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Leading for Grow · Reformed Thinking

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  Welcome back to Reformed Thinking, and this is the DEEP
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  dive. Today we're looking at something
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  that I think for many of us is a bit of a daunting task, but it's
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  so vital to the life of a local church.
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  We're talking about leadership within Christian small groups,
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  you know, those discipleship bodies.
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  Sometimes they're called growth groups, sometimes community
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  groups. I mean, they're meant to be
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  these little spiritual engines for the congregation, and our
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  whole investigation today is about how they should be led and
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  maybe more to the point, who is actually fit to lead them.
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  It's a critical question. It really is.
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  Our source material for this is some really insightful analysis
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  from Colin Marshall on guiding these disciple making groups and
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  we have a clear mission for you, the listener, today.
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  We want you to quickly get a handle on the organizational
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  structure and the spiritual direction needed for this role.
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  That means we have to cut through a lot of assumptions and
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  get to the essential and sometimes, you know, very
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  challenging requirements that Scripture lays out for leading
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  these crucial bodies. And that word challenging is the
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  right one because that responsibility is really the
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  premise we have to start with, OK, if you're part of a growth
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  group or thinking of leading 1, you have to get this.
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  Leadership in these groups isn't optional.
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  It's not discretionary. It's absolutely necessary.
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  So it's not just a nice to have. Not at all.
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  And the responsibilities are huge.
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  They go way beyond just, you know, sending out an e-mail
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  reminder or making sure there's coffee.
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  The person in that leadership position directly shapes the
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  Christian thinking, the behavior, and the spiritual path
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  of every single member. That's a heavy thought.
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  It is this is high stakes spiritual formation, even when
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  the setting in someone's living room feels really informal.
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  OK, so let's unpack that. Marshall gets right into it by
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  confronting this resistance to formal leadership.
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  It's an idea he calls the Myth of the Leaderless Group, right?
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  And it's a very attractive idea in our, you know, contemporary
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  culture. We're all about collaboration,
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  flat structures. And it comes from some
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  legitimate concerns, doesn't it? It does.
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  People aren't wrong to be cautious.
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  What we often hear is that having a designated leader well,
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  it stifles the spiritual gifts of the other group members, the.
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  Fear is that it creates spectators.
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  Exactly. If one person is seen as having
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  all the authority, other people might feel less inclined to
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  bring their own abilities to the table.
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  They think their input is, I don't know, secondary.
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  And then there's a practical side of it.
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  The job description just sounds way too big.
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  It's too much for a volunteer. It can feel overwhelming for
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  sure. So the argument goes that a
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  leaderless group creates a better sense of ownership, a
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  real motivation, because everyone shapes the group's
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  destiny together. It just, you know, it feels
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  fairer, maybe more humble. It sounds egalitarian, doesn't
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  it? And spiritually mature, even.
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  But we have to look past the feeling of it and get to the,
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  well, the reality of how human beings actually function in
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  groups. And that's where he says the
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  idea is a fiction. It's a total fiction, Marshall
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  points out. Two really pragmatic realities
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  that just completely contradict it no matter what the group's
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  intentions. Are OK.
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  What's the first one? Reality number one is it's just
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  fundamental to human nature. Leadership is inescapable.
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  You can't avoid it. You can't.
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  There is no human group. I don't care if it's a book club
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  or a prayer meeting that can exist for any length of time
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  without some kind of leadership structure emerging.
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  It just happens. If you don't assign a leader,
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  you create a vacuum and someone or maybe a couple of people will
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  always step in to fill that void.
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  And that might not even be intentional.
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  Often it isn't. They might do it overtly, you
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  know, by always being the one who sets the discussion topic.
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  Or it could be a much more unobtrusive, like the person who
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  always summarizes the meeting at the end and suggests the next
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  step. But one way or another,
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  directions get set, policies are made.
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  So OK, if the direction is going to be said anyway, why is it so
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  important for the church to appoint a designated leader
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  instead of just letting a natural one emerge from the
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  group? Because of the stakes, growth
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  groups have very specific, very critical Christian names.
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  From a discipleship, deep spiritual growth, accountability
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  to the word sound doctrine. These things are not neutral.
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  They don't just happen by accident.
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  Never. So if we leave that direction to
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  chance, we're basically leaving the spiritual growth of the
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  members up to the whims and maybe the untested ideas of
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  whoever happens to be the most charismatic or the most
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  assertive person that week. That's a scary thought.
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  It is, Marshall argues. This is actually a form of
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  spiritual negligence, given the high objectives.
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  We're shepherding souls by the truth.
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  It's not just a good idea, it's morally required to appoint
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  suitable, tested individuals to govern that process.
