In many of our training conferences leaders ask, “What do you use to equip and train our small group leaders?” Often we enlist small group leaders, hand them a Bible study book and wish them well! I have been guilty of this for sure. But if we are to lead women to serve, then we must invest in training them to do the ministry and not just expect them to know what to do.
I recently read through this series of posts from our Bible Study Insider blog. Using this information for women who facilitate or teach a group is just one way to help your small group leaders develop their skills.
Use these as tools through weekly emails to your leaders, weekly or monthly small group leader encouragement sessions (maybe just having them come to their small groups a 30 minutes early before their group meets), or through a quarterly or annual leadership training session.
Other topics of interest for small group leaders include:
- Basic small group skills
- Handling conflict in a group
- How to grow the group
- How to work with the “talker”
- How to develop intimacy in your group
- Setting up group guidelines
For help on these topics and many others, see our leadership books Women Reaching Women and Transformed Lives.
What other topics would you want to address with your small group leaders so they feel confident in serving?
P.S. By the way, Bible Study Insider is one of the best kept secrets around! Just click here and find out how you can actually get a box of studies free twice a year!
