“But, I’m no Bible School Grad!”
“So, ya wanna lead a Life Group, huh? Do ya know Greek— huh— do ya?”
…said no pastor ever…
…but sometimes we think that’s what they’re really thinking, right?
Here’s the thing: They’re not. Ever. Thinking that. You are not expected to suddenly become an alternate to the senior pastor of ZCC.
You lead a Life Group. That’s important, and it’s distinct. This area on our site is all about equipping, so let’s look at this like an ‘equipment list’.
What DO you need in order to look at leading a Life Group effectively as you “Grow in Christ Together”?
Born Again. This is what Jesus described to Nicodemus in John 3:1-18; a new birth by the Holy Spirit where you come alive to the things of God (1 Cor 2:14, Eph 2:1-8) as a new creation in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:17).
Know Jesus. This is not knowing about Him, or knowing other people who know Him, or having grown up in the church. It is about a personal, spiritual, daily relationship with Jesus Christ that matters to you. (John 17)
Love Scripture. This does not mean that you read Greek or Hebrew; it does mean that you read your Bible… a lot. You can relate to the sense that the more you read, the more you want to read. (Ps 119)
Press on. No one has “made it”, but God is working on all of us to transform us into the image of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 3:18, Phil 3:12-14). You “know Him” (Phil 3:10) and are “known by Him” (Gal 4:9, 1 Cor 8:3).
Love people. This was what Jesus was talking about when He said, “They will know you are My disciples because you love one another.” This is not extroversion; it is about a compelling love of Jesus (2 Cor 5:14-15).
Again, this does not mean that you are the planet’s icon for all these things; it does mean that they characterize your experience of faith and walking it out in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is about growing in Christ, pressing on, being transformed, being made holy, clinging to Jesus and doing all that together with others. By the way, if you feel you HAVE ‘made it’ to absolute holiness, PLEASE don’t become a LG leader!
Now that’s out the way, lets look at some logistics:
Space: Yup, you need a place to meet. That may be your home or it may be a member’s home.
Time: Figure out a time that you can consistently commit to, and commit to that time.
People: If you have some folk who want to start one, great! If not, call the church; we can help with that!
Participation: You’ll need to learn to delegate— there’s lots of roles to doing Life Groups! Spread it out!
Communication: If communication is not really your thing, it will be :) People don’t know what you know until you tell them what you know. Planning is important. Communicating the plan is just as important!
If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, then you’ve come to the right place!
The next step is to reach out and talk with us about getting started on leading a Life Group! Click the “Reach Out” button on the home menu (top right) and let’s do this!