines that can destroy a good small group.

1. They become a gossip group.

Small groups are not a place to talk about others, rather they should be a safe place that is free from gossip and condemnation. People who attend a small group should feel free to come as they are and share openly and honestly. If we are not careful, small groups can degenerate into a gossip group that will tear down instead of build up.

2. They become a one-man show.

The leader should not do all the talking. Encourage others to participate and share in the group discussions. I have been to some small groups where only one person does all the talking. When this happens no one wants to share, much less attend. An effective small group leader encourages everyone to participate in the times of discussion.

3. They become a place to complain about the church.

Small groups can become a sounding board for disgruntled people to complain about the church. This is not a place to complain and slander the church. If people have a problem with the church, they need to share it with the church’s leadership, which is biblical. Do not allow upset people to use the small group as a place to complain about their problems.

4. They become a place for crazy people to take over.

Small groups can attract crazy people who will hijack the group if you let them. Do not allow people to get off the subject by chasing rabbit trails. Whenever people start getting off track in the discussions, bring them back quickly. This requires a lot of discernment and grace. A good leader can keep people on track and the discussion moving.

5. They become an end in themselves.

Sometimes small groups become merely a meeting place or a social club; rather small groups should reach out to new people in the community. Small groups can also serve the community. Please encourage your group to reach out to others. Begin thinking of creative ways that you can serve together as a small group.

I am looking forward to hearing what God is doing in your small group!