This week, when we refer to a small group, we’re not talking about the size of your overall youth ministry. We’re referring to the few teenagers that have been entrusted to your care (assuming some have). When an adult leader shepherds/guides/coaches/leads/etc… a small group of teenagers…that’s great youth ministry!
Leading a small group of teenagers can be so rewarding! What a blessing it is to be in a more intimate environment with a teenager when he/she spiritually awakens and takes a step forward in their faith: learning something new, giving up a habit, or developing a new discipline…it doesn’t matter…growth is exciting! It’s an amazing gift that God would allow us to share our lives with students.
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Fall in love with youth ministry…AGAIN. Join Doug, Louie Giglio, the Skit Guys,
and tons of other great folks in March for the Simply Youth Ministry Conference.
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But, being a small group leader can also be challenging and uncomfortable.
We’ve both had those nights when it felt like nothing good happened at small group. No one paid attention. No one answered questions. It seemed like everyone showed up only because they wanted to get away from doing homework. Yep! A small group can be great one week and a dud the next.
No matter how much work goes into arranging teenagers into small groups, it can still get messy. Why? Well, relationships are messy and they can’t be meticulously administrated on a spreadsheet or chart. Relationships are too complex for us to think we can logically arrange groups of adults and teenagers! But, after the groups are sorted out and it’s time to meet, good small group leaders will understand that their relationships with teenagers are built and strengthened on trust and truth–two essentials that require time to create.
SMALL GROUP LEADERS NEED TO EARN TRUST.
We can’t expect it, or worse yet, demand trust from teenagers. To earn trust we must be willing to risk something personal. They need to see that their leaders are not perfect. Being authentic is the one of the best ways to build trust… but it still takes time.
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Fall in love with youth ministry…AGAIN. Join Doug, Louie Giglio, the Skit Guys,
and tons of other great folks in March for the Simply Youth Ministry Conference.
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SMALL GROUP LEADERS NEED TO TELL THE TRUTH.
We can’t simply expect that teenagers want to hear our marvelous content. (Think about it, when you were young, did you want to hear a bunch of teaching?) Telling the truth assumes we know the truth. Beyond skimming the curriculum so we can appear to know what we’re talking about, we need to be praying and begging God for wisdom for what our students need to hear.
THE BALANCE
Then there’s a fine balance between earning trust and telling the truth. Spend too much time trying to earn trust, and you’ll become little more than a mediocre friend. Spend too much time trying to tell the truth, and you’ll be viewed as little more than an uncaring, impersonal teacher.