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  We can't leave the definition of spiritual maturity to a social
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  vacuum. That makes sense.
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  And what was the second reality? She brought up the second reason
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  why designated authority is necessary.
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  Well, it's that the leaderless structure is just inherently
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  unstable and inefficient because there's no clear point of
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  accountability, so consistency just suffers across the board.
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  Consistency and direction. Consistency.
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  What you study? Consistency and doctrine.
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  And what happens when there's conflict?
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  That's the real test. When disagreements come up, or
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  just when the natural motivation of the group starts to fade,
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  which always happens, there's no one who carries the
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  responsibility for steering the group back on course.
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  They just don't have the resilience to navigate tension.
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  So they're more likely to just fall apart.
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  Statistically, yes, they're far more likely to self destruct.
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  So appointing a clear leader isn't about elevating one person
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  over others, it's about guaranteeing stability for the
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  spiritual good of the whole group.
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  OK, that deals with the myth. That seems a bit too idealistic.
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  But Marshall also warns about the other extreme, which is
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  maybe even more dangerous, the danger of the dictator leader.
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  This is the risk that when you do have formal leadership, it
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  becomes highly authoritarian. And this is a very, very real
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  spiritual danger. It often comes out of a sincere
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  desire for purity or control, but it's not biblical.
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  How do these groups typically start?
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  The source material observes that these authoritarian groups
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  often begin because a very strong, often highly
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  charismatic, leader develops a powerful reaction against the
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  status quo. They're reacting to something
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  they see in the wider church. Exactly.
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  They feel the church is lukewarm or it's failing in some specific
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  way and and they're going to fix it.
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  This leader then builds up this closed, intense loyalty
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  structure among their small group members.
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  And people are drawn to that. They are because the group
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  provides a sense of certainty and commitment that they feel is
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  missing somewhere else. You mentioned that this is so
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  dangerous because the leader's vision isn't tested by
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  scripture, but by their own personality.
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  Can you elaborate on how that actually plays out in a group
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  setting? What would that look like?
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  It plays out through isolation and through very specific
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  unscriptural demands. See, the authority of a
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  biblically appointed leader comes from the Word of God, and
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  that leader is accountable to the eldership of the wider
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  congregation. Right, there are checks and
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  balances. There are a dictator leader
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  bypasses both of those. They become a kind of guru
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  figure. They're specific personal
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  demands, and these often relate to lifestyle choices, social
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  views, extreme levels of personal sacrifice.
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  They start to take precedence over the general principles of
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  Christian liberty or the consensus of biblical
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  interpretation within the larger church.
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  So loyalty shifts. It shifts completely.
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  The loyalty runs vertically to the leader as an individual
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  instead of vertically to the Word of God and horizontally to
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  the whole church body. And that's fundamentally not a
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  reformed view of authority. Not at all.
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  It replaces sola scriptura with you could say sola guru.
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  The group members are taught to obey the leaders specific
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  interpretation, often without any outside challenge.
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  And then these groups tend to isolate themselves from the rest
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  of the congregation. They start to view the wider
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  church with suspicion or even pity.
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  Which cuts them off from correction.
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  It does. It prevents the leader from
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  being corrected by the other elders and it prevents the group
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  members from getting the balance of gifts that are available in
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  the rest of the church. A growth group leader is meant
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  to be a shepherd under the chief shepherd and accountable to the
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  other under shepherds, the elders.
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  They should never become a mini Pope exercising unchecked
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  spiritual authority. The moment a leader's personal
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  demands override the clarity of Scripture, that group is
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  entering very dangerous territory.
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  That contrast really sets the stage.
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  Well, we're looking for leadership that's neither absent
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  nor absolute. It has to be derived from and
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  directed by Scripture. Exactly.
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  So this moves us into the three specific images that Marshall
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  uses to define what that kind of acceptable Christian leadership
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  looks like. He uses shepherd, servant and
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  steward. Yes, and together they give a
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  complete picture. They articulate the necessary
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  function, the right attitude, and the required standard of
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  character. Let's start with the first one,
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  then the Shepherd. The shepherd image defines the
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  leader's function, and it's a very high calling because it
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  starts with the divine examle. The Scriptures consistently use
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  this image to depict God's own relationship with his people.
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  It's God's chosen metaphor. It is God the Father is the
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  Shepherd who actively seeks out the lost sheep, valuing every
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  single one, just as Christ shows us in Matthew 18.
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  And of course, Jesus is the chief Shepherd, the ultimate
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  model. And when we look at how Christ
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  acted as a shepherd, what specific functions do we see?
