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September 9, 2009

GPS Leadership

I love my GPS. Whenever I drive somewhere new, a sophisticated female voice with a British accent kindly directs my route, telling me where to turn and whether to turn left or right. She doesn't tell me when to turn, though. Pulling up to a stop light and waiting until the coast is clear is my responsibility.

I am responsible for knowing the optimal time to turn the corner—that is, when I can turn without getting nailed by a semi. If I turn at the wrong time, the results will be devastating and everyone in the vehicle will be injured.

That's because timing is everything.

Timing is important for small groups, too. Books and conferences can tell you what to do, but not when to do it. That means group leaders must accurately read the environment of their small groups in order to know when is the right time to make a change or start something new.

With that in mind, here are a few tips about timing when it comes to small-group leadership:

• When leading a small group meeting, don't move forward with the study if someone has verbally attacked another group member. Acknowledge the intense emotions and deal with them before continuing.
• If a household in your group has suffered a tragedy—loss of a job, death of a family member, and so on—the next meeting should be focused on ministering to the family rather than "doing the study."
• Similarly, don't try to multiply your small group (or even suggest multiplication) if an individual or couple in the group is going through tough times or processing some great loss. These individuals need relational stability for a season.
• Complete an agreed upon study before moving on to a different curriculum piece. You may sense that the present study isn't what you had hoped for, but if the group was involved in choosing the study, moving from it before completion will create silent discontent.


• If a small group has spent a substantial amount of time on a ministry project in the last four weeks, be sure you have group consensus before involving the group in another ministry project soon thereafter.

Remember: timing is everthing.

Rick Howerton is the "Small Group-Ologist" at LifeWay Resources. He is the author of Destination Community, and he's got a lifetime of experience with discipleship and small groups.

posted by Sam O'Neal on September 9, 2009 11:33 AM