- | Leading a Life Group
- | Leader's Training Guide
- The Work of a Shepherd
- Lesson 1: Psalm 23
- Lesson 2: The Lord is my shepherd
- Lesson 3: Green pastures
- Lesson 4: Quiet waters
- Lesson 5: Refreshing the Soul, Paths of Righteousness; His Name’s Sake
- Lesson 6: Through the Darkest Valley
- Lesson 7: Rod and Staff
- Lesson 8: Preparing a table for me; anointing my head with oil, my cup overflows
- Lesson 9: Pursued by goodness and love
- Lesson 10: Permanent home in the Lord’s house
- The Work of a Shepherd
- | Putting Psalm 23 Into Practice
| Leading a Life Group
Leading a life group is a privilege and a wonderful way to serve the Lord, your congregation, and people in general.
Why Leadership Matters
Depending on the type of work that you do, at some point in your life you may be asked to lead a small group – at work, at a volunteer activity, in your neighborhood, or in some other ministry context.
Unfortunately, this often gets very little attention in your education and work—caring for and bringing out the best in people in a group setting.
Training and Support
Annual Training – Life Church asks that all new life group leaders participate in our annual training.
Open to All – The training is also open to anyone who wants to grow and increase their skillset, or to explore whether leading a life group is something you want to try.
Ongoing Guidance
All life group leaders are supervised by a member of the Leadership Team, so you can be confident that we will provide the support you need to lead effectively and biblically.
Small group training is not only spiritually rewarding— it’s also something you can add to your resume!
Check out these resources for current or aspiring Life Group leaders:
| Leader’s Training Guide
The Work of a Shepherd
Scriptures that warn about shepherds:
Lesson 1: Psalm 23
Life group leaders are actually serving as shepherds under the shepherding ministry of the pastoral leadership (“pastor” is just another word for “shepherd”) and all under the guidance of our Great Shepherd – Jesus (John 10:1-21)! One way to approach your work of shepherding the members of your life group through the lens of Psalm 23. In this well-known psalm, David describes various ways that the Lord takes care of him:
Let’s break this down verse by verse:
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
This lesson and the ones that follow include questions to consider for each of your life group members. When you ask your members these questions, be sure to take notes so that you can incorporate them into your shepherding and praying for them on an ongoing basis.
Check out the following resources:
Topics to explore in discussion:
Training assignment:
Do this yourself, and use it to help train someone else
Habits:
Lesson 2: The Lord is my shepherd
Before we explore the various ways that the Lord takes care of our life group members, let’s consider their overall experience of him as their shepherd.
Check out the following resources:
Topics to explore in discussion:
Training assignment:
Do this yourself, and use it to help train someone else
Habits:
Lesson 3: Green pastures
A shepherd provides his/her sheep with nutritious food to eat. The Lord provides us with what we need to sustain us, but it’s up to us to feed on what he provides.
Check out the following resources:
Topics to explore in discussion:
Lesson 4: Quiet waters
Sheep don’t like moving water. A shepherd ensures that his/her sheep have access to quiet water that they will be willing to drink and subsequently to rest.
Check out the following resources:
Topics to explore in discussion:
Lesson 5: Refreshing the Soul, Paths of Righteousness; His Name’s Sake
Sheep can lose their way. A shepherd retrieves lost sheep and leads them back along the proper path as the Lord’s representative.
Check out the following resources:
Topics to explore in discussion:
Lesson 6: Through the Darkest Valley
Sheep can lose their way. A shepherd retrieves lost sheep and leads them back along the proper path as the Lord’s representative.
Check out the following resources:
Topics to explore in discussion:
Lesson 7: Rod and Staff
Sheep can get into trouble. A shepherd is equipped to rescue and guide an unfortunate sheep and to ward off predators.
Check out the following resources:
Topics to explore in discussion:
Lesson 8: Preparing a table for me; anointing my head with oil, my cup overflows
David recognized that God is a generous host. We want to make sure that the people we shepherd are experiencing this important aspect of God’s nature.
Check out the following resources:
Topics to explore in discussion:
Lesson 9: Pursued by goodness and love
A shepherd looks out for what might be following the flock. David recognized that God caused goodness and mercy to pursue him. We need to be aware of what is pursuing the people we shepherd.
Check out the following resources:
Topics to explore in discussion:
Lesson 10: Permanent home in the Lord’s house
David recognized that God is a generous host. We want to make sure that the people we shepherd are experiencing this important aspect of God’s nature.
Check out the following resources:
Topics to explore in discussion:
| Putting Psalm 23 Into Practice
As you pastor your life group members, take time to think about each individual and prayerfully reflect on the benefits the Lord wants to cultivate in their lives. Ask yourself:
How can I partner with what God is doing in each of these areas?
Teaching as a Life Group Leader
Teaching is more than encouragement—it is intentional discipleship.