It seems like you never have enough leaders to go around. The ones you do have are burned out. Why is it so hard to find people to lead small groups?

Before you panic, go down the following checklist:

• Am I praying for current and new leaders?
• Am I continually recruiting new leaders?
• Am I sharing testimonies of small group members with their leaders and the church?
• Am I publically recognizing leaders and the significance of the small group ministry?
• Am I continually offering and promoting leadership training?
• Am I seeing people commit to the ministry? Am I entrusting spiritual lives to their care?
• Am I contacting leaders and hosts on a weekly basis?

Rx for Burnout

Weekly Meetings. Every Saturday morning in Dallas, Texas, the Rev. Bill Atwood meets with forty small group leaders. They talk about their vision and receive instruction, then break into small groups to encourage one another. Bill's approach is to entrust spiritual lives to the leaders' care and insist on self-imposed accountability and an eagerness to learn. Using the checklist has had a dramatic impact on their leadership ministry.

One Role at a Time. A common cause of burnout is stepping into the roles of leader and host at the same time. This is too much for one person. One leader commented to me in retrospect, "I thought I could do both at once. Later I realized the importance of quiet time with the Lord immediately before a meeting. Serving as host kept me from having that quiet time."

Train individuals for both roles before the group begins.

Don't Go It Alone. Begin a small group program with two people who know what small group Bible studies are all about. Don't try to do it all by yourself.

Paul modeled this team approach. He tried to take someone with him whenever possible for support and encouragement.

© Copyright 2003 Smalley Relationship Center

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