We've all heard it before: "I don't know what the coach said to them in the locker room, but it worked!" It's amazing that coaches, the people who stand on the sidelines for the entire game, can have such an impact on the team's performance—even making or breaking it. They never go to bat, pass the ball, or make a good block. Yet without good coaching, a team will be unsuccessful.
Now consider the hard work that small-group leaders do and the role they play on the larger team of the small-group ministry. They need someone to call out the best in them and guide them to victory. Coaching is hard work, but it's work that's amazingly important to the health and success of small-group ministry. This Small Group Essentials Training Tool will help you train yourself to be a great coach, train an apprentice coach, or train a team of coaches. You'll find everything you need to be a great coach. The Get Started Guide shows you exactly how to maximize the comprehensive training included in this resource.
Small-Group Coach Orientation Guide
There's no doubt that small-group leaders play an important role in the discipleship process of most churches. They are the men and women "in the trenches" of a small-group ministry that make it work with the Holy Spirit to produce mature disciples of Jesus. But what about the people who equip, encourage, and empower those group leaders? Depending on the church, they are called coaches, shepherds, champions, and many other things. Whatever you're called, you're a vital part of successful small-group ministry.
Coaching Small-Group Leaders
Small-group leaders play a vital role in the discipleship process of many churches by teaching, supporting, and even confronting the members of their groups. But who teaches, supports, and confronts the group leaders? That is largely the role of small-group coaches. Learn how to focus and strengthen your church's coaching ministry. And if your church doesn't support small-group leaders with coaches yet, we'll help you get started today.
Become a Great Listener
If you lead a small group, you want to be effective in helping your members grow closer to each other and closer to God. If you coach small-group leaders, you want to be effective in supporting and equipping them for the task. But all of that can be short-circuited if you neglect the critical step of listening. We'll train you with practical skills and advice that will help you improve as a listener. We've also included helpful ways to administer those skills in a small-group setting.
Ministering to Struggling Small-Group Leaders
Small-group leaders have a huge impact on the success of small groups. They prepare questions, facilitate discussion, empower group members to minister to one another, and guide the group members toward their goals. So when a leader is struggling, the group most likely will be hurting as well. We'll teach you preventive measures you can take, and give you practical skills on ministering to specific struggles and handling difficult conversations. In all, there are twelve great articles to help you keep leaders on track and restore leaders who are struggling.
You have permission to make up to 1,000 copies of this resource for use within your local church.
