Fueling Life

I’m not a good arm twister, but I know myself well enough that I can make excuses that sound intelligent, but aren’t really that great when all is said and done.  So here’s some common objections people have to leading, and some thoughts that might help them reconsider (if it is an excuse, not a genuine reason).*

1. “I don’t have the time.”
   People make time for things they count as important. Cast a vision to this person of how significant the NT Challenge will be in their lives and the lives of others.   This is the most important book ever written!
2. “I don’t have the gift of leadership.”
   Leadership is mostly character…and if you’ve approached them you believe they have the character to lead.  The NT Challenge is going to be simple to lead, as the studies are all prepared for the leader, and there will be plenty of support as well.
3. “I can’t have a group in my home.”
   There are several ways around this.  If the leader could host for one or two weeks, then the group could share hosting for the rest of the 10 weeks.  If that doesn’t work, we often have people who are willing to host, and are able to match them with a leader.  Since we do not advertise the location of the group (just the city), we can even approach people who sign up before the group begins to see if they would be willing to host the group.
4. “I’m not ready to lead.”
   Sometimes people have a notion that they have to be at a certain point spiritually in order to lead.  There are standards, but often people have these inflated in their minds.  We do want leaders who have good character and are seeking to live for Jesus, but no one’s perfect and often stepping into leadership is the “kick in the pants” that a person needs to step it up spiritually.
5. “I’m not the leadership type.”
   I’m not sure what “leadership type” means, but sometimes people perceive the leader as someone who is in charge and in control, rather than someone who can facilitate life-change by caring for, discipling and loving others.

Next step to leadership…go to www.crossroadsgrace.org/gg and sign up  (or to ask more questions).

*Some of this material is from “Leading Life-Changing Small Group Leaders” by Bill Donahue (who by the way is speaking at Synergy in 2010!).

The NT Challenge is going to be one of the best opportunities for a person to step up and lead a group!  That’s because:

1. It’s simple – the material is already prepared for them.
2. It’s significant – this is a time to be part of something that’s going to impact our church for many years!

But who to invite to lead?

Look for people with these characteristics…

• People who come to group prepared
• Friendly (likes people, listens well)
• Brings good insight (even though might not share often)
• People who are committed
• Striving to live the Christian life and still figuring it all out (we all are if we’re honest!)
• Available
• Open to new experiences

Anyone come to mind?  Go ahead and ask them.  As you know becoming a leader can be one of the best ways to grow – so don’t hold them back…encourage them to step up.

They can sign up to lead a group (or ask questions) at www.crossroadsgrace.org/gg.

In the next post, I’ll deal with common objections to stepping up to lead.

It’s beginning September 20.  All GG’s are doing it (except for Care Groups & The Theology Program).  But what is it?

Watch a introduction by Pastor Mike, click below:

Here’s the details:

Join with the whole church for 12 weeks of spiritual growth this fall, by committing to:

1.  Read (or listen to) the New Testament over 12 weeks

Pick a plan that’s right for you:

The Whole New Testament:  5 chapters a day, 5 days a week.
Half New Testament:  2 or 3 chapters per day, 5 days a week.

Prefer listening?

Purchase CDs (or a mp3 CD) of the New Testament from the church or download mp3 files for free at crossroadsgrace.org/gg.

2.  Attend the 10 weekend messages.
The messages will focus on 10 big themes of the New Testament!

3. Sign up for a 12-week Growth Group.
Groups will be meeting to discuss what you read each week.

Sign up to lead a NT Challenge GG at www.crossroadsgrace.org/gg

You might have noticed a distinct lack of posts the last few weeks – but let me tell you – a ton of stuff is going on behind the scenes!!  Here’s a little glimpse of what we’ve preparing for…

1. The NT CHALLENGE:  This Fall is going to be amazing, as the church all together reads through the New Testament together – and all our GG’s unite in the same study!  I can’t wait to see what happens!!!  I think you’re going to love this series as a leader; the studies are prepared for you – and there are three different options you can take.   And we’ve got some very cool promotion planned to get the whole congregation involved! Thursday we were filming on the Golden Gate Bride – I was freezing and still got sunburned!   Very soon we’ll be asking you to re-sign up to lead a group…I hope you will!
2. IGNITION GG Vision & Training Event (August 29, 9am-12pm) This is the revamped GG training and it’s going to be fantastic!   It is mandatory for all Fall leaders, but let me tell you, you won’t want to miss it.  We’re going to do a mini-Synergy Conference – and if you went to that, you know how awesome it is.   We’re even having breakouts!  To whet your appetite, here’s the topics we’ll be covering: Handling Difficult People, Inspiring People to Action, Time Management for Busy Leaders, What to Study Next?, and GG Leadership 101.    So save the date – and invite people from your group.  It’s open to everyone.
3. SYNERGY 2010: We’ve just confirmed that Bill Donahue -pastor of Small Groups at Willow Creek Community Church – will be speaking at Synergy 2010 on MArch 6!!  He’s a world-renowned speaker on small groups…so we’re really excited to have him here!   Much more to come!!!

I’m excited!  We’ve got some great stuff in the works in Growth-Group-Land!  Let’s go team!