College Small Group Leadership Development

Interview – Phase 1

College Small Group Leadership Development

Purpose of the Interview Phase:

To determine if the potential leader demonstrates that he/she is a disciple of Christ.
To ascertain if the potential leader demonstrates readiness to begin a disciple-making small group.
To ask if the potential leader will commit to the training laid out in the College Small Group Leadership Development Track.
To determine if the potential leader will commit to the Deacon Expectations of The Church at Brook Hills.

The interview of the potential small group leader is conducted by a member of the Brook Hills College Ministry Staff and/or Small Group Leader.

Interview Questions

4 Overarching Questions:

Being a disciple: Does the potential leader demonstrate that he/she is a growing disciple of Christ?
Making disciples: Does the potential leader demonstrate readiness to begin a disciple-making small group?
College Small Group Leadership Development Track: Will the potential leader commit to the training laid out in the College Small Group Leadership Development Track?
Deacon Expectations: Does the potential leader commit to Brook Hills’ Deacon Expectations while serving as a small group leader at this church?

Being a Disciple:

Does the potential leader demonstrate that he/she is a growing disciple of Christ?

Testimony / Have the potential leader share their salvation story. From their story, is it evident that they have trusted in Christ as Lord and Savior?
Look for the following as they share:

Comprehension of God as the just Creator
Understanding and conviction of sin
Salvation is only through Christ
Necessity of faith for salvation
Their eternity depends on their response to Jesus

Spiritual Disciplines / Find out about the person’s ongoing relationship with God.

Do they have a consistent time of study in God’s Word?
What is the potential leader’s approach to studying the Bible? What kind of tools do they use in their study?
Are they memorizing Scripture?
Do they pray regularly?
Are they good stewards of time and money?

Lifestyle and Emotional Qualifications /

Have they gone through IMPACTand/or are regularattenders of our church’s worship gatherings?
Are they currently in a disciple-making small group? If so, who is their leader?
Are they in a dating relationship? If so, what are they doing to guard their purity in this relationship?
Do they have a biblical view of the sin of homosexuality?
Is there any behavior that they practice which they feel might disqualify them from this position of leadership in the church? (Refer to Deacon Expectations)
Have theyexperienceda recent event in their lives that has left them feeling emotionally unstable or that they have been unable to deal with?

Making Disciples:

Does the potential leader demonstrate readiness to begin a disciple-making small group?

Current Understanding /

How has the potential leader been discipled?

Does the potential leader understand that the Great Commission is not optional (Mt. 28:18-20)?

Is the potential leader currently investing in disciple-making relationship(s)?

Share the Word /

Can the potential small group leader clearly explain the gospel?

How would the potential leader share the gospel with a lost person? A nominal Christian?

Show the Word /

Does the potential small group leader understand that disciple-making relationships need to be occurring outside of small group time, that disciple-making involves living life with the people in the group?

Is the potential small group leader willing to commit to spending at least 4-6 hours a week outside of small group time investing in the lives of the people in their small group?

Is there any area of the person’s life that is not in alignment with Christ and His purposes?

If Satan was going to tempt/lure the potential leader to sin, what would that be?
How would they go about combating that temptation?
How would they use Scripture in their defense?

What is their position on alcohol use?

Teach the Word /

What is the potential leader’s view of Scripture (inspiration, inerrancy, suffiency)?

Does the potential leader demonstrate a readiness to teach the Word to others?

Serve the World /

How is the potential leader currently involved in serving the world (locally and globally)?

How do they see their calling to serve the world locally and globally?

College Small Group Leadership Development Track:

Will the potential leader commit to the training laid out in the College Small Group Leadership Development Track?

Explain to the potential leader the following information and responsibilities regarding the three phases of our Leadership Development Track. They do not need to continue past Phase 1 if they are not willing to commit to all that’s included in Phases 2 and 3.

Phase 1:
Interview / Currently doing 
At the end of this phase, the potential leader must also commit to the deacon expectations before progressing to Phase 2 (see pp. 6-7).
Phase 2:
Training / Potential leader commits to an8 part training process alongside the College Ministry Staff/Mentor.

This is the I do-You watch stage.

Meet weekly with the Mentor to walk through foundational training elements, to have accountability, and to spend time together in prayer.

Training Elements Include:

The Gospel
Sharing My Story
Brook Hills’ Mission, Vision, and Goal
How to Study the Bible
Seven Essentials of a Disciple-Maker
Obedience-Based Disciple-Making Small Groups
Practical Insights about Disciple-Making

Complete the homework assignments for each meeting.

