Throughout the world today many committed Christians are witnessing the dynamic impact of small groups. The intense fellowship, personal interaction around Scriptures, and commitment to applying Scripture is often unparalleled by other methods of spiritual development. As the members of your group grow spiritually, some may develop the ability and desire to become discussion group leaders. Be sensitive to this, and consider whether you would like to train someone in the group as your assistant. This person could eventually replace you or be the leader of another group.

When choosing an assistant, look for someone who will:

• pray with you regularly for the other group members.
• help you evaluate each session after it is over. You can discuss what happened and why, and how to improve. Your assistant may be able to see what is happening more clearly than you because he or she is not under the pressure of asking questions to keep group discussion going.
• learn how to lead a group if you need to be absent.
• be willing to begin and lead another group. If your group grows too large and you need to divide, your assistant will be the logical person to lead the new group.

If your group does divide, remind them that growing too large would hinder the advantages of small-group discussion—intimate fellowship, personal involvement with everyone, plenty of opportunities for everyone to talk, the ease with which the entire group can meet in anyone's living room, and so on.

The process of multiplication and growth will continue as your former assistant finds someone in the new group to become an assistant to be trained for starting yet another group.

Adapted from How to Lead Small Group Bible Studies (NavPress, 1982)

© Copyright 2006 Smalley Relationship Center. Used by permission.

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