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Identifying andLaunching New Leaders

By Dave Treat,adapted from

“Identifying and Launching New Small Group Leaders,” a workshoppresented at the

Willow Creek Association Small Groups Conference

Anyone in small group ministry knows it is challenging to find new leaders and get them started. Discover a leadership assessment processthat will identify the readiness of each potential leader in your ministry and clarify different training paths to help them move towardleadership.

Goal:

To equip small group point leaders to identify and launch new smallgroup leaders by assessing and developing leadership potential in thepeople around them.

CHRISTIANITY TODAY I N T E R N A T I O N A L

© 2 0 0 6

A N D

Visit BuildingSmallGroups.com and www .Wil lowGr oups.com

www.WillowGroups.com

Contents

Leader’s Guide» How to Use This

Material

TrainingMaterials

1. What to Reproduce

» Skill and Maturity

2. Harvesting Leaders

3. Growing Leaders

4. Are They Ready?

» LeadershipAssessment Tool

» Three Scenarios

5. Preparing People toLead

6. Release Them

7. Next Steps

AdditionalResources

http://www.buildingsmallgroups.com/

http://www.willowgroups.com/



http://www.willowcreek.com/


http://www.buildingsmallgroups.com/



IdentifyingLeaders

Leader’s

Guide» How to Use

This Material

TrainingMaterials

1. What toReproduce

» Skill andMaturity

2. HarvestingLeaders

3. GrowingLeaders

4. Are TheyReady?


» ThreeScenarios

5. PreparingPeople toLead

6. Release Them

7. Next Steps

AdditionalResources

LEADER ’S GUIDE

How to Use “Identifying and Launching

New Leaders”

The following materials can be used for either personal or group training to helpidentify and launch new group leaders.

Training Others

If you use this material to train other small group leaders, you may want to modify thehandouts as necessary. Personalize them by printing on church letterhead or adding yourchurch logo to the design. Each handout can be used in separate, brief training sessions,or you can combine all of the material into one session.

Read through the materials and any listed Scriptures ahead of time. Then prepare thematerials as needed:

Make enough copies for all of the participants.

Provide food, drink, and other materials that will make your training sessionsmore comfortable.

Allow five minutes for everyone to read through each handout. Then discuss the questionsprovided, or consider questions such as:

“Why are these principles important for a successful small group?”

“How well does your small group currently incorporate these principles?”

“What one or two practical things could we do in the next year to improve inthis area?”

PrayPray for yoursmall group leaders, that they will expand theirknowledge and practice of prayer.

Ask God to provide clarity and vision to the process of identifying new leaders and gettingthem off to a good start.

© 2006 • Christianity Today International and Willow Creek AssociationVisit BuildingSmallGroups.com and www.WillowGroups.com



Leader’s

Guide» How to Use

This Material

TrainingMaterials

1. What toReproduce



3. GrowingLeaders

4. Are TheyReady?


» ThreeScenarios


6. Release Them

7. Next Steps

AdditionalResources

IdentifyingLeaders

TRAINING M ATERIALS

Define: What Do You Want to ReproduceAssess potential leaders against a set of desired traits and skills.

A church looking for people to lead in their small group ministry must first look forpeople who have reproducible lives. The reproducible traits should be observable (1 Cor.11:1; 2Thess. 3:7,9). In many ways, small group leadership is all about modeling, settingexamples and being able to tell people, Follow me. Christ set the example. We are tofollow Christ. Then, we can point others to our lives and say, Follow Christ as I followChrist. The problems come if people are not leading the kind of life that exemplifies whatChrist’s life is about.

In order to identify potential small group leaders, a point leader must define the type of life that they want to reproduce. Then, when you are walking around your church and youinteract with people, you can say, That person has leadership potential. The only way youcan make this assessment is if you already have a picture of what kind of life you wantleaders to model.

Form this picture by comparing and contrasting leadership pairs. These are notquestions of good or bad, but more an issue of what you want to reproduce. First ask,What is it we’re trying to do in our small groups? The answer will lead to, What do wewant to reproduce?

