Small Group Ministry Update

The small group ministry team was going to have bumper stickers printed saying, "If You Have Found a Warm, Encouraging, and Challenging Community for Bible Study, Friendship, Accountability, and Service - Thank Your Small Group Leader." But then, we would have to print one, "If You Can Read the Other Bumper Sticker, You Are Too Close."

Recognizing that a small group functions best when there is a leader guiding it with purpose and intentionality, we have worked to encourage groups to move away from the "shared leadership" or "I am just the facilitator" model to one where one individual or couple takes the responsibility to be a "shepherd' for their small group. Thankfully, many have responded to that call. At a recent training event, about 25 small group leaders gathered to share some of the good things happening in their groups, as well as some of the challenges they were facing. I was struck by just how seriously leaders are taking that responsibility: how much time they are spending preparing for group meetings, how passionately they are caring and praying for those in their groups outside the meetings. I was also struck by the anxiety many leaders shared. Talking to people at the Small Group Table, I often hear how much being a part of a small group has meant to them. I am not sure that the leaders get to hear that message often enough. So if you have found a welcoming place in your small group, take a moment and thank your small group leader.

If you are interested in exploring the possibility of being a small group leader, please contact Richard Ames-Ledbetter, (smallgroup@centralpc.org). Our next leader training class will start in early January.