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  We see several things. He protects the flock, He lays
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  down his life for them, which is the ultimate act of sacrificial
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  love, and he speaks in a way that the sheep know his voice
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  and they follow him. He's actively guarding the flock
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  from spiritual dangers, which the New Testament often calls
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  wolves or false teachers. This model sets an impossibly
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  high standard that all Christian leaders have to strive to
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  follow. The source material uses a
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  really powerful term. It describes growth group
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  leaders as expendable. It is a powerful term.
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  How does a volunteer leader meeting in a suburban living
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  room embody that kind of sacrificial, expendable nature
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  of the Chief Shepherd? It means they are giving up
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  their lives for the group, pouring out their time, their
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  spiritual energy, their emotional capacity for the
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  maturity of others. It means putting the needs of
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  the group members, their sanctification, their correct
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  doctrinal understanding, their prayer needs above their own
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  convenience, their comfort, or their personal preferences.
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  It's an act of spiritual self denial.
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  And the Shepherd's primary method for leading the church
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  isn't through a great personality or through charisma.
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  It's through the truth of God's Word.
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  They guide the flock to the safe pasture of Scripture, and they
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  guard the flock from the poisonous grass of falsehood
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  which. Leads to a foundational
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  principle. An absolutely foundational
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  principle. The leader has no inherent
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  authority over the group. The group isn't its own
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  authority either, you know, determining truth by consensus.
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  The sole authority is the Word of God.
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  The shepherd is just the one pointing the way, guiding the
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  sheep to that ultimate authority.
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  I want to stop you right there because the source material
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  makes a really challenging point about the relationship between
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  pastoral care and teaching. It explicitly says you can't
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  separate caring ministry from teaching ministry.
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  That's right, it's a false distinction.
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  It feels counterintuitive to some people though.
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  It does because the common sort of secularized view of pastoral
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  work has been reduced to emotional support, right?
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  Counseling, visiting people, being a good listener, giving
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  good advice. All good things, but teaching
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  the Bible is sometimes left to the professional preacher on a
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  Sunday morning. This is the false distinction we
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  have to reject. So what's the connection?
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  Well, the Greek word for pastor just means shepherd.
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  And in the biblical context, the ultimate act of caring the
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  record of pastoral work is feeding the sheep.
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  And what do you feed the sheep with?
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  The word of God. The Word of God if a leader, a
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  shepherd, has superb interpersonal skills and offers
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  kind, timely advice, but neglects to consistently root
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  the group in the deep. Theology and the practical
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  application of the Bible. They are not actually leading
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  the flock into salvation or security or maturity.
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  They're just offering temporary emotional support.
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  So if I'm understanding this, pastoral care without biblical
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  teaching is like offering a sick person kind words but no
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  medicine. That's a great analogy.
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  It feels good in the moment, but it doesn't solve the underlying
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  problem. Precisely.
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  The ultimate form of care a shepherd can offer is
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  theological. It's ensuring the group knows
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  God, understands his will and can articulate the gospel
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  clearly. The Growth group leader is so
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  much more than a moderator or a discussion facilitator.
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  They are a shepherd, and that means they carry the overall
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  spiritual and doctrinal responsibility for where that
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  group is headed in its Christian understanding and it's living.
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  So the teaching part is the caring part.
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  It is, and that's why the role is so burdensome.
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  You can't just rely on good people skills.
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  You have to rely on correct interpretation and fearless
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  communication of God's truth. That completely reframes the
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  purpose. The shepherd's function is all
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  about the content of the word. That's right.
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  So if the shepherd defines the leader's function, then the
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  servant defines the leader's required attitude.
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  And I really appreciated the source's point on translating
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  ministry more clearly as service.
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  I think our institutional use of the word ministry has kind of
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  muddy the original idea of self denial.
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  It really has the servant attitude is the practical
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  outworking of the shepherd laying down his life, and the
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  model is again, absolutely Christ himself.
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  Philippians 2. Philippians 2 We're told that
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  though he existed in the form of God, he emptied himself, taking
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  the form of a servant, even submitting to death on a cross.
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  The one who is eternally exalted became a servant in his
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  humiliation. And that turns the world's idea
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  of status on its head. Completely.
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  It establishes this counter cultural mechanism for status in
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  the Kingdom. Jesus teaches that for his
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  disciples, greatness comes through self denying service,
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  not through achieving a high office or exercising status.
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  And this is a universal call for all Christians to be servants of
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  God and of one another. So how does that universal call
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  apply specifically to the person who is the designated group
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  leader? What's the difference between a
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  leader servant and any other servant in the group?
