Folder: Grow, Serve
Labels:Leadership, Transparency, Care, Attitude, Outreach, Prayer, Teaching, SHAPE, Spiritual Gifts, Group Ownership,
Ministering to One Another
As with the other aspects of small group life, the length of time in which you engage in ministry and outreach will vary from week to week. Sometimes there will be special needs shared by people within your small group that you will feel led to take extra time to pray about. Other times, your small group might devote a meeting to serving and reaching those outside of your small group in some way. If you seek to bring a balance to the inward ministry & outward mission of your group, you’ll be successful at cultivating a healthy group dynamic.
In addition to developing the art of being a nurturer, God will call you as the small group leader to exercise the role of “teacher.”
Teaching and doing go hand and hand in the New Testament. What you "teach" is what you should model. Take the lead in being like Jesus to the people in your small group, using your gifts to build up the body (1 John 2:7; 1 Corinthians 14:12b). This will encourage your small group participants to do the same. You can do this by praying and caring for each small group participant regularly (1 Peter 5:2-5). The following list provides some ways to encourage your small group participants as you (and they!) minister to one another within your small group.
Ways to Minister to Your Small Group Participants
- Be a champion of GIVING in your group. Help people to discover what their God-given gifts and special abilities are and how they can use them to build up the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:7). You could begin by creating and casting a vision for what mutual ministry through the employment of every person's gifts might look like (use Scriptures like Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12, 14:12, 26; and Ephesians 4:11-13). Explain the importance and power making these Scriptures a reality in your small group. Help participants discover what their personal gifts are, and discuss this in your small group. Research ministry opportunities where people could use their gifts to serve others, and encourage them in doing it.
- Be a good, active listener. Practice compassionate, careful hearing of the other.
- Be a prayer warrior. When someone has a special prayer need, pray for them immediately.
- Be a helper. When someone expresses a material need, help them physically or financially.
- Don’t just sympathize! Empathize with people when they express their emotions openly in the small group.
- Be available.Make yourself available and spend time with your small group participants.
- Surprise them!Make unexpected phone calls to your small group participants telling them that you have been thinking about them and praying for the needs they shared in the prior meeting.
- Be a connector. Find points of connection among your small group participants to help them build relationships with other people in your group.
- Relate with them!Identify with the speaker by using illustrations from your own life. At times it may be helpful to draw from Scripture and read a passage to the other participants as a way to express commonality with what the person is saying.
- Gift them!Give small "tokens" of love and appreciation. For example, give a creative gift such as candy wrapped in cellophane and tied with a bow, along with a short note of appreciation or a scripture verse.
- Be real.Allow people to be themselves in the small group. For example, if a group participant breaks down and swears while sharing, don't correct them; minister to them.
- Be there.Don't try to "fix" the person sharing. You don't always have to have an answer. Sometimes silence and a loving embrace is the best response.