Determine the Role of the Small Group Leader

Teacher or learner? A teacher might be a seminary graduate who knows andapplies each member’s learning styles and develops a custom group curriculum. Insome churches, all preaching is from the pulpit and the small groups discussapplication. In other churches, content is delivered at the small group level. If yourmodel requires small groups to deliver a lot of content, a competent teacher may

be important to you.If your church primarily delivers God’s Word from the pulpit and expects

people in small groups to help each other apply it to their own lives, a good leaderdoesn’t have to be a teacher. Instead, you want a learner. A learner is someone

who models continuous learning. They are passionate about knowing God andstay one step ahead of the group members. They haven’t arrived yet; they are onthe journey too.

Therapist or encourager? A therapist is someone who understands the 12-step model. They can legally prescribe drugs if necessary. Some groups may have amore therapeutic bent but not every small group needs the leader to be atherapist.

An encourager is a good listener. They can lead group members in buildingeach other up through words and deeds. They listen, point people to Scripture andpray with them. These leaders simply walk through life with others. You cannotget enough therapists on staff to help everybody, but you can have enough smallgroup leaders to help everybody.

Guru or shepherd? A guru has answers to every question and allows groupmembers to drink freely from his or her fountain of wisdom.

A shepherd is someone who discerns the direction that the Holy Spirit is takinga member and then walks them through their next spiritual steps. A guru can takean atheist and turn him into a missionary, but you don’t have to do that in a smallgroup. You have to take people to the next step in cooperation with the Holy

HANDOUT #1

© 2006 • Christianity Today International and Willow Creek Association

Visit BuildingSmallGroups.com and www.WillowGroups.com



Leader’s

Guide» How to Use

This Material

TrainingMaterials

1. What toReproduce



3. GrowingLeaders

4. Are TheyReady?


» ThreeScenarios


6. Release Them

7. Next Steps

AdditionalResources

IdentifyingLeaders

TRAINING M ATERIALS

Spirit. A small group leader needs discernment more than they need to have allthe answers up front.

Commander or servant? A commander knows how to mobilize the troops tosupport the church staff and the project of the month. They say, Here we go. Thisis what we’re going to do. Who’s with me?

Sometimes you would rather have a servant, someone who understands that

service is a function of gratitude. In some of your groups you want somebody withstrong leadership skills who can say, Here’s the challenge, let’s go get it . Othertimes you just want someone with a servant’s heart.

Facilitator or director? A facilitator can achieve consensus on any topic butstays personally aloof. That can lead to pooled ignorance. A facilitator is by definition someone who can engage people in discussion. They are not nearly asconcerned about where they end up as they are about the process of getting there.

Your group leader needs to listen and facilitate, but they also sometimes needto be the director and help the members understand and apply God’s truth andguide the discussion to a biblical outcome. When you’re discussing Scripture,leaders need to ask members what they think a passage means but ultimately theleader needs to give people the biblical answer.

Make a List of Desired Traits

Take a few minutes to think through the traits that you would desire in a small groupleader. In your own words, describe these traits and list them in the left hand column on the“Skill or Maturity” chart below. Some traits are provided but be sure to come up with othersthat fit your church’s situation.

Separate Traits into Areas of Skill or Maturity

When you’re done deciding on the traits that are important in your church context, decide

whether the traits that you have written are a function of skill or maturity. A skill issomething that can be learned through a class, a book, a tape or through hands-ontraining. Maturity is something that is formed in someone’s heart over time. Put a check in the box that best applies to each trait.

HANDOUT #1





Exercise: Skill or Maturity? Evaluate your potential leaders on the basis of their talents and attitudes.

Desired Trait Skill Maturity

Has a servant’s heart X

Has personal integrity X

Can plan a meeting X

Is pursuing God—has spiritual passion X

Can guide a discussion X

HANDOUT #1A





Leader’s

Guide» How to Use

This Material

TrainingMaterials

1. What toReproduce



3. GrowingLeaders

4. Are TheyReady?


» ThreeScenarios


6. Release Them

7. Next Steps

AdditionalResources

IdentifyingLeaders

TRAINING M ATERIALS

Harvesting Leaders Some people are ready to lead. They just need to be identified and asked.

