Community—The Other Key Ingredient
posted 10/03/2005
 2 of 3
Third, make it a mission to find small group leaders who love kids and want to be used by God to change lives. Gifted shepherds will not only implement a vision for community in your ministry, they will make it spring to life. Bob, a second grade small group leader, illustrates the healthy heart needed when he says, "I want each of the guys in my group to know I care about them. If a boy has a dad doing that already, then he'll like it. If a boy doesn't have a father doing this in his life, he'll crave it. Either way, it's great to give them something I know they need."
Fourth, make sure your ministry delivers community consistently; it must be a non-negotiable every week. Kids must be able to rely on the "safe place" of community to be there for them because no one knows when their life is going to go out of control, making the need for "someone" critical. The Bible repeatedly tells us to expect troubles in life, but nowhere does it say to deal with them alone.
Reliability leads to trust, and life's troubles tend to break the trust of kids a lot. Remember, reliability and trust can only be built over time, so be patient. And never forget that reliability and trust will be re-earned every week, so be consistent.
Advice From the Pros
"My small group rocks because of my leader, Mr. Phil!" says Jake, a fifth grader.
If an environment has been set for community to thrive, the adhesive that holds community together is the small group leader. Given clear vision and room for creativity, leaders act as the catalyst for life-change in kids. If your leaders see the value they bring, the inventory of great ideas will swell. Here are a few to share with your ministry:
Joy maintains connection with the girls from her group by calling or sending a postcard once a month. This extra contact lets each girl on her team know that Joy cares for her, which flows from Joy's commitment to prayer. "I am constantly praying for each of them, for specific issues in their lives, and for them to put into practice what we talk about each Sunday morning," says Joy.
Bob makes it a practice to call each boy on his team by name as often as he can during small group time. "It's a little thing to do, but sure makes them feel affirmed when they hear their name; kind of a man-to-man thing," says Bob. "An adult who is willing to look them in the eye while they talk also helps them feel that what they are saying is important."
Roxanne, a fourth grade leader, describes two ideas that help form strong community. First, she learned that pictures are great tools to help everyone in the small group relate. So, she asks her girls to bring in pictures from all corners of their lives, and then puts them on the walls in the area where they meet. She explains that photographs help the girls say to each other, "I know more about who you are now!"
Her second idea is to use activities outside of church to make small group memories. On a recent small group afternoon trip, a new girl named Sandy showed up in Roxanne's group for the first time. "It was a fun afternoon, and the girls just accepted Sandy immediately. I'm thankful our community is so strong that we can share it freely with anyone," said Roxanne. "Because of that experience, Sandy and her family decided to begin attending church more regularly."
| 
share this page
