SMALL GROUP TIP #6: THE IMPORTANCE OF A COACH

As a leader, one of the many benefits of your small group will be that you have a community in your group. You have people that you lock elbows with and you walk shoulder to shoulder with. You have a community. That’s your group.

But “don’t lead alone.”

That’s a helpful adage when you think about leading your small group. When you lead, it’s still a qualitatively different experience than when you just participate in the group. You need another person to help and assist, encourage and challenge you in the whole process of leading. That’s why you need a coach. This person doesn’t need to be in your group, but you need a person who will speak into your life, who will encourage you, who will be a listening ear, who will be available to offer counsel.

Purpose of a Coach

You’ll want to talk with your coach about a variety of stuff. Let’s say you have a difficult, awkward personality in your group and you’re trying to figure out how to deal with it. Talk to your coach. Or maybe you want to choose a new curriculum and you’re not exactly sure where to go. Talk to your coach. Perhaps you have a sense that there’s another person in your group that could be a leader. Who do you talk about this with to develop next steps? You talk to your coach.

Your coach is there to lift you up when you’re exhausted and to push you a little bit when you’re just coasting. Your coach is a person who will talk with you about developing the three, healthy, biblical, patterns of a group which is connecting with one another, changing to be like Christ, and cultivating a heart for others. All of these are great conversations that you can have with your coach, because it’s important that you don’t lead alone.

*This is the sixth post in a series of 27 Tips for Small Group Leaders