LEADERSHIP GUIDE - JANUARY 2020  

“When every believer is a minister, it creates a healthier body.”
- Dave Browning, Deliberate Simplicity  

Throughout scripture, we see church leaders empowering other church members to oversee different areas of ministry. In Acts 6, the disciples were unable to preach the gospel because they were also tasked with the daily distribution of food to widows and orphans, which took up much time. Realizing that their number one role was to pray and preach the gospel, the disciples prayed for and empowered seven other church members to tend to the food distribution instead. With the disciples preaching and the other church members overseeing the food distribution, the church experienced accelerated growth, “So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). The church grew because members were activated and empowered to lead and impact others.  

Similarly, as small group leaders, if we want to see more people come to know Jesus through our groups, we must get more of our members involved. Empowering everyone to have ownership in different areas of small group will allow us all more time to share the gospel, serve the needs of others, and celebrate together those we are praying for come into relationship with Christ.  

“In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’ 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6:1-7 NIV)  

Discussion Questions: 

  • What stands out to you from the main thought above? How has your mindset been when it comes to empowering others to have ownership in different areas of your small group? 

  • Why do you think it’s important for us as small group leaders to constantly be looking for opportunities to empower our apprentice, assistant, and other members of our group? How do you think that helps them grow in their walk with God and in reaching out to others?

  • Which of the following could you begin empowering others in your small group to do weekly? Take time to list who in your group could take ownership of some or all of these areas:

    • Facilitating a cluster of the small group discussion if your group is more than five people that day.

    • Discipling other members of the small group through the One 2 One app/book, Purpose Driven Life book, or through one-on-one discipleship moments.

    • Meeting with those attending small group for the first time before small group starts to get to know them and make them feel welcomed.

    • Gathering the week’s RSVP from small group members.

    • Turning in small group counts and summaries to your Leadership Group Coach.

    • Planning or hosting outreach events geared toward reaching new people and those small group members have been praying for.  

Prayer: 

  • Pray that each Pearlside member in a small group would be activated in overseeing an area of their group, which would lead to continued growth in their personal discipleship and leadership.

  • Pray that our small groups will experience a harvest of new believers that are passionate about growing in their relationship with God. 

  • Pray that each member of our small groups would reach their “one” (a person far from God or a person who has drifted in their faith).

Announcements:

  • Seek Week – January 14-16
    This will be three consecutive days where we will fast and pray corporately. We are turning ALL our small groups into prayer groups that week, and you can join us at any of our prayer pockets for a powerful time of worship and intercession. For prayer targets, times and locations, go to pearlside.org/seekweek.  

  • Wednesday Prayer and Fasting