Summer brings with it a lot of mental images. We tend to think of vacations, BBQ’s, and long evenings on the back porch. But for the ministry leader, a month like July also brings with it a creeping anxiety. That’s because even though the calendar says it’s summer, your brain is already living in the fall. You look at the spreadsheet of your church’s small groups, and you’ve still got empty rows to fill. You need new leaders.
When we feel that need, our first reaction is usually to throw resources at it. So we make more announcements from the stage, make more asks in a newsletter, and put our general calls for volunteers through email. While those actions may be necessary and potentially effective, the dark side of them is that we often end up with leaders who aren’t necessarily gifted and passionate about the role. How, then, can we recruit the right small group leaders for the fall, even at this late stage? Here are three suggestions.
1. Think Character Over Competency.
It would be great if every first time small group leader was a great small group leader. But they’re not. And what’s more, most of them know they’re not. Leading a group can be an intimidating commitment, and many people don’t volunteer because they don’t think they have the right credentials to do so.
When we recruit leaders, we can break through that barriers. We need our people to know that we’re not looking for experts; we are looking for shepherds. We aren’t looking for people who necessarily know all the answers, but instead people who are humble enough to admit they don’t but then walk with others in pursuit of them.
An effective leader doesn’t need to teach a weekly masterclass; they need to facilitate a weekly conversation centered on the Bible. So while it might be easy to restrict your thinking to those people you know have the skills to lead, broaden your vision. Look instead for people with a humble commitment to God’s Word and to others and also exhibit hospitality in their lifestyle. Then assure them that they can learn the skills along the way, with your help.
2. Recruit the Person, Not the Position.
Big pushes from the stage may create awareness, but they don’t necessarily create leaders. When you only make big announcements, it allows people who might be leaders to stay in the crowd and assume someone else will take up the role. True recruitment happens through personal invitation.
Instead of saying, “We need five more small group leaders for our Life Groups,” take someone to coffee. Look them in the eye. Tell them personally, “I have watched how you interact with people in our church, and I think God has equipped you to lead. I want you to consider leading a group this fall.”
When you adopt a personal strategy like this, it makes the conversation less about the church’s need and more about the person’s gifting. You are encouraging and affirming them from the start and calling them to another level of service.
3. Offer Comfort Through a Co-Leader.
Leading a group for an entire year is a big commitment. Often too big for a person to say “yes” to. So instead of asking an individual to be responsible, recruit them instead to be a co-leader. Find an established, healthy leader and ask a new leader to partner with them for just six weeks. Be clear about what you’re asking them to do. Maybe for those six weeks, all the commitment means is managing a prayer request list or handling an icebreaker question.
That’s a much less intimidating role than leading alone. The new leaders understand they don’t have to carry the entire weight alone and they can build the confidence to step into a primary leadership role in the future. Incidentally, if this becomes your regular practice, then you always have a ready pipeline of new leaders ready to step in.
It may be July, but it’s not too late. Now is not the time to panic, but it is the time to be intentional. The leaders are out there—they just might not be in the first place you look.
