No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT)
A Christian should always be growing, striving, and pursuing excellence in service to Christ. There are seven qualities that I expect from our Life-Group leaders.
1. Be Real.
Group leaders do not have to be perfect. Otherwise none of us could serve! But we need to be real, honest, and genuine in our relationship with the Lord. It begins with a personal relationship with Christ. Have you experienced the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in salvation? Have you trusted Him as your Lord and Savior? You cannot lead others to Christ if you have not come to Him yourself. Let me remind you that you cannot be saved through your good works. We are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10). Have you experienced grace? Allow me to ask you another question; Are you experiencing growth? Believers are called to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Are you striving to learn of the Lord and live for Him daily? People are turned off by hypocritical leaders who do not practice what they preach. How you live outside the group setting is just as important as what you say and teach in the group setting.
2. Be Ready.
A football team has practice. A Baseball team has Spring Training. A public school teacher prepares a lesson plan. An army draws up a battle plan. A choir rehearses. And a Life-Group leader should prepare! You should prepare your lesson plan. You should prepare your heart and mind. You should prepare your meeting space.
- Prepare prayerfully. Spend time each week in prayer as you study the Scripture lesson. Pray for your members. Pray for understanding and strength to lead. Pray for the needs of your group members. Pray for those who are not yet believers to trust in Christ.
- Prepare promptly. Don’t wait until the night before your group meets to begin thinking about your lesson. If you don’t take the lesson seriously enough to prepare it, your members will not take it seriously enough to hear it and apply it.
- Prepare Proficiently. You ought to know your content and your class. What are their hurts, habits, and hang-ups? How can this lesson be applied to their lives? What questions might they ask when hearing the truths of Scripture?
3. Be Reliable.
Reliability is as important as capability. Can I rely on you to be in your place each week? Can I rely on you to arrive early? (In my book, to be on time is to arrive 15 minutes early!). Can I rely on you to be prepared, enthusiastic, and supportive?
4. Be Relevant.
Someone quipped, “The Bible is a very ancient book, yet it is always relevant to our lives. People in it have the same problems we do. Think of Noah…it took him forty days to find a place to park!” You do not have to make the Bible relevant. You have to show people how it is relevant to their daily lives. God’s Word speaks about the issues of life and death, morality and ethics, religion and salvation, good and evil, pain and suffering. Help your people to see how God’s Word speaks to their lives as they grapple with these issues.
5. Be Relational.
Howard Hendricks wrote in The Seven Laws of the Teacher, “When God wanted to communicate with us, He wrapped His message in a person. And that is exactly what we are called to do.” People need relationships that flesh-out the love of God in their lives. I depend upon you to serve as an extension of my ministry. I cannot meet all the needs of the congregation alone. I need you!
John Bisagno is the former pastor of First Baptist Church of Houston, Texas. He was asked how he could pastor such a large congregation and meet all the needs. He described the value of his small-group leaders when he wrote, “I have hundreds of associate pastors called Sunday School teachers, and each one of them is in charge of a small class of fifteen to twenty people. They know each member individually, pray for them daily, visit in their homes regularly, and minister to them personally. That’s the only way I can do it.”
It has been said:
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
6. Be Resourceful.
Take advantage of the training, resources, and encouragement your church affords you.
7. Be Receptive.
Change is a part of life. You should seek to be open and receptive to the changes that will invariably come to your church. If the methods of ministry are biblical and ethical you should be supportive.
