Discipleship Framework

Establish a plan for regular contact with your group leaders. Consider how often you need to touch base with your leaders and what kind of communication should be personal. For example, checking in with a group leader can be as simple as sending a text, but communicating about a leader training event will probably be a series of emails and mass texts to all leaders. Think about how a variety of digital mediums could make your messages more effective. For example, a short video can be more compelling than a multiple-paragraph email.

It is a good idea to have consistent touchpoints with your leaders. Frequently (once a quarter, twice a year, etc.) have a staff member or key volunteer have an in-depth one-on-one check-in with each of your group leaders. Ask your leaders about their hopes, joys, and frustrations with their group, their spiritual health, and if their group is moving toward your Big Hope statement. This conversation is a chance to gauge the health of the group, encourage your leader, and address pastoral care issues.

Your leaders are key to reaching your Big Hope. Regular leader training can help them sharpen their skills and become more effective in their roles. Training can even help them continue to develop into excellent group leaders. Some training might be in a simple video sent to all your leaders, while other topics might be more effectively tackled in leader workshops or training events. Training events don’t have to be focused on teaching—they are also a great opportunity to care for and celebrate your leaders.

Between training events, you can provide resources—books, articles, sermons, or training series in the RightNow Media library—to help leaders continue their development. What training could help your leaders overcome their common problems and develop their leadership skills?

Establish a plan for regular contact with your group leaders. Consider how often you need to touch base with your leaders and what kind of communication should be personal. For example, checking in with a group leader can be as simple as sending a text, but communicating about a leader training event will probably be a series of emails and mass texts to all leaders. Think about how a variety of digital mediums could make your messages more effective. For example, a short video can be more compelling than a multiple-paragraph email.

It is a good idea to have consistent touchpoints with your leaders. Frequently (once a quarter, twice a year, etc.) have a staff member or key volunteer have an in-depth one-on-one check-in with each of your group leaders. Ask your leaders about their hopes, joys, and frustrations with their group, their spiritual health, and if their group is moving toward your Big Hope statement. This conversation is a chance to gauge the health of the group, encourage your leader, and address pastoral care issues.

Your leaders are key to reaching your Big Hope. Regular leader training can help them sharpen their skills and become more effective in their roles. Training can even help them continue to develop into excellent group leaders. Some training might be in a simple video sent to all your leaders, while other topics might be more effectively tackled in leader workshops or training events. Training events don’t have to be focused on teaching—they are also a great opportunity to care for and celebrate your leaders.

Between training events, you can provide resources—books, articles, sermons, or training series in the RightNow Media library—to help leaders continue their development. What training could help your leaders overcome their common problems and develop their leadership skills?

Leader huddles are an opportunity for you to gather your leaders for mutual support, pastoral care, and appreciation. They give leaders a place to share what is going on in their groups, workshop solutions for common group problems, pray for one another, and celebrate all God is doing in their group. They are also a more personal space for staff, key leaders, or coaches to show their appreciation for group leaders. Ask your leaders for input into what is working and what isn’t, share stories, and ask how groups could better reach your Big Hope.

Retreats are a great way to invest in the spiritual care of your leaders. While retreats can function well as training intensives, they are also ideal for building camaraderie, resting, and worshipping. Retreats don’t necessarily have to take place out of town. Consider what kind of event will help people disconnect from their daily responsibilities for a day or two.

Your planning is key to the success of the retreat. Plan ahead: reserve the location, plan and prepare meals, build the daily schedule—do as much as you can so that your leaders can relax. When done well, retreats create strong connections between leaders and become annual events leaders look forward to all year long.

As group ministries grow, it may not be possible for the small group minister, pastor, or key leaders to meet with every group leader. If that is the case, consider a coaching model, where you empower your best leaders to develop and support your group leaders. For example, if you have fifty groups in your church, recruit five coaches to each oversee ten group leaders. You or your group minister will meet with the coaches to support them as they support your group leaders. In this model, one-on-ones from staff or pastors can decrease by up to 90% while developing group leaders into ministry leaders, which frees them up for other ministry tasks.

