Shouldn’t you try to do something BIG? Something EPIC? Something ground-breaking, earth-shattering, and life-changing?
Aren’t we called to lead the masses to Christ? Start a revolution? End world hunger?
We all dream big. We all desire to do something big. To lead something big. But what if the best way to make a big difference is to lead small? To go deep with just a few people? To do for a few what you wish you could do for everyone?
That’s what you chose to do when you signed up to lead a small group. And that’s what it means to lead small.
In the book, Lead Small, we say:
“When we lead small we simply make a choice
to invest strategically in the lives of a few over time
so we can help them build an authentic faith.”
Authentic faith. That’s your main goal—your number one priority. Authentic faith is personal. It’s passionate. And it is the only kind of faith that will stick with “your few” past their graduation day. It has to be tested, wrestled with, and debated in a safe environment. And that’s exactly what you signed up to provide.
So how do you encourage and build the authentic faith of your few? By finding ways to teach these 5 Faith Skills:
- Navigate the Bible (survey and locate Scripture)
- Personalize Scripture (memorize and apply)
- Dialogue with God (pray in private and public)
- Articulate Faith (share and defend)
- Worship with Your Life (praise and give)
And by implementing the five practices we outline in the book, Lead Small
- Be Present
- Create a Safe Place
- Partner with Parents
- Make it Personal
- Move Them Out
So. That’s all you need to know. Every skill you need to be an effective small group leader packed into one 500-word blog post.
No? Still lost? Don’t think we’ve covered it all? You’re right. Being a small group leader takes more than just skills and practices. It is way more complicated, tangled, and personalized than one blog post can unpack. And it changes with every age group.
That’s why we have created this blog. It is your resource. It’s your place to learn, laugh, and ask questions. The posts you will read are written by current and veteran SGLs that have experience in your age group. And they are eager to give you tips, share stories and answer your questions as best they can.
So explore, discover, get fueled. Because you have one of the biggest jobs in ministry. You have chosen to Lead Small.
Reggie Joiner
Latest posts by Reggie Joiner (see all)
- Why Lead SMALL? - April 22, 2012
That is helpful to think small because in my fellowship we have a very small group and a small group of kids out of that small group. I can think of so many BIG things that would impact the lives of the families as well as the community, but then I can get frustrated when everything doesn’t gel right or the fact that we just can’t do it. It’s helpful to remember a few things and do those few things well.
Our ministry has vacillated between 8 and +50 over the 15 years that I have been with this congregation. There are times when I have been so frustrated because our congregation tends to want to stay at that 175 to 225 range in size. Several years ago I went around telling the congregation members that they needed to “pray for breeders” and it seems that worked. haha. We’re growing again, Praise God. I am trying to remember when the numbers are low the needs are big in those children. It is frustrating not to be able to have the “big event” in the community – especially when occasionally we do have the numbers to pull that off. But there is something special I have found even in splitting my small group of 25 to 30 kids into an even smaller group of 5 to 10. The dynamic changes when I have a team member with a smaller group of kids – there is more sharing, more interaction on a deeper level for these kids. It’s hard when you have planned a group game and have only 2 or 3 kids show up. I’ve had some summer nights, that because of baseball or soccer games, there have actually been more staff than kids. But I will encourage you to just keep moving forward. God will bring the increase – and increase doesn’t always mean more numbers. Sometimes the kids you have there, have so much going on in their lives that to serve them properly, you must “think small.” God bless! From one “Small Thinker” to another.
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So true sometimes we are focused on trying to help every body we help none
i am a small group leader for 1st grade and I have always dreamed BIG but i have to start out small first and work my way up to the top of the totem pole and i have realized that those little things that we do for our small group kids really mean a lot to them whether it drawing a picture with them, playing Hangman with them, or just simply letting them know there loved. That means the world to them. i have a girl in my 1st grade class and she came in the one day and said, ” thank you, for playing with me and i love you.” i was really touched by that .that proves that we small group leaders really impact on our small group kids lives. if we people start small then in a couple years with some hard work our BIG dreams will come true.
GOD BLESS!!!