In every church there are some people who are ready to lead. These are people who are waiting for you to walk up and ask them if they would be willing to lead. They have thematurity that is necessary to form Christ in others. They already have some small groupskills. As a small group point person, you want to learn how to harvest this “low hangingfruit” and bring them into small group leadership.

Identify Leaders Already on Location

Observe them. Create settings where you can observe people in scenarios wheretheir leadership skills and maturity are brought to the forefront. Watch theminteract with others. Look for the traits you want to reproduce. For example, if you

want a leader to be a good listener, look at the potential leader and see if they

listen to other people. Or do they talk the whole time? Are they engaged in otherpeople’s lives? How do they respond when someone irritates them? See if thepotential leader can actually do the things on your skill list. Enlist them to help

you with a future event and then see if they can actually do it.

The pizza principle. Were you ever in a group of people working on a projecttogether and somebody suggests ordering a pizza? A discussion ensues over whatitems to order and goes on for two or three minutes. At some point everybody turns to one person and asks, “What do you think we ought to do?” There’s yourleader.

Beware of Potential Landmines

Those who think they are leaders, but are not . Avoid grabbing the firstavailable warm body and declaring that person a leader. There are people who ask to be given a small group to lead but cannot pull it off. Encourage these people to

begin by building their own group. If they cannot pull people together and form agroup, then they are not a leader. John Maxwell says, “He who thinks he is leading

when no one is following is only taking a walk.”

Those with their own agendas. Beware of people who want to do something with a group that may not be a part of your church’s plan for small groups. Makesure they agree with where you are trying to take the church.

Those with leadership skills but lacking in spiritual maturity. Somepeople can lead elsewhere, but they’re not spiritually mature enough to lead a

church small group. Or they have the spiritual maturity but they don’t know how to bring a discussion back to a spiritual conclusion.

Those who are unknown. Look out for people who are unknown. Some people will say that they were a leader in their old church and want to lead at your church. You need to ask them if they are in a small group now in your church setting. If someone wants to lead a group but they are not willing to be in one, a little red flagshould go up.

The only way to be sure about a potential leader is to spend time with themover time.

HANDOUT #2





Leader’s

Guide» How to Use

This Material

TrainingMaterials

1. What toReproduce



3. GrowingLeaders

4. Are TheyReady?


» ThreeScenarios


6. Release Them

7. Next Steps

AdditionalResources

IdentifyingLeaders

TRAINING M ATERIALS

Growing Leaders Identify people with potential and help them grow.

After you’ve harvested everyone you can think of, identify people with leadership

potential and help them grow over time into skilled and mature leaders.

Look for People with Leadership Potential

Growing believers who are FAT (Faithful, Available Teachable)♦ Faithful people show up when they say they’re going to. Unfaithful people say they are

going to be at an event but something always comes up and they are never there.

♦ Available people can rearrange their schedule around being a small group leader. Availability is one key to finding out who is ready and who is not. People need to be able toestablish priorities in order to lead.

♦Teachable people do not think they already know it all. They are willing to learn the

way you want to do small groups at your church. This is particularly important if the leaderhas experience with another small groups model. Will they get on board with your church’sstrategy or will they have their own plan?

Track records. Look at the people who have shown up consistently over time inother ministries. They have a track record of showing up, getting involved, andgiving of themselves.

Right priorities. Look for people who are already faithful. They already havethe right priorities and show it by their use of time.

In the Word. Look for Bible tabs—those little devices people put on the edges of their Bibles to find certain passages. Those tabs indicate that the person intends toread the Bible. Some people have Bibles with sweat stains, battered covers or other

wear marks. Come up with your own visual clues to find people that look like they are serious about spiritual growth.

Other Ways to Spot Leaders

Announcements. Be careful about how you advertise your need for small groupleaders. Circulate the following announcement: “If you would like to learn how tolead a small group please come to the following room.” Do not say, “If you wouldlike to lead a small group please come to the following room.” Do not make peoplethink you are just gong to hand them a small group.

Strategic events. Hold strategic events that might attract potential leaders likeleadership orientation classes and leadership training. Then observe the people

who show up. Cast vision for the life change that can happen in small groups anddon’t be afraid to scare them a little bit about some of the difficulties of group life.

