Good morning!  This is Adam Bishop, Pastor of Small Groups at The Journey, and Nelson asked me to share some thoughts about a struggle that many churches face when it comes to small groups – finding enough group leaders!

The first question I ask when a Small Groups Pastor shares this issue with me is “Does the system you are using to identify and ask new group leaders function ‘within’ your current groups system or ‘in addition to’ your groups system?

In other words, does your small groups system include a mechanism that naturally finds and involves future leaders?

How do you do this while not interfering with your groups as they meet each week?

Interestingly enough, the answer lies within your current group leaders.

When it comes to identifying and asking new people to lead groups, there are three things that every current group leader must do:

1.  PRAY – We want our group leaders to pray for the members of their group, specifically that some of them will lead future groups.  We pray that God will prepare in advance those who we will ask to lead for the next semester.

2.  SEE – We want our group leaders to see the members of their group as Jesus sees them – with potential to influence the lives of others.  Jesus did not expect perfection or Biblical expertise to be a leader and neither should we.

3.  ASK – We want our group leaders to boldly ask members from their group to lead.  We tell our group leaders that the best thing they could ever do for someone else is to ask them to lead a group!  It is a huge encouragement to the group member who is asked to lead.  And… even if it doesn’t work out for the next semester, he or she will more than likely eventually lead a group.

So how do you make this a part of your small groups system?  I’ll talk about that tomorrow.

P.S. Kerrick Thomas and I are making the final preparations for our brand new Small Groups Pastor Tele-Coaching Network that starts on February 4.  For more information or to download your application, CLICK HERE.

P.P.S. You can download a FREE copy of Nelson’s new Activate: Uncut E-Book by clicking here.

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.