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  The Christian leader is a servant of God by specifically
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  teaching his people like Paul tells Timothy, and a servant of
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  the Gospel itself. This means that the authority
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  they have, which comes from the Word, is only ever used to help
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  the group. It's never to control it for
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  personal gain. So leadership can't be a means
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  to an end for the leader. It can't.
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  It must not be a means to position or status or self
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  fulfillment. And this is a subtle but
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  constant temptation for anyone in leadership.
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  I can see that. The moment a leader finds
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  personal satisfaction in the admiration the group or they use
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  the teaching platform to promote their own specific political
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  agenda or personal views, the whole exercise is muddled.
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  The focus shifts from the group serving Christ to the group,
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  maybe unconsciously serving the leader's ego.
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  And humility is the guard against that.
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  Humility is the armor against that temptation.
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  I think the practical application here is so
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  challenging for volunteers. They pour their lives into this
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  role, they see the group grow, and human nature says they're
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  going to want some recognition for that.
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  If the leader's primary service is teaching the gospel, how do
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  they make sure that the act of teaching stays in act of service
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  and not a performance? By always remembering that the
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  teaching. Teaching isn't about showcasing
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  their theological knowledge, it's about bringing the group
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  into the knowledge and salvation of Christ.
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  The teaching is the service if the act of handing out the
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  finest food you have. That's a great image.
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  If the leader spends 3 hours preparing a lesson and presents
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  it Florida State, but they use it to establish their
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  intellectual superiority over the group, that's not service,
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  that is a performance. But if they stumble through a
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  prepared text, if they communicate Christ clearly and
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  humbly, they've served all the other practical tasks, arranging
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  the chair, setting the agenda, sending emails.
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  They're all secondary acts of service that support that
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  primary one, which is declaring the gospel and its implications.
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  The service is defined by the goal, Christ's glory, and the
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  group's maturity. OK, so we have the shepherd
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  defining the function of guidance through the word.
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  We have the servant defining the humble attitude.
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  That brings us to the third image, the steward.
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  This one focuses on the character requirement of
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  faithfulness. Yes.
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  The steward is the manager or the administrator who has been
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  entrusted with the affairs of the household.
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  They don't own the house, they don't own the resources.
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  They're entrusted with them by the owner.
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  So the key characteristic is. It has to be trustworthiness,
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  faithfulness in doing the owner's work exactly as the
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  owner wants it done. We see Paul talking about this
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  all the time, referring to himself as a steward of God in
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  the gospel, which he then exercised by preaching what he
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  was entrusted with. This image really forces a re
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  evaluation of how the church often defines success, doesn't
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  it? We live in such a results driven
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  society, and Christian ministry can sometimes adopt those same
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  metrics. Oh, absolutely.
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  We look at numerical growth, dynamic worship, high levels of
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  enthusiasm, perfect attendance. Right, all the visible stuff.
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  And that's where the steward image is so revolutionary.
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  If you are a steward, your primary responsibilities for the
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  process, not the outcome. Can you untack that a bit?
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  A faithful steward make sure the accounts are accurate, the food
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  is stored properly, and the servants are managed according
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  to the owner's instructions. If one of the servants runs
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  away, the steward isn't necessarily at fault as long as
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  they were faithful to their task.
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  The true measure of success as a steward is defined by
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  faithfulness in God's business. This means the leader has to
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  tenaciously hold on to the truth of the gospel against all
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  attacks, internal and external. And they have to diligently
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  teach that true gospel to the group, making sure their
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  presentation of Scripture is accurate, it's contextual, and
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  it's Christ centered. So let's take a practical
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  example. A growth group leader faithfully
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  teaches the entire book of Galatians, really emphasizing
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  the doctrine of justification by faith alone.
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  But half the group leaves because they found it too
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  academic or too challenging, according to Marshall.
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  Was that leader successful? Yes, absolutely, provided they
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  taught it accurately and in a Christ like manner.
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  The leader's job description is clear.
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  They are responsible for their trustworthiness as a teacher of
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  God's Word. Not for the result.
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  They are not responsible for the final outcome in others, meaning
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  they're not responsible for how the group feels, or whether they
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  get bored or how dynamically they participate.
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  They are responsible for making sure the group receives the
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  pure, undiluted Word of God. That takes a lot of pressure off
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  in a way. It takes the pressure off
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  performance and puts it squarely onto integrity.
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  If we're always chasing enthusiasm or numbers, we're
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  tempted to water down the message or reshape it to make it
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  more palatable. A steward Simly cannot do that.
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  Their job is to manage the assets, the gospel truth,
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  faithfully, and this perspective offers immense spiritual relief
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  for the leader, knowing that the ultimate saving and maturing
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  power belongs to God, not to their own charisma or teaching
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  skills. So success is a matter of
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  character, not a matter of census.