After the Holy Spirit weeds out the faint of heart, the people who remain are ready for further development or perhaps are ready to serve as apprentice leaders.

Just ask. Nothing can replace a personal invitation to small group leadership.Invite them to coffee or breakfast and just ask. Do not ask them if they are ready tolead a small group. It is better to ask them if they have ever thought about being aleader. Then offer to help them.

HANDOUT #3





Leader’s

Guide» How to Use

This Material

TrainingMaterials

1. What toReproduce



3. GrowingLeaders

4. Are TheyReady?


» ThreeScenarios


6. Release Them

7. Next Steps

AdditionalResources

IdentifyingLeaders

TRAINING M ATERIALS

Are they Ready? Evaluate leadership potential and determine next steps of growth.

Refer to the “Leadership Assessment Tool” to help determine where a person needsfurther development before launching their group.

The Pool

On the left of the page, the shaded circles represent the pool of people in your church.Something has prompted you to consider one individual—the darker dot in the middle—to learn how to lead a small group. First, ask the question: Are they in a small group? If not, throw them back in the pool because they are not ready. Help them get in a smallgroup. They need to learn what community is in order to reproduce community.

Skill/Maturity Quadrant

In the middle of the page is a square with four quadrants. On the left side of the square isthe word “Skills.” Skills are the specialized abilities people need to lead a small group.

Across the top is the word “Maturity.” Maturity is about Christlikeness: people who canreproduce Christlike characteristics in another person. Moving to the right representsgreater maturity. Moving up signifies higher skills.

Mature/Skilled People: For people who are both mature and skilled, youmainly want to get them on board. They usually only need some vision about what

you are trying to do in small groups at your church. These people are few and far between. What they need: VISION.

Growing/Unskilled People: Most people are on the opposite end of the

spectrum. They may be hungry to learn but they are neither mature in Christ norskilled in group leadership. Pair them with an existing strong leader and let themlearn in the context of their own small group. What they need:

APPRENTICESHIP.

Mature/Unskilled People: These people are strong believers but do not know how to lead a small group. The best way to train these people in group leadershipskills is to place them in a turbo group. This type of group is a leadership traininggroup that actually functions as a small group. Everything you do in a regularsmall group you do in a turbo, but at the same time you are teaching potentialleaders how to lead. They share in leadership of the group. (For more informationon the turbo group concept, see Leading Life-Changing Small Groups, by BillDonahue.) What they need: TURBO GROUP.

Growing/Skilled People: Some people are young in Christ but they are skilledin small group leadership. For whatever reason, they have excellent people skillsand may have even led groups in other contexts. However, they need time to grow in their relationship with Christ. These people need intensive discipleship. Helpthem figure out what God wants to do in their lives and how they can get there.

What they need: DISCIPLESHIP.

HANDOUT #4





Leader’s

Guide» How to Use

This Material

TrainingMaterials

1. What toReproduce



3. GrowingLeaders

4. Are TheyReady?


» ThreeScenarios


6. Release Them

7. Next Steps

AdditionalResources

IdentifyingLeaders

TRAINING M ATERIALS

Observe Your Potential Leader’s Progress Over Time

When the people in each quadrant get the things they need, they still may not be quiteready to lead. The circle all the way to the right is a little clock. It carries a caution. Take

time before you let them lead. You need a period of time so you can watch how individuals react and respond to a variety of situations.

After you have worked through the Leadership Assessment Tool, look over the exercisecalled “Three Scenarios” (Handout 4b). Read each scenario and then look at theLeadership Assessment Tool. Walk each mythical person through the assessment.Determine where that person would be best placed on the Maturity/Skills quadrant.Brainstorm a list of next steps they could take to develop as a small group leader.

HANDOUT #4





Leadership Assessment Tool

HANDOUT #4A

© 2006 • Christianity Today International and Willow Creek AssociationVisit BuildingSmallGroups.com and www.WillowGroups.com



Exercise: Three ScenariosYou have met the following people and have observed them as described below. Using the Leadership Assessment Tool (Handout 4a), assess each person's leadership potential. Are theyready to lead right now or do they need to grow? What is their next step in leadership?

