Sticking Your Head Above The Parapet – The risks of leadership
If you are a small group leader, you are, by definition, courageous.
You may not feel like it, but it takes real guts to say yes when asked, or to feel a nudge and respond to it: leading a small group can make you question yourself in really uncomfortable ways.
I can so easily feel I shouldn’t lead a group until I am a confident, eloquent, on-fire for Christ kind of a person; an Olympic-level Christian; a proper Christian. As opposed to the flailing amateur I so often feel in living out my faith.
But when I fixate on these things, I’m placing my hope in any leadership qualities in myself.
And, if I place my hope in myself, then I’m going to be very disappointed with the results!
Growing In Dependency
This is an opportunity for me to draw closer to God, to lean in hard and whisper: I can’t do this without you! Help!
As a small group leader, I have such a privilege. Chances are, nobody else will sit with these people this week and ask, “What is God doing in your life right now?” Some of my group may not even be asked “How are you today?”
And, an even greater privilege: I can say, “Let’s sit still and listen for God’s voice for a few minutes together.” This is when God can do deep work with individuals, wherever they’re at, in ways no human could ever help them.
If you’re feeling unconfident about being a small group leader, think of yourself more as a facilitator.
Hospitality Rocks
You are the one who creates the welcoming space, and the accepting atmosphere that enables a few people to try to connect regularly with one another and with God.
The results are not up to you: you have been obedient to the call that has come your way. Your job is to welcome people, to listen to them and to encourage them to listen to the Lord.
As the saying goes, God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called. If God had waited until the perfect, ‘proper’ Christian human being had turned up, he’d still be waiting to start.
One thought on “I'm Not A Leader”