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Leading a Group for the First Time
1. Remember you are not alone. Hebrews 13:5 Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. God knows everything about you and He knew that you would be leading a group.
2. Seek support. Ask you co-leader and group members to pray for you during the week as you prepare to lead.
3. Be yourself. If you won’t be you, who will? Lean into who God has created you to be and how He wants you to uniquely lead the study. If you don’t know an answer, just admit it and work with your group to discover the answer.
4. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Don’t wait until the last minute to prepare. Review the session and the leader’s notes and write down your responses to the questions.
5. Pray for your group members by name. Prior to your meeting, pray for each group member by name asking God to use your time together to begin a work of transformation in that person’s heart.
6. Arrange the room. Make sure group members can see each other and you. Be aware of the person who hides in a corner and take time to draw them out.
7. When you ask a question, be patient. Someone will eventually respond. Sometimes people need a moment or two of silence to think about the question. After someone responds, affirm their response and ask if anyone has more to add. Be sensitive to reluctant members who aren’t ready to say, pray, or do anything. Their tension will decrease as their comfort with the group increases.
8. Reading the Bible. Give group members the opportunity to read the passage aloud, but understand that not everyone is comfortable reading aloud. Be patient in this area.
9. Praise reports. Each week praise God for the results of the week before. Work with your group as their struggles for meeting the challenges of this series and work as a group to initiate plans to overcome the challenges. Holding members and yourself accountable will increase what they get out of this series.
10. Listen to God. During your meeting, listen for God’s prompting and boldly follow it.
11. Questions to ask when your discussion goes off track. Are we really off track? People may respond to questions in ways you don't expect. Their view is so different from what you were looking for that you assume they're on a tangent. In fact, they simply may be coming from a different perspective.
How is the rest of the group responding? Do they seem interested? Are they joining in the conversation, nodding in agreement, sitting forward in their chairs? Allow the discussion to flow, while gently guiding it so it doesn't stray too far. Sometimes tangents happen because they're relevant to what group members are currently facing.
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