After a small group connection event, you meet a guy you’ve never seen before with gold chainsshowing through his unbuttoned shirt. He works his airplane, boat and sports car into your very firstconversation. You learn that his daughter is in constant trouble with the law and that the FBI is huntinghis former girlfriend. He is a high school dropout who divorced and remarried in the past couple of years.He’s never heard of small groups before but might like to lead one.

Assessment:

Next Step:

A twenty-something woman seems to be everywhere around the church and is always surrounded by a swarm of others. She seems to be a “ringleader” of sorts, as others seem to pick up on her suggestionsand directions. She comes to leadership orientation and training where she expresses an interest instarting a small group for single adults.

Assessment:

Next Step:

At a leadership orientation, you notice a guy on the first row asking good questions. He shows upearly for leadership training—with his Bible—and offers to help pass out materials and serve refreshments.

You learn that he is a military academy graduate and former officer, has a very successful white-collar

career and lives in an exclusive neighborhood. He has been around the church for several years, but hasnot yet led a small group.

Assessment:

Next Step:

HANDOUT #1





Leader’s

Guide» How to Use

This Material

TrainingMaterials

1. What toReproduce



3. GrowingLeaders

4. Are TheyReady?


» ThreeScenarios


6. Release Them

7. Next Steps

AdditionalResources

IdentifyingLeaders

TRAINING M ATERIALS

Preparing People to Lead Equip potential leaders by helping them progress according to their level of maturity and skill.

Below are additional ideas for helping people in each of the four quadrants take next stepstoward small group leadership.

Mature/Skilled

These are mature believers who already have small group skills. The key word for them is vision. Paint a picture of the preferred future: changed lives. Convince them that themost strategic person in the life-change process is the small group leader. When you starttalking about life-change and what can happen in small groups, they are going to light uplike a Christmas tree. If they have been involved in groups for a while, they have seen lifechange. All you have to do is tell them what you want to do in your particular setting.

Growing/UnskilledThese people are enthusiastic with a lot of leadership potential, but lack spiritual maturity and the abilities necessary to lead a group. They are best suited for apprenticeship,

where they learn under the guidance of a mature/skilled leader. Their leader’s firstpriority should be guiding them toward spiritual maturity. In addition, their leadershould help them gain group skills. Their leader should let them lead the group when they are ready, then observe and evaluate their leadership. This kind of constructive criticismis needed to take the Growing/Unskilled person to the next level. A small group leadermust be very intentional about developing leaders in an apprenticeship. Otherwise theleader decides it is easier to just lead the group themselves. The leader who never givestheir apprentice the opportunity to lead creates a problem.

Mature/Unskilled

These are mature believers who may have never been in a small group or are unfamiliar with small group leadership. Steer them into a turbo group, which is a short-termexperience that includes skill training in a small group context. The task is to quickly givethese potential leaders the skills to lead a small group. A turbo group has three goals: 1)Spiritual formation—know the process of how Christ is formed in another person; 2)Burden bearing—know how to care for someone in need; 3) Guiding discussion—know how to direct a discussion so that helps people come to biblical conclusions.

Growing/SkilledThese people are young in Christ but may have excellent people skills and prior groupleadership experience in contexts outside of the church. These people need intentionaldiscipleship. Discipleship is simply planned spiritual growth and is best done one-on-one. The disciple-maker should agree with them about their next steps in growth and thencoach them as they mature. A growth plan should focus on three goals: 1) Helping thedisciple develop a spiritual passion; 2) Helping them understand the biblical principle of servanthood in leadership; and 3) Helping them grow in personal integrity. Do not be in ahurry with this process. Maturity comes through God’s work in someone’s life over time.

HANDOUT #5





Leader’s

Guide» How to Use

This Material

TrainingMaterials

1. What toReproduce



3. GrowingLeaders

4. Are TheyReady?


» ThreeScenarios


6. ReleaseThem

7. Next Steps

AdditionalResources

IdentifyingLeaders

TRAINING M ATERIALS

Release Them Know when they are ready to go and then launch them.

Below are some things to keep in mind as you are launching people into leadership.

