Sunday School: LEAD Your Group

LEAD Your Group is a book written by state Sunday School consultants. It is designed to help you understand your calling and to stretch your understanding of how God can use you to accomplish His purposes. Keep in mind: you don’t have to know everything. Just surrender to Him and follow His lead!

The eight chapters help new or current Sunday School teachers and workers understand the basics of leading a group.

• CHAPTER ONE: Lead Your Group! This chapter deals with leadership, equipping, apprenticing, following, encouraging, and shepherding. Some critical character issues are shared: sacrifice, honesty, limits, integrity, and prayer.
• CHAPTER TWO: Lead with a Clear Vision. Two big questions are addressed: What are we leading? AND What are we supposed to accomplish?
• CHAPTER THREE: Lead from a Fresh Walk with God. Three simple steps are offered: (1) personal relationship with Christ; (2) current, up-to-date relationship with the Lord; and (3) calling to teach others.
• CHAPTER FOUR: Lead Toward Measurable Growth. After addressing attendance and leaders, issues of discipleship and faithfulness are covered. These include gospel conversations, personal action plans, personal ministry, church service, and spiritual disciplines. Personal growth plans and surveys are also covered.
• CHAPTER FIVE: Lead Learning Experiences with Impact. Prayerful preparation includes meeting God in Bible study, examining and applying God’s Word, focusing on two, planning for involvement, gathering supplies, and adjusting to God’s lead. Prayerful presentation includes arriving early, praying together, creating interest, review/preview, using the Bible, setting scripture into context, involving everyone, examine scripture, apply the truth, and preview the next session. Follow up is important.
• CHAPTER SIX: Lead to Reach More Disciples. Tap into your church’s strategy. Utilize the power of an evangelistic group. Lead your group to be gospel-sowers through prayer, learning, inviting, and sharing.
• CHAPTER SEVEN: Lead to Care for Every Person. Care matters. Equip the saints to care. Lead them to encourage one another, connect with new members, mobilize into mission and ministry, and balance the tasks. Be consistent in your care. Break bread together. Making care visible every session shows its value
• CHAPTER EIGHT: Lead Your Group to Multiply. To care for more people, you need more leaders and more groups. Multiplication should be a goal. Successful apprenticing begins through prayer, an appointment, written duties and expectations, prayer, and a response. It continues through walking with the new leader, baby steps, co-leading, coaching, and launching the leader.

Each chapter ends with a page of three questions for reflection or group discussion. This resource would be a great tool to use to apprentice a new leader. Or it could be a great tool for discussion at your monthly teachers’ meeting. God and His people deserve our best. Lead them for Him! Make disciples. Be revolutionary!

To download a free copy of the book, go here:  LEAD Your Group.