Return to the Apprenticeship Training Plan.
Read this first
We don't necessarily invite people to consider community group leadership because they're brimming with leadership confidence. We invite them because they're brimming with character, and seem to possess a sense of calling to this unique ministry—the kind of calling that will keep them from bailing out the minute it gets hard. Competence can be coached on the job, but character and calling are prerequisites. That's the paradox of leadership—sometimes the people who feel the least qualified are the most qualified! Pride might keep someone from growing as a leader, but fear could keep them from ever becoming one in the first place— especially if they wrongly assume they have to be a Bible expert, trauma specialist, public speaker, or visionary thought leader (whatever that is).
Again, character is a prerequisite for community group leadership, and perhaps the most unmistakable mark of character is humility—the kind of realistic view of ourselves that makes us teachable, receptive, and willing to grow. Spiritual maturity is not a destination at which any of us have arrived, but a direction in which we're all headed. One sign that we are growing in maturity is if we can name —with help from our friends—at least one place where we sense an invitation from Jesus to grow and change.
Jonathan is more likely to: hide his flaws, avoid challenges, and view feedback as a personal attack.
Kristen is more likely to: believe mistakes are part of learning, embrace challenges, and welcome feedback.
Would those closest to you say you're more like Jonathan or Kristen?
Community group leadership requires patience with yourself and patience with your group. You can expect to make mistakes. What matters most is how you respond. Don’t beat yourself up over every little mistake. Rather, as you fix your eyes on Jesus, you will stop thinking less of yourself, and start to think of yourself less. God will faithfully lead you into radical “extrospection,” where you navel-gaze less, and move towards others more. Paul describes this progression as “love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Tim 1:5).
This kind of humble receptivity is enabled and sustained only by genuine spiritual vitality—including regular rhythms of communing with God through Scripture and prayer. If that doesn’t feel true of your present reality, begin cultivating new habits that will sustain you on the journey. For help with engaging Scripture, see additional resources in our Leadership Library.
At Frontline, every ministry role invests in your development as a follower of Jesus before it's ever about what you can do for that ministry. We are committed to using ministry to build up people, rather than using people to build up ministry.
Then complete the following assignments
Read or listen (on Spotify or Apple Podcasts) to Part 3 (audiobook chpts. 8 and 9) of the Community Group Handbook.
Read chpts. 5, 6, 7, and 8 of Imperfect Pastor: Discovering Joy in Our Limitations through a Daily Apprenticeship with Jesus, by Zack Eswine.
Complete both the Gospel Self-Assessment and the Reality Check Self-Assessment.
Forward the results of both assessments from your inbox to your community group leader or your hub leader.
Follow up with your community group leader or hub leader to talk through your responses in person.
Return to the Apprenticeship Training Plan.