Jesus' Small Group Curriuclum

What curriculum did Jesus use as He led His small group?

That question seems absurd, at least to me. Jesus' curriculum was life. He asked great questions and told great stories as He did life with His group. And so they learned how to live life as they observed Him and did life with Him.

One of my favorite quotes outside of Scripture is from Leroy Eims:

Disciples cannot be mass produced. We cannot drop people into a “program” and see disciples emerge at the end of a production line. It takes time to make disciples. It takes individual, personal attention. It takes hours of prayer for them. It takes patience and understanding to teach them how to get into the Word of God for themselves, how to feed and nourish their souls, and by the power of the Holy Spirit how to apply the Word to their lives. And it takes being an example to them of all of the above.

What Eims describes here is shepherding. The Best Small Group Leader Ever was a shepherd: the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Chief Shepherd. He had compassion on people who were "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36).

I think Jesus is our best model for being a small group leader.

Which is why I believe small group leaders should be much more than just facilitators or hosts or disc-jockeys who put in a DVD and press the PLAY button. Small group leaders are called primarily, in my opinion, to be shepherds. When we take a minimal view of small group leadership, the members of our groups are still “like sheep without a shepherd.”

What do you think?

Small Group Superhero!

Today at Northeast, Bob Cherry stepped out on stage wearing a red cape, playing the part of "Super Pastor."  He shared how, early in his ministry, he did everything around the church: preaching, teaching, visiting, writing and printing the bulletin, roofing, and so on. He then taught us about the Old Testament role of the priests, who acted as mediators between God and man, and discussed how many churches still work from this Old Testament model in which the priest (or pastor or minister) is expected to and actually does almost everything.

The problem, of course, is that this model is totally foreign to the model and teaching of the New Testament. In the New Testament church, everyone is a super hero. Everyone has a part to play in Christ's Body. We are all priests (1 Peter 2:9). Most of us who have been around the church for awhile know this. We've read passages like Ephesians 2:8-10; 4:1-16, 1 Cor. 12, and Romans 12. We know it, but do we really live it?

Each member of your small group is a super hero! Each one has been given super powers called spiritual gifts. Each one should have an important role to play in the group. Each one is a priest.

Do you see your small group this way? Is everyone empowered to use their gifts to serve others in the group in their own unique ways? Does each person have a role that matches up with their gifts, passions, and skills?

I visit a lot of small groups and I see a lot of super hero small group leaders who somehow have come to believe they must do everything in order for the group to thrive. I talk to some of them and they tell me things like, "Well, they're just not ready yet to share leadership in the group." My question: Why is that? Why have you not developed them and empowered them? Why don't you believe in them?

Leaders who do everything for the group enable the other group members to sit and do nothing. They send a clear message that says, You can't ... You're not able. But a leader's main responsibility is to say, "You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. You can do it! Give it a try! This is a safe place to step out of your comfort zone. I'm behind you!" People will grow when they are in this kind of environment. People do not grow when they are always playing it safe inside their comfort zones. People don't grow with super hero small group leaders!

Discuss this with your group! You can hand out a list of possible roles for your group, discuss what gifts and talents are involved in each one, and let group members take ownership of at least one. You can download the form from HERE.

It's time to take off the cape and get everyone involved. This will change your group! (It can also change your church and the world.)