#143 How to Develop Leaders
Developing leaders requires us to become diligent leaders ourselves. Leadership “eventually comes down to one word. That word is influence.” To influence others we must set out our mission and goals in a clearly definable way that people buy into. If we don’t do that the groups will not grow. There are three leadership positions in a group. Those are leader, apprentice, and host. Hosts are people who have seen God make a difference in their lives. It can be said that “Only those transformed by the gospel’s message would risk opening their homes.” When looking for hosts for groups this is a good place to start find people whose lives have been changed by God and they may be willing to take on this role. Leaders are generally leading in one form or another before being given a title or role to fill. In the book Leading Healthy, Growing, Multiplying, Small Groups one example was of a pizza shop manager the manager was already leading people just not in the church. The apprentice would be someone who takes the initiative in things yet is not ready to lead on their own. Having an apprentice in a group helps the group to be more consistent, makes it easier to grow, and gives the chance to multiply the group. We cannot be solid spiritual leaders unless we are willing to lead and follow and train others in whatever season of life we are in.
There are eight habits of small group leaders that Dempsey and Earley mention. These habits range from prayer, planning, and personal growth. We are all better at some of these habits than others. I appreciate the quote, “What separates the church from secular groups is the spiritual content (Word of God) and spiritual encouragement (prayer).” This struck me as an important observation. The habits that I struggle with are the first three, dreaming of growing the group, daily prayer, and inviting new people to join the group. I think these are challenging to me because of my present circumstances. Right now I do not have contact with many non-believers, and am extremely busy with classes since I am working and a full time student. These are of course terrible excuses. I am working on my prayer life but it is hard to prioritize. The skills that come more easily to me are being committed to my own growth, planning, and preparing. I love to plan and I have created plans for small groups that I may lead in the future.
Rod Dempsey and Dave Earley, Leading Healthy, Growing, Multiplying, Small Groups (Wordsearch, 2018), 66.
Joel Comiskey, Biblical Foundations for the Cell-Based Church: New Testament Insights for the 21st Century Church (CCS Publishing, 2012), 99.
Rod Dempsey and Dave Earley, Leading Healthy, Growing, Multiplying, Small Groups (Wordsearch, 2018), 34.
