Delegation is Discipleship: 4 Simple Roles to Empower Your Small Group Leaders
We really do ask a lot of our small group leaders. It's a foundational role for a healthy church, but it's also a fast track to volunteer burnout if we're not careful.
These individuals are some of the most important disciple-makers in the church—and yet they’re often the most overextended. Think about it: small group leaders are often the biggest factor in connecting people beyond Sunday morning into the community of our local churches. They are on the frontlines of discipleship and care, multiplying our effectiveness and reach as pastors and church leaders.
Because of this, developing a strong leadership pipeline and focusing on volunteer retention should be a top priority. We need to continually find ways to encourage and resource them for a sustainable ministry model.
Why Delegation is a Game-Changer for Your Church
One of the best ways to resource your leaders and prevent overextension is by helping them delegate key roles to others within their groups.
Delegation doesn't just lighten the leader's load; it also distributes the sense of ownership and responsibility throughout the group. The more contributors you have, the more commitment you’ll see.
By delegating roles, you create healthier communities with healthier leaders. This is a key principle of lay leadership development and is crucial for healthy church growth.
4 Practical Roles to Delegate in Your Small Groups
Here are four simple but powerful roles your small group leaders can delegate to spread responsibility and create a more scalable ministry model.
1. The Prayer Champion: Fostering Pastoral Care
Find a person in the group who has a heart for prayer and a gift for caring for people and work with your small group leader to empower that person to serve as the prayer champion. This person keeps track of prayer requests, follows up each week, and helps mobilize the group to care for one another in practical ways—meal trains, childcare, or other needs. This role is an excellent example of decentralized pastoral care, taking a significant weight off the leader.
2. The Communication Specialist: Improving Group Engagement
This person serves the group by ensuring the group stays connected throughout the week. The communication specialist sends reminders for meetings, updates about group social or service events, and notes about what’s happening in the life of the church. This can be done through group texts, social media, or other apps.
Delegating communication not only frees the leader—it often means the information gets shared more clearly and on time, leading to better attendance and overall engagement.
3. The Meal Guru: Building Deeper Community
The best small groups don’t just meet for study—they connect around the table. Jesus modeled this practice, using meals to build community. Whether your groups rotate providing meals or everyone brings a dish to share, someone needs to coordinate it.
After all, there’s nothing worse than arriving for taco night only to find everyone brought beans—no meat, no tortillas, no salsa… just beans. That’s not exactly the recipe for community! A dedicated meal coordinator helps facilitate the fellowship that turns a study group into a family.
4. The Serve Coordinator: Creating an Outward Focus
One of the most powerful ways our groups grow in friendship and faith is by serving together. Some of the strongest groups are the ones that pause their regular weekly meeting rhythm on a regular basis to serve in the community—whether packing meals, supporting a local school, or helping meet other practical needs.
Empowering someone to coordinate service opportunities ensures it happens consistently and frees up the group leader to focus on leading the group in discussion and study. This role is vital for developing an outward focus within your small groups.
Leader Burnout or Strategy Problem?
Leader burnout is often a symptom of a deeper issue. Pinpoint the exact cause with our free 2-minute Discipleship Strategy Assessment.
- Discover hidden weaknesses in your model.
- Clarify what your leaders truly need to thrive.
- Receive a personalized action plan.
