{"id":31225,"date":"2022-09-10T15:21:56","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:21:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/9-difficult-and-beautiful-truths-about-leading-a-group\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:21:56","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:21:56","slug":"9-difficult-and-beautiful-truths-about-leading-a-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/9-difficult-and-beautiful-truths-about-leading-a-group\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Difficult\u2014and Beautiful\u2014Truths About Leading a Group"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Jehyun Sung photo – Unsplash<\/div>\n

By Taylor Combs<\/em><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been a part of a local church in the last generation, chances are you\u2019ve been involved in some sort of small group ministry. Or at least you\u2019ve been invited (several times) to be a part of a group, or to even lead one.<\/p>\n

While small groups\/community groups\/home groups\/life groups\/missional communities (or whatever your church calls them) aren\u2019t essential to the Christian life, they usually prove to be a fantastic vehicle for community and mutual discipleship.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been involved in groups for years, and for the last six years have had the privilege of leading basically the same group (although it has evolved and shuffled and moved around through the years).<\/p>\n

After having our first child and moving into a busy season professionally, we\u2019ve decided to step away, which has brought an opportunity for reflection. The Lord has taught me much during these years of leading.<\/p>\n

At times it has been fun and easy, at times awkward, at times painful and difficult. But through it all, God has taught me invaluable lessons about ministry.<\/p>\n

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So, here are nine things I learned from six years of leading a community group.<\/p>\n

1. Sustained time in the Word with other believers is unbeatable.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In our six years, we\u2019ve worked together through 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Daniel, 1 Thessalonians, Romans, Matthew, and Zechariah.<\/p>\n

Yes, it took six years to get through seven books of the Bible. Is that a slow pace? Absolutely. But sanctification moves at a slow place. And to get anywhere close to a thorough understanding of a passage of Scripture takes time.<\/p>\n

Evangelicals are, historically, people of the Word. But most of our study of Scripture is done individually. But for some reason when we come together in groups, we think our time needs to be topic-focused or driven by a shared life-stage.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve found that nothing replaces this slow, plodding, methodical progression through books of the Bible with other saints\u2014young and old, men and women, mature and new believers alike.<\/p>\n

2. Every group gathers around something; we may as well make it Scripture.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As I alluded to above, most of our groups seem to gather around a shared life-stage or some topic of interest. Or, conversely, they gather around meals or prayer.<\/p>\n

None of these things are bad in themselves, but are they best? The apostle Peter, in one of his better moments, noted that Jesus alone had \u201cthe words of life.\u201d In Scripture, we have these words of life, our daily spiritual bread.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s gather around them and feast together on every word that comes from the mouth of the Father.<\/p>\n

3. Community is essential to discipleship.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In most of today\u2019s churches, joining or leading a small group is the best way to get community. Is it convenient? Not always. Is it awkward? Sometimes. Will it require something from you? Absolutely.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not good for us to walk alone; indeed, we cannot. You need the people in your church, and the people in your church need you.<\/p>\n

This community has sustained me through good times and bad, and I hope, through it, I\u2019ve helped sustain others.<\/p>\n

4. You\u2019ll get pushback on your leadership style.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You cannot please everyone. The first three years of leading, I constantly made adjustments\u2014asking more general questions to broaden the potential answers, then asking more specific answers for the sake of clarity.<\/p>\n

Later, I asked higher-shelf questions to encourage hard thinking and vulnerability, then asked lower-shelf questions to create an open and welcoming environment.<\/p>\n

Then I tried more teaching and talking with fewer questions, then more questions with less teaching and talking.<\/p>\n

Perhaps this is why the first direct pushback I got about my leadership style hurt me so much\u2014because that person had no idea how hard I tried to improve the environment and my own leading for years before she was even a part of the group!<\/p>\n

My pastor gave me great counsel about this: \u201cMaybe that person just needs to be in a different group where she meshes more with the leadership style.\u201d I then suggested this group member join another group, and she did.<\/p>\n

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See also  Video: Leading Change in the Church<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Everyone survived.<\/p>\n

5. You must commit to what you believe works (but be open to feedback).<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There\u2019s a difference in humble leadership and non-leadership.<\/p>\n

Humble leadership listens to feedback; non-leadership is held captive to the opinions of others and is too scared to make a choice.<\/p>\n

Related to the last lesson I mentioned, you have to remind yourself: I am, under God, the leader of this group. My pastors and church have entrusted me with this task. The Holy Spirit is empowering me for this task.<\/em><\/p>\n

And, if you lose some people along the way, that\u2019s okay; you\u2019ve been humble, courageous, and faithful.<\/p>\n

6. God will sanctify you when you feel under-appreciated.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

My pastors and church staff do a wonderful job thanking and celebrating those who serve in the various ministries of our church.<\/p>\n

But, until the night I announced I was no longer leading our group, I never once, in six years, was thanked for leading.<\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s embarrassing to even type that\u2014because it means I know it, which means I\u2019ve been looking for applause.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019d be terrified if I learned anybody in my group read this! My pride and sin are exposed by admitting it.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m not alone. We all minister with mixed motives, and part of my motives have always been to be applauded and thanked. God, in His mercy, used this lack of expressed gratitude to sanctify me over these past six years.<\/p>\n

If you minister for the applause or the gratitude, ministry will eventually become your god, and it\u2019ll kill you.<\/p>\n

7. Conflict may come, but it will shape you for the better.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The hardest season of ministry I\u2019ve ever experienced came with the best of intentions.<\/p>\n

In seeking to serve a close friend and member of our group, I jeopardized the friendship. A yearlong conflict, which never fully resolved, ensued.<\/p>\n

The couple involved stopped attending our group, then left without telling us. It was gutting. But when you lead people for any amount of time, conflict is inevitable.<\/p>\n

Again, be humble. Be willing to learn from mistakes and apologize if necessary.<\/p>\n

Take the potentialities into consideration before acting. But eventually, with a humble, Spirit-filled confidence, do what you think is best.<\/p>\n

Walk forward with courage; Jesus is with you.<\/p>\n

8. Leading with someone different from you will sharpen you. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is perhaps the best way to mitigate some of your less popular leadership tendencies.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a good teacher, but not the best conversation facilitator; my co-leader hasn\u2019t been to seminary or been trained to teach the Bible, but he\u2019s a fantastic conversation facilitator and studies and leads through the text faithfully.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a bit more serious; he\u2019s a bit more lighthearted. I\u2019m infamously incapable of asking a decent icebreaker; he does a great job opening our time together.<\/p>\n

Over the years that we\u2019ve led together, we\u2019ve balanced each other out wonderfully, which has been a grace of God.<\/p>\n

Our group probably couldn\u2019t have weathered two of me as their leaders!<\/p>\n

9. Friendship and mutual discipleship are worth the hard parts.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You may have read some of these lessons I\u2019ve learned and think, I\u2019m not sure group ministry\u2014let alone leadership\u2014is right for me. It sounds hard!<\/em><\/p>\n

And you\u2019d be right.<\/p>\n

But group ministry is essential for friendship and mutual discipleship in local churches, and for group ministries to happen, someone has to lead the groups\u2014a calling and a privilege that\u2019s absolutely worth it.<\/p>\n

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Taylor Combs<\/h2>\n

@combstaylor_<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Taylor is an associate publisher for B&H Publishing and is active in the teaching ministry at Grace Community Church in Brentwood, Tennessee.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n