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  That's a great way to put it. That distinction between
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  faithfulness and visible results is such a necessary corrective,
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  especially for people who are highly motivated by seeing
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  immediate returns on their investment of time and energy.
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  It is so. We've established that the
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  leader needs to be an expendable shepherd, a self denied, lying
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  servant, and a trustworthy steward.
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  That job description sounds immense.
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  It's so much more challenging than just reading a Bible study
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  guide with friends once a week. It requires an extremely high
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  caliber of person. It is burdensome.
• 19:51
  We can't shy away from that fact.
• 19:53
  The source acknowledges that this burden is precisely why the
• 19:57
  leaderless model is so attractive.
• 19:59
  It's an attempt to minimize spiritual responsibility.
• 20:02
  But we have to keep coming back to the reality of the roles
• 20:05
  influence. Marshall makes a very strong
• 20:07
  claim, He says that growth group leaders have the most important
• 20:11
  volunteer job in the church. It's a powerful claim, but I
• 20:15
  think he's right. Why?
• 20:16
  Because of the intimacy of the environment.
• 20:19
  If the preacher delivers a sermon on Sunday that's maybe
• 20:23
  doctrinally a bit flawed, A listener can often just tune it
• 20:26
  out or find correction later. But in a growth group, the
• 20:29
  leader gets close to the members, often in their homes,
• 20:32
  discussing their daily struggles, their marriages,
• 20:34
  their jobs, their deep theological questions.
• 20:36
  The. Influence is more direct.
• 20:37
  It's constant and direct. The leader's approach shapes the
• 20:41
  members fundamental Christian thinking, their behavior, and
• 20:44
  their relationships in a way that no Sunday morning service
• 20:47
  ever could. So, given that high level of
• 20:48
  spiritual impact, Paul's instructions to Timothy and
• 20:51
  Titus on leadership qualifications become
• 20:54
  immediately relevant. They're not just for pastors and
• 20:56
  elders in the formal sense. Marshall boils them down into
• 21:00
  two broad requirements, the life of the leader, which is their
• 21:04
  character, and the ability of the leader, which is their
• 21:06
  teaching. OK, let's start with requirement
• 21:09
  one, the life of the leader. This is about being an example
• 21:13
  that builds credibility. Character is everything.
• 21:16
  A leader must be above reproach, which means there's nothing for
• 21:20
  which they can be justly criticized, and they must be
• 21:23
  worthy of respect. This is all about establishing
• 21:26
  trust. A group member has to be able to
• 21:28
  trust that the person guiding their spiritual growth is
• 21:31
  genuinely living out the standards they are teaching.
• 21:34
  And this requires a track. Record a demonstrated track
• 21:36
  record of Christian living. Paul specifically mentions that
• 21:39
  they should manage their own households well.
• 21:42
  This isn't a role for a recent convert.
• 21:44
  They have to be tested first to prove their stability and their
• 21:47
  faithfulness over time. You talk about a credibility
• 21:50
  gap. How does that show up and why is
• 21:52
  that so damaging for a growth group leader specifically?
• 21:56
  The credibility gap is the space between the leaders public
• 21:59
  persona and their private life. If the leader presents this
• 22:03
  facade of piety in the group, but their friends or their
• 22:06
  colleagues or their spouse knows that behind closed doors they're
• 22:10
  impatient or untrustworthy or dishonest, well, the group is
• 22:14
  learning a lesson in hypocrisy. That's a hard truth.
• 22:16
  It is Leaders are always models to their group, whether they
• 22:20
  mean to be or not. If a leader preaches about
• 22:22
  forgiveness but holds grudges, the group absorbs the attitude
• 22:25
  of grudge holding, not the doctrine of forgiveness.
• 22:28
  They have to be open to scrutiny, willing to let their
• 22:31
  lives be examined, and constantly avoiding hypocrisy.
• 22:34
  It's just essential to see that a leader's visible, verifiable
• 22:37
  life provides the framework in which the teaching can be
• 22:40
  received and applied. That sets a profoundly high bar
• 22:43
  for character. OK, now for requirement 2.
• 22:45
  The ability of a leader, the ability to teach.
• 22:47
  This is the only specific ability Paul consistently
• 22:49
  requires. That's right.
• 22:51
  And teaching these two interconnected elements, first,
• 22:55
  they have to be able to understand the Bible this isn't
• 22:57
  about having a seminary degree, but it is about a willingness to
• 23:00
  learn, a dedication to sound methods, and the capacity for
• 23:04
  interpreting the Bible competently and.
• 23:06
  What does competent interpretation look like for a
• 23:09
  lay leader? It means knowing what the Bible
• 23:12
  says and what it means in its context.