At the end of Phase 2, the potential leader would commit to leadership of a college small group or choose not to lead. This involves:
Committing to Brook Hills’ Mission, Vision, Goal
Committing to lead a small group for a minimum of 3 semesters
Committing to go through IMPACT Membership Process
Committing to 10 meetings with SG per semester
Committing to invest in small group members outside of small group time

Recruit SG members.Once the potential leader has committed to leading a college small group, the leader will begin to gather potential members for the small group (possibly with the help of College Staff/Mentor).

Phase 3:
Mentoring / As the college small group begins meeting, the Leader will continue to meet bi-weeklywith the College Ministry Staff/Mentor.

This is the You do-I help and watch stage.

The content of these bi-weekly meetings will center on 4 areas:
Praying for the Small Group Leader and the Small Group
Providing Accountability for the Small Group Leader
Trouble-shooting Situations that May Arise as the Small Group Leader Leads the Disciple-Making Small Group
Providing Ongoing Training for the Small Group Leader

For the first 3 meetings, the teaching component will include:
Gospel Change
Gospel Community on Mission
Identifying and Training New Small Group Leaders

For the teaching component in the remaining of the meetings, the Mentor and Small Group Leader can listen to and discuss one of the following Brook Hills sermon series:
Lifeblood
Threads
Follow Me
Abide
Faith Works
Radical
Attachment
Secret Church: Survey of the New Testament
Secret Church: Survey of the Old Testament

The teaching component can also include reading and discussing The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman or What is the Gospel?by Greg Gilbert.

The Role of Deacon at The Church at Brook Hills

Deacons are members of the church, both men and women, who serve roles of service and leadership as designated by the elders. Serving as a small group leader is one of the examples of deacon leadership at The Church at Brook Hills.

Deacon qualifications are outlined in 1 Timothy 3:8-12. The first deacons appointed in Scripture are recorded in Acts 6:1-7. In summary, deacons:

Meet needs according to the Word
Support the ministry of the Word
Unify the body around the Word

Deacon Expectations

Because we desire the character of Christ to be reflected in the leadership of His church, The Church at Brook Hills holds her leaders to a high standard of accountability. Deacons are leading servants in the church who magnify Christ as they multiply ministry to the body. The following document describes the expectations we understand Scripture to associate with deacons in the church.

The Church at Brook Hills, in accordance with Acts 6:1-7 and 1 Timothy 3:8-13, expects her deacons to live and lead in the following ways. By the grace of Christ and for the glory of Christ, we expect deacons:

To lead others to serve in a particular area of ministry in order to meet particular needs in our faith family.
To submit to and support the Elders of The Church at Brook Hills in their ministry of the Word.
To promote the unity of the church by understanding the church’s mission and laboring to help others understand and accomplish that mission.
To demonstrate the character of Christ, which means (based on 1 Timothy 3:8-13):
Living an honorable life, worthy of respect by others in the church.
Being sincere and genuine in service to Christ and others.
Being self-controlled, including the control of the tongue in avoiding gossip, slander, and conversations that do not edify the body of Christ.
Honoring Christ and His church with financial resources.
Reading, studying, and applying God’s Word.
Faithfully serving Christ and His church.
Living above reproach by reflecting the character of Christ.
Honoring Christ in the home.
If single, honoring Christ in singleness.
If married, honoring Christ and a spouse in a way that accords with the biblical guidelines for marriage.
If a parent, leading children to honor Christ with their lives.

Deacons in The Church at Brook Hills assume a responsibility to the church to uphold these expectations. If at any point a church member has a biblical concern about a deacon’s life or leadership, deacons expect church members to prayerfully and humbly approach them in grace and mercy about their concerns in order to encourage their growth in Christ (Matthew 18:15-17). If church leaders determine that such concerns warrant temporary or permanent removal from leadership as a deacon, then the deacon will relinquish those leadership responsibilities in order to give primary focus to his or her relationship with Christ, with the support of the church.

All of these expectations are dependent on the grace of Christ for their fulfillment in any deacon’s life or leadership. As such, deacons expect and need the church to pray for them – that God might give them the power they need to fulfill these expectations for the glory of Christ in His church and in all the world.

Questions for the Potential Small Group Leader:

Are you at a place in your life where your character is “blameless”?
Do you have any doctrinal disputes with any of the essentials of the Christian faith (see “What We Believe”)?
Are you already leading as a servant in your home, school, workplace, or various spheres of life?
Has God given you sufficient wisdom to lead others spiritually, and are you prayerfully seeking more wisdom from him?
Are you consciously seeking to live a Spirit-filled life? Is your life generally characterized by the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-26)?
Will you commit to these Deacon Expectations while you serve as a small group leader at The Church at Brook Hills?