Leaders: home
Leadership
Environment
Basic Leader
Leader Training
Study Helps
Start-Up Process
Launching
Open House
Group Covenant
Leader Form
First Study
Second Meeting
Third Meeting
Group Agenda
Sharp Meeting
Agenda Guideline
Planner Tool
Quarterly Cycle
Core Values
Focus on a Few
Multiply a Group
Vital Signs
Top Ten Helps
Vision
Strategic Ministry
Coaching
Principles
Apprentice
Leader
Qualifications
Leader Job
Description
Apprentices
Job Description
Host/Hostess
Coaching Job
Mentoring
Great Leaders
Eyes of Faith
God's Call
Grieving
Homebound
Unteachable
Ice Breakers
Jesus Led?
Paul Led?

New Vision for the Future

It seems that every time a new leader joins our LIFEgroup team, they automatically go through the following process. It is good to realize that others have experienced the same doubts and second thoughts before experiencing the fruit of effective ministry.

1)  Catch the New Vision

When someone chooses to become a small group leader, there is usually a great deal of enthusiasm, excitement and joy as the individual anticipates what the Lord has in store.

2)  Reality check

Often after a short period of time as a LIFEgroup leader, the personal problems of group members begin to surface.  People have warts, shortcomings, and yes, hard to believe, but humanness and sin.

Dissatisfaction from feelings of inadequacy can begin to rob the leader of joy.  "I am not sure I want to know these things about people".  "I am in this WAY over my head".  "What in the world have I gotten myself into?"

But the real test of love, is when we learn to love each other in our humanness. We begin to learn from the Lord how to hate the sin, but love the sinner.

3)  Resolution

As the leader begins to look to the Lord, there is the realization that God is in charge of this ministry.  God has given Spiritual Gifts to each person in the group which are to be used to meet each need, and shoulder the responsibility for ministry.  "If God has called me to this, and He has, then God is going to give me the resources and people to carry out this ministry".  "I can't.  He never said I could.  He can.  He always said He would."

4)  Cast the New Vision

Effective and fruitful ministry

This is the stage where realization sets in that God is the source of strength and power for life impacting ministry.  The leader learns about commitment to loving people in their shortcomings and humanness.

After being in ministry for over twenty five years, I have observed countless people traveling through these four stages step forward in serving the Lord.  Often people have felt that it was not until they had served for a year that they really began to feel effective in the Lord's work.  Many people begin serving the Lord with great enthusiasm for loving God and loving people, only to be surprised at how very complicated are people's lives.

As people serve for a period of time, they begin to see what was going on below the surface.  They begin to uncover areas of compromise, sin, and hypocrisy.  The big transition question seemed to be, "am I just going to be a friend?  Or am I going to care enough to "speak the truth in love?"

Review:

The volunteer catches the excitement of joining a ministry team, and responds to the vision of seeing lives changed to the glory of God. This is followed by a "reality check" that strikes when the person comes face to face with the ugly side of ministry, seeing real life problems and sin.  This is the turning point for any person in ministry.  "Am I willing to allow God to use me to see these lives follow God in obedience?  I cannot just be their friend if I am going to honor what God desires to do in each life."  This time of resolution is key for the leader to become effective and fruitful in the ministry to youth.