This week we’re learning about being selfless leaders, and I’d like to take this opportunity to propose stepping into lifeGroup leadership as a great way to practice selflessness. Will you consider giving up to Jesus any apprehensions or concerns about time commitment, and leading alongside a group of people who are also learning to be more selfless?
As I think about selfless leadership, I want to share a bit about Between Sundays, a book written by Karen Kingsbury that tells the fictional story of an NFL Quarterback who realizes that the most important victories are won off the field. I read the book this summer and I kept thinking about our lives as Jesus followers. What really matters is how we live our lives “between Sundays.” It is good to come together as the family of God and worship and praise Him on a Sunday morning: we are encouraged from His Word and our faith is strengthened. But then what? What we do with what we know “between Sundays” is what matters. With whom do we share what we learned? How do we put our love into action? Where do we use the gifts that God has given us? How do we live out what we learn? With whom are we building relationships?
lifeGroup is just the place to practice what we have learned on Sunday, to check in with one another and see how it is going living out what we have learned. We can put into practice the very things that we have been asked to do. It is more than just another meeting we go to to fill our calendars. It is where we help each other follow Jesus.
Lately we have been hearing a lot about 1more leader, and have been asked the question, “Will you choose to lead?” Perhaps that word doesn’t sit well with you. You might say, “I’m not a leader, I don’t have those skills.” Or, “I’m too shy to be a leader.” Or, “I just don’t know enough about the Bible to be a leader.” The truth is, we all have different styles of leading, but we are all people who can influence another person. Without people stepping up and saying, “Yes, I will lead a lifeGroup,” we will stay at the same number of groups, reaching the same number of people. Healthy groups are designed to grow and multiply. I am thankful for the many people who have said, “Yes, I will step out and lead,” and the new groups that we have. Most of those people at one time were unsure about leading a lifeGroup. What they have discovered over time is that they can do it. It is much more about facilitating a discussion and asking questions than it is about having answers. It is about walking alongside of others and sharing life together, and discovering how to follow Jesus. There is shared leadership in the group; it really does not fall on just one person.
The last words that Jesus shared with his followers before he ascended into heaven were not about just going to church on Sundays; he said, “Go and make disciples…” (Matthew 28:19-20). We need to do more than just “church” people: we need to disciple them. Who do you share life with that is close enough to you that they can see how you handle a stressful situation, hear how you pray, actually read God’s word with you to learn how you ask questions of what God is showing you? Who can you share your story with, and share the good news about the abundant life that is waiting for them as they trust in Jesus? Don’t wait for someone else to step up; you can do it, you can lead.
To start the conversation, I’d love to know: where you have you led in the past, and what was that experience like for you?
