Click here to download free job description for Small Group Leaders (Word document).
One of the most powerful aspects of small groups is the opportunity to offer prayer requests, to pray together, and then to see how God follows through on those prayers. It's amazing to see how God works over three months or six months or a year. Prayers gets answered, situations change, hearts change—your group sees God work in mighty ways.
Just as powerful as the group dynamic of prayer is the impact that a praying leader can have on his or her group. A praying leader ministers to the group not only by showing how much he or she cares about their needs but also by modeling a life of prayer.
As with most things, becoming a small group centered on prayer doesn't just happen. Here are 7 tips on how you can minister to your small group through prayer:
-
Dedicate the last half hour of each bible study to "personal prayer needs" time.
-
Write each member's prayer requests down on 3x5 cards. Bring the cards to every study so you can check back on their requests.
-
After the requests are given, pray immediately with your group.
-
Set up a prayer-partner system where each member has another member praying for him or her, and vice versa.
-
As a leader, continue to pray for each specific prayer request of each of your members (use your cards as reminders) daily.
-
Call mid-week (or mid-session) to see how things are going.
-
Call or e-mail whenever the Holy Spirit prompts you. God may use you to help answer a member's prayer. If you feel the Holy Spirit giving you wisdom that could help a member in a quandary, let that person know.
