 The Small-Group Leader as Spiritual GuideA step-by-step approach to guiding your group toward spiritual maturity Tom Bandy| Topics: | Discipleship, Fellowship, Growth, Mentoring, Shepherding, Small group leader, Small groups, Transformation |
| Filters: | Shepherd, Small group leader, Small groups, Spiritual director |
| Purpose: | Fellowship |
| References: | 1 Thessalonians 5:14 |
| Date Added: | November 07, 2007 |
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 Finally, small-group leaders coach the faith formation of small-group participants. In my book Christian Chaos I briefly describe the "faith formation flow" that leaders nurture over the timeline of any small group:
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From covenant to curiosity. Most small groups bond around a shared enthusiasm or affinity. The temptation is to simply enjoy that affinity with little motivation to discipline oneself to go deeper in the "why" and "whither" of our relationships and passions. The small-group leader guides the group by arousing curiosity. Point out anomalies and patterns in behavior and ideas. Cast glances at the motivations, assumptions, goals, and paradoxes of life. Opportunistically seize upon life struggles, gratuitous evil, and unexplainable grace to arouse a passion for insight and answers.
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From curiosity to Bible awareness. Most small-group participants exaggerate, even to themselves, the extent to which they know anything about Christian faith. They are merely opinionated. The more their curiosity is aroused, the more the consternation grows. The sheer volume of applied learning is overwhelming. It's not just information, but application. The small-group leader coaches participants to learn key Biblical stories, metaphors, verses, and ideas—then work them into the fabric of daily life.
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From Bible awareness to trust. Ironically, greater Bible awareness all too easily plateaus the spiritual growth of small-group participants! A false confidence is created—a disguised egotism. It is revealed to the small-group leader as participants begin to compete with each other, showing off their database of learning or posturing about their faith. The leader guides the group to trust one another with their feelings of insecurity, inadequacy, or imperfection.
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From trust to questioning. As the small-group leader creates an environment of trust that replaces "one-upmanship" with acceptance, participants finally penetrate the depths of their personal anxiety and spiritual yearning. They ask the real questions about life, death, good, evil, God, temptation, and so on that have haunted them from the beginning. Note that the spiritual guide does not necessarily answer their questions, but rather helps them to wrestle with their questions with integrity and hope.
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From questioning to action. The goal of the small-group leader as spiritual guide is not to lead participants from questioning to certainty, but from questioning to risk. The answers are to be found in the activity of mission itself, rather than in passive introspection. Giving life away in radical charity and service helps participants live in the midst of mysteries without resignation. The spiritual guide inspires, instills, or enables the discovery of courage.
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