Note: If you would like to learn more about the coaching model, check out the course Developing Leaders in the Church with Eric Geiger on RightNow Pastors+.

Establish a plan for regular contact with your group leaders. Consider how often you need to touch base with your leaders and what kind of communication should be personal. For example, checking in with a group leader can be as simple as sending a text, but communicating about a leader training event will probably be a series of emails and mass texts to all leaders. Think about how a variety of digital mediums could make your messages more effective. For example, a short video can be more compelling than a multiple-paragraph email.

It is a good idea to have consistent touchpoints with your leaders. Frequently (once a quarter, twice a year, etc.) have a staff member or key volunteer have an in-depth one-on-one check-in with each of your group leaders. Ask your leaders about their hopes, joys, and frustrations with their group, their spiritual health, and if their group is moving toward your Big Hope statement. This conversation is a chance to gauge the health of the group, encourage your leader, and address pastoral care issues.

Your leaders are key to reaching your Big Hope. Regular leader training can help them sharpen their skills and become more effective in their roles. Training can even help them continue to develop into excellent group leaders. Some training might be in a simple video sent to all your leaders, while other topics might be more effectively tackled in leader workshops or training events. Training events don’t have to be focused on teaching—they are also a great opportunity to care for and celebrate your leaders.

Between training events, you can provide resources—books, articles, sermons, or training series in the RightNow Media library—to help leaders continue their development. What training could help your leaders overcome their common problems and develop their leadership skills?

Leader huddles are an opportunity for you to gather your leaders for mutual support, pastoral care, and appreciation. They give leaders a place to share what is going on in their groups, workshop solutions for common group problems, pray for one another, and celebrate all God is doing in their group. They are also a more personal space for staff, key leaders, or coaches to show their appreciation for group leaders. Ask your leaders for input into what is working and what isn’t, share stories, and ask how groups could better reach your Big Hope.

Retreats are a great way to invest in the spiritual care of your leaders. While retreats can function well as training intensives, they are also ideal for building camaraderie, resting, and worshipping. Retreats don’t necessarily have to take place out of town. Consider what kind of event will help people disconnect from their daily responsibilities for a day or two.

Your planning is key to the success of the retreat. Plan ahead: reserve the location, plan and prepare meals, build the daily schedule—do as much as you can so that your leaders can relax. When done well, retreats create strong connections between leaders and become annual events leaders look forward to all year long.

As group ministries grow, it may not be possible for the small group minister, pastor, or key leaders to meet with every group leader. If that is the case, consider a coaching model, where you empower your best leaders to develop and support your group leaders. For example, if you have fifty groups in your church, recruit five coaches to each oversee ten group leaders. You or your group minister will meet with the coaches to support them as they support your group leaders. In this model, one-on-ones from staff or pastors can decrease by up to 90% while developing group leaders into ministry leaders, which frees them up for other ministry tasks.

Note: If you would like to learn more about the coaching model, check out the course Developing Leaders in the Church with Eric Geiger on RightNow Pastors+.

Your leaders are key to reaching your Big Hope. Regular leader training can help them sharpen their skills and become more effective in their roles. Training can even help them continue to develop into excellent group leaders. Some training might be in a simple video sent to all your leaders, while other topics might be more effectively tackled in leader workshops or training events. Training events don’t have to be focused on teaching—they are also a great opportunity to care for and celebrate your leaders.

Between training events, you can provide resources—books, articles, sermons, or training series in the RightNow Media library—to help leaders continue their development. What training could help your leaders overcome their common problems and develop their leadership skills?

Leader huddles are an opportunity for you to gather your leaders for mutual support, pastoral care, and appreciation. They give leaders a place to share what is going on in their groups, workshop solutions for common group problems, pray for one another, and celebrate all God is doing in their group. They are also a more personal space for staff, key leaders, or coaches to show their appreciation for group leaders. Ask your leaders for input into what is working and what isn’t, share stories, and ask how groups could better reach your Big Hope.