Preparation–Control Spectrum

Whenever we train people to take on new responsibilities, our training falls somewhere in what educators call the preparation-control spectrum. In small group ministry, it ishelpful to understand this concept. For some jobs, there is high preparation and low control. An example here is a brain surgeon. They go to school forever but when they graduate nobody follows them around to make sure they are doing the right thing. Forsome jobs on the other extreme, there is low preparation and high control. An example isa telemarketer. All they get is a script and a list of phone numbers—but the boss isstanding there watching their every move.

Between those two extremes is the place of preparation and control that will fit yourpersonality as a small group point leader. You decide how much preparation a new smallgroup leader needs and also the level of oversight they will receive after they start leading.There is no right answer—your comfort zone governs the approach. Do you want toprepare them to the point where you barely need to watch them? Or do you want to givethem low preparation but then watch them at every step?

Lead Them to Commitment

Be honest about what you’re expecting them to do. It is okay to scare them a little bit.Sometimes it is not bad to have someone think they may wind up with Jerry Springeralumni in their small group. If they are not at least a little scared, they don’t know what

they are getting involved in.

Commission Them to Lead

Commission them to lead. Explain to them that they are the plan. There is no plan B.Christ intended for us to help develop each other in community. The church is with themand for them.

Provide Ongoing Support

Let your leaders know that if they run into trouble the church is going to be right there to

help them. You need to be committed to providing ongoing support for leaders throughcoaching.

Monitor Their Progress

Give your leaders the care you expect them to give the people in their groups. Addressongoing needs for both personal growth and skill training.

HANDOUT #6





Leader’s

Guide» How to Use

This Material

TrainingMaterials

1. What toReproduce



3. GrowingLeaders

4. Are TheyReady?


» ThreeScenarios


6. Release Them

7. Next Steps

AdditionalResources

IdentifyingLeaders

TRAINING M ATERIALS

Exercise: Next Steps Zero in on who you want to select and prepare for leadership.

1. Name three individuals you already know who you will contact about taking their next

steps toward leadership. Based on the “Leadership Assessment Tool,” what is their nextstep?

Name _________________Next Step ___________________

Name _________________Next Step ___________________

Name _________________Next Step ___________________

2) What existing events might you use as “fishing ponds” for leaders? (Road trips,

retreats, banquets, sporting events). What events might you create to find potentialleaders?

3) What steps do you need to take to prepare for an influx of growing leaders (Start a

turbo group, develop additional training resources, prepare existing leaders to take onapprentices)?

HANDOUT #7





Leader’s

Guide» How to Use

This Material

TrainingMaterials

1. What toReproduce



3. GrowingLeaders

4. Are TheyReady?


» ThreeScenarios


6. Release Them

7. Next Steps

AdditionalResources

IdentifyingLeaders

Additional Resources Books, downloads and websites to help identify and train small group leaders.

BuildingSmallGroups: Small group ministry training resource from Christianity Today International

www.BuildingSmallGroups.com

Building Church Leaders: Leadership training resources from Christianity Today International.

www.BuildingChurchLeaders.com“Healthy Small Groups” Training Theme and PowerPoint

“Growing Small Groups” Training Theme and PowerPoint“Spiritual Formation” Training Theme and PowerPoint“Recruiting and Staffing” Training Theme and PowerPoint“Building a Team” Training Theme and PowerPoint“Volunteer Development” Training Theme and PowerPoint

WillowGroups: Small groups resources site of the Willow Creek Association

www.willowcreek.com/smallgroups

Building a Church of Small Groups by Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson(Zondervan, 2001; ISBN 0310240352)

Leading Life-Changing Small Groups by Bill Donahue (Zondervan, 2002; ISBN0310247500)

The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman (Revell, 1993; ISBN0800754670)

The Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry by Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson (Zondervan, 2002; ISBN 0310267110)

Unfinished Business: Returning the Ministry to the People of God by GregOgden (Zondervan, 2003; ISBN 0310246199)

© 2006 • Christianity Today International and Willow Creek AssociationVisit BuildingSmallGroups com and www WillowGroups com

http://www.buildingchurchleaders.com/

http://www.willowcreek.com/smallgroups/

http://www.buildingchurchleaders.com/

http://www.willowcreek.com/smallgroups/

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