• 23:14
  This involves being able to identify the main point of a
• 23:17
  passage, understanding the literary genre.
• 23:19
  You know, is this history, poetry, prophecy, or a letter?
• 23:23
  And being able to distinguish between the passage's original
• 23:25
  meaning and its modern application.
• 23:28
  Without this, the leader risks teaching their own opinions
• 23:31
  instead of God's Word, and that violates the role of the
• 23:34
  steward. So how does a volunteer leader
• 23:36
  without formal theological training get this competence?
• 23:40
  Through diligence and reliance on the Holy Spirit, competence
• 23:44
  is gained through consistent practice, reading whole books of
• 23:47
  the Bible, comparing Scripture with Scripture, and using
• 23:50
  reliable study resources that the wider church provides, like
• 23:53
  commentaries approved by the elders.
• 23:55
  It's about intellectual humility, recognizing that this
• 23:58
  is a complex task, and always striving for clarity, not just
• 24:02
  guessing at the meaning. This constant effort to grasp
• 24:05
  the overall structure and message of the Bible is what
• 24:08
  builds that necessary foundation.
• 24:10
  And the second part is communication.
• 24:13
  All that understanding is useless if the ideas can't be
• 24:16
  effectively transmitted to the group.
• 24:17
  Right communication is where the rubber meets the road, and the
• 24:20
  growth group leader is primarily teaching through discussion, not
• 24:24
  giving a monologue that actually requires a higher level of
• 24:27
  skill. Why is that?
• 24:28
  Because the leader has to facilitate the interaction,
• 24:31
  guide the discussion gently but firmly to right conclusions, and
• 24:34
  manage all the group dynamics, all while accurately handling
• 24:37
  the scriptural content. This requires a skill and
• 24:40
  communication that blends 2 crucial elements, content and
• 24:44
  rapport. The content is the substance,
• 24:47
  the accurate handling of the scripture.
• 24:49
  If that content is perfect, why isn't that enough on its own?
• 24:52
  Because communication is a two way St.
• 24:55
  Rapport is the relational dimension.
• 24:58
  It's the ability to build bridges to people rather than
• 25:00
  putting up barriers. If the content is perfect but
• 25:03
  the relational environment is hostile or cold, the message is
• 25:07
  going to be filtered or distorted or just rejected
• 25:10
  outright. That's interesting.
• 25:11
  Marshall notes that our preconceptions are biases and
• 25:14
  our attitudes, both the leaders and the groups, act as filters.
• 25:17
  If a listener dislikes or mistrusts the leader, the
• 25:20
  message is immediately suspect, no matter how sound the theology
• 25:23
  is. Let's focus on the leader's role
• 25:25
  in that relational part. How does a leader
• 25:27
  unintentionally build barriers that stop the group from really
• 25:31
  hearing the content? It often happens when the leader
• 25:34
  projects status or superiority. If they're constantly using
• 25:38
  theological jargon that excludes newcomers or people who aren't
• 25:41
  familiar with specific church language, they're building a
• 25:44
  barrier. If they adopt A superior
• 25:46
  attitude that suggests I know the answer and you don't, it
• 25:50
  just undermines that whole servant image we talked about.
• 25:53
  And it can even be physical things.
• 25:55
  It can. Even physical arrangements can
• 25:57
  create barriers. If the leader always sits above
• 26:00
  the group or positions themselves as the only one
• 26:02
  facing forward, it visually reinforces a hierarchical
• 26:05
  divide. It suggests I am the expert, you
• 26:08
  are the students. This subtle display of status,
• 26:11
  even if it's not intended, inhibits the humble reception of
• 26:14
  the word. So on the flip side, building
• 26:17
  bridges requires intentional humility and relational work.
• 26:20
  Exactly. Building bridges involves things
• 26:23
  that seem really basic but are actually spiritually profound.
• 26:27
  Learning and remembering people's names, asking genuine
• 26:30
  questions about their week, showing interest in their lives
• 26:33
  outside of the group meeting, and avoiding any sense of
• 26:36
  phoniness or manipulation. The leader has to be
• 26:39
  authentically themselves and recognize that the relational
• 26:42
  atmosphere directly determines the group's willingness to
• 26:45
  receive and apply the hard truths of Scripture.
• 26:49
  The people have to know that the Shepherd truly cares for them as
• 26:52
  individuals, not just as theological projects.
• 26:55
  We've covered the demanding function, the attitude, and the
• 26:58
  character needed. Now let's get into the practical
• 27:01
  mechanics. What does this demanding job
• 27:03
  actually look like week to week? The source gives a pretty
• 27:06
  concrete job description. It's a comprehensive job
• 27:08
  description because it's a comprehensive role.
