This coming Sunday (September 10’th) is an exciting one here at New Life Church.
First, it is our “Welcome Back, Where Have You Been, Tacky Tourist” party. During the service we will be focusing on the question, “Where have you seen God at work this summer?” Then, after the service, we will be having a big party out in the back parking lot. There will be food, fun, games, and plenty of community time.
Second, this Sunday is “Invite Sunday.” Every year we do a series of Invite Sunday’s where we, as a congregation, focus on inviting our friends and neighbors to church. This is the first one for the new ministry year (September – August end).
Third, this Sunday, September 10’th, we start with our Life Group sign-ups. Life Groups are an integral part of our New Life community and there are two different types. The first are long term groups. These groups meet year round with a committed core of people. The second kind are short term groups. These Life Groups work on a semester basis and run for 5 – 8 weeks. For this ministry year, our first short term Life Group semester starts on October 1’st and it is these groups that we are starting sign-ups for this Sunday.
These things being said, we are always looking for new Life Group leaders. In this week’s blog, I thought we would focus on what it takes to be a Life Group leader. Here are four qualities of a great leader:
- A love for people – Do you love people and have a desire to see them flourish? Then you have the seeds of a Life Group Leader inside of you. Life Group leaders are people who “host” others. They love to have people in their homes, and they love to share and do life with others.
- A desire to see others grow spiritually – Do you find yourself interested in the growth of others spiritually? Are you the kind of person who notices when people take steps forward in their faith? Then you very well could make an excellent Life Group Leader. Life Group leaders invest in others spiritually and care for their growth. They take a personal interest in others, and seeing spiritual advance makes their day!
- A desire to pray for others – Do you find yourself praying for others, either one on one, or as they come to your mind during the day? These desires will give you great mileage as a Life Group leader. You will have ample opportunity to pray for others and lift them up in prayer as you shepherd a Life Group.
- The ability to lead a discussion – There are a couple of different ways to lead a Life Group and you don’t need to have a theological degree to be a good leader. You just need to be able to draw out and direct discussion in a group. Some Life Groups use our New Life Link as a jumping off point for discussion. “New Life Link” is a document posted each week on our website highlighting the sermon subject and also giving group discussion criteria. Other Life Groups leaders come up with their own topics – something that is on their heart. Once again, this doesn’t require “rocket science,” just the ability to organize a topic into questions. Once the questions are in place, it is just a matter of leading a discussion on the subject of the week.
If you can answer “yes” to these simple questions, then you very well might have what it takes to be a Life Group leader. We would love to set up a time to meet with you and explore the possibilities and excitement that leading one of our Life Groups might offer. Why not step out in faith and try something you might not have considered before. The rewards could be glorious.
For more information, contact Pastor Mike at: mvanderkwaak@newlifecrc.ca