• 27:11
  It involves actively leading the group in three core areas.
• 27:14
  Bible study, prayer and evangelism means guiding the
• 27:17
  group to be outward looking, not just navel gazing.
• 27:20
  And organizationally. Organizationally, the leader has
• 27:23
  to set the group's goals, determine the agenda for each
• 27:26
  meeting, and work out the regular program what they're
• 27:29
  studying when they're meeting. This provides stability and
• 27:32
  predictability, which is the antidote to the instability of
• 27:35
  that leaderless model. And the shepherding tasks are
• 27:38
  extensive. The leader has to be attentive
• 27:40
  to the spiritual state of each member.
• 27:42
  What does that monitoring actually entail in practice?
• 27:46
  It's shepherding. It's not auditing.
• 27:48
  It involves knowing whether they are genuinely trusting Christ.
• 27:52
  But beyond just conversion, it means monitoring where they need
• 27:55
  to grow in three key areas. Their Christian thinking.
• 27:59
  So is their doctrine sound? Their Christian behavior?
• 28:02
  Are they living obediently? And their Christian
• 28:04
  relationships, Are they loving and unified?
• 28:07
  It sounds like it requires a lot of one-on-one.
• 28:09
  Time it does. It requires genuine, attentive
• 28:11
  follow up, not just asking general questions during the
• 28:13
  group meeting and then organizationally the leaders
• 28:16
  responsible for making sure the group operates in love and
• 28:19
  unity, modeling and encouraging members to use their spiritual
• 28:22
  gifts to minister to each other. And they're the link to the
• 28:24
  wider church. A crucial link They have to
• 28:27
  consult with church staff or pastors for issues that are
• 28:30
  beyond the group's scope, like serious counseling needs or deep
• 28:34
  theological disputes. And they have to
• 28:36
  enthusiastically communicate the aims and activities of the wider
• 28:39
  congregation. The growth group must never see
• 28:42
  itself as an independent spiritual island.
• 28:45
  That is significant load. Which brings us to the
• 28:48
  organizational structure that Marshall strongly recommends.
• 28:51
  Team leadership. Given the weight of all this,
• 28:54
  working with an assistant or a Co leader seems almost
• 28:56
  necessary. It is highly advisable in most
• 29:00
  groups, especially any group over 8 or 9 people.
• 29:03
  The leader should be working with an assistant or maybe even
• 29:06
  multiple allies. For larger groups, these team
• 29:09
  members provide reliable backup, which ensures the ministry can
• 29:12
  continue even when the main leader is sick or on vacation.
• 29:16
  And beyond just having a backup, what are the main advantages of
• 29:18
  a team structure? Firstly, you get a diversity of
• 29:21
  perspective. 2 sets of eyes are always better than one for
• 29:25
  seeing group dynamics and individual needs.
• 29:27
  Secondly, it allows for a genuine division of Labor which
• 29:31
  reduces the weight on one person.
• 29:33
  The assistant could focus on organization or group
• 29:36
  maintenance while the leader focuses on preparing the
• 29:38
  content. And it sets an example.
• 29:41
  A powerful spiritual example of multiple members serving which
• 29:44
  models the very unity the group is aiming for.
• 29:47
  And finally, it facilitates mutual learning.
• 29:50
  It allows the assistant to be mentored and developed into a
• 29:53
  future leader. It's the primary way we do
• 29:56
  succession planning in the church.
• 29:57
  For this team leadership to work, Marshall is clear that one
• 30:01
  person still has to take over all responsibility.
• 30:03
  You avoid a Co equal, potentially conflicting
• 30:06
  leadership structure. How did the leader and the
• 30:08
  assistant make sure they are of one mind within that clear
• 30:12
  hierarchy? They have to prioritize planning
• 30:14
  and praying together consistently.
• 30:16
  The time they spend preparing the study should also be used to
• 30:19
  unify their vision and set clear, agreed upon goals for the
• 30:22
  session and for the group's overall direction.
• 30:24
  And what happens when they disagree?
• 30:26
  Without shared prayer, small disagreements over style or
• 30:29
  interpretation can fester and turn into bitterness.
• 30:32
  So they have to actively practice mutual edification,
• 30:35
  encouraging, not criticizing. And they have to make sure any
• 30:39
  correction is always aimed at building the other leader up,
• 30:42
  maintaining honesty and forgiveness to keep that
• 30:44
  relationship here. Let's really drill down on the
• 30:47
  most crucial phase, the assistant's role.
• 30:49
  During the actual Bible study discussion, the main leader is
• 30:53
  busy teaching the content. What specific observational
• 30:57
  tasks should the assistant be focusing on?
• 31:00
  The assistant is the leader's second set of eyes and ears.
• 31:03
  Their job is to concentrate specifically on group
• 31:05
  maintenance. They are processing the
• 31:07
  relational dimension of the meeting, which leaves the main
• 31:10
  leader free to focus on the scriptural content.
• 31:12
  So they're watching for non verbal cues.
• 31:14
  Exactly, they need to see if the group understands the question
• 31:18
  being asked or if everyone just looks confused.
• 31:21
  They're watching for social bottlenecks.
• 31:24
  Was someone interrupted when they were trying to speak?
• 31:26
  Is someone visibly agitated by a comment someone else made?
• 31:30
  Is someone clearly switched off, maybe looking at their phone or
• 31:32
  just retrieving into silence? The assistant is monitoring the
• 31:36
  temperature of the room and the engagement level of each person.
• 31:39
  That requires incredible attentiveness, and if they see
• 31:43
  an issue, let's say someone is agitated, how does the assistant
• 31:46
  support the main leader without disrupting the flow of the
• 31:48
  teaching? They have to work with, not
• 31:51
  against, the leader. Their goal is to make sure the
• 31:53
  overall direction stays on course.
• 31:56
  So if the leader asks a difficult question, the
• 31:59
  assistant should resist the temptation to jump in and answer
• 32:02
  it. That would only undermine the
• 32:04
  leaders authority and stop the group from wrestling with the
• 32:06
  text themselves. So what can they do?
• 32:09
  They can provide unobtrusive support.
• 32:11
  If the discussion is lagging, they might raise a follow up
• 32:14
  question that helps guide the group down the right path, but
• 32:17
  without grabbing the steering wheel.
• 32:19
  If the leader seems to have missed an important point of
• 32:21
  application, the assistant can make a comment that gently
• 32:24
  reinforces that application. And they must maintain clear
• 32:28
  boundaries by never, ever arguing with the leader in front
• 32:31
  of the group. Their role is to ensure the
• 32:34
  discussion flows well, the environment is safe, and the
• 32:37
  leader is supported in maintaining focus and doctrinal
• 32:39
  clarity. It's a ministry of subtle
• 32:42
  spiritual support. This entire complex structure,
• 32:45
  the shepherd leading by the Word, the servant modeling
• 32:48
  Christ, the steward faithfully teaching the gospel, all
• 32:51
  supported by a harmonious team, it's all designed for a specific
• 32:55
  purpose, lasting spiritual impact.
• 32:58
  And that impact is profound. The leader should never feel
• 33:01
  completely overwhelmed by the responsibility, because the
• 33:04
  saving and maturing power doesn't rely on their
• 33:06
  brilliance, it relies on God working through the prayerful
• 33:09
  teaching of His Word. The permanent influence of this
• 33:12
  kind of faithfulness is really inspiring.
• 33:14
  Marshall shares an anecdote about a young engineer who moved
• 33:17
  to a country town where there was very little biblical
• 33:19
  ministry. Right.
• 33:20
  He just started a growth group focused on Bible study.
• 33:23
  He modeled faithfulness, and ten years after he had moved away,
• 33:28
  that group was still meeting. It was still providing essential
• 33:31
  teaching and fellowship for that community.
• 33:33
  That's the vision. That simple, repeatable
• 33:35
  strategy, enacted faithfully by volunteer Stewart, had a
• 33:39
  permanent influence for Christ in that town.
• 33:42
  That is the full potential of this vision.
• 33:44
  So if you are considering stepping into this crucial role,
• 33:47
  or maybe you're already in it, just keep these core
• 33:49
  requirements in mind. Christian leadership is defined
• 33:53
  by its function. That's the shepherd.
• 33:55
  Teaching God's Word is defined by its character, the steward,
• 33:58
  who is trustworthy and faithful, and it's defined by its
• 34:01
  attitude, the servant with selfless humility.
• 34:05
  The Growth Group leader is a guide and a servant, accountable
• 34:08
  to the chief Shepherd through his Word and never an
• 34:11
  independent authority. We've seen that the measure of
• 34:13
  success in this vital role is faithfulness to the task of
• 34:17
  teaching, not spectacular, visible results.
• 34:20
  So if your responsibility is fundamentally to be a
• 34:22
  trustworthy steward who teaches the gospel, we have to consider
• 34:25
  this If your life is meant to set the stage for your teaching,
• 34:28
  what small, everyday activity in your life currently prevents you
• 34:32
  from being the visible, verifiable example of
• 34:35
  faithfulness that your group requires?
• 34:37
  Your daily integrity is the loudest commentary on the word
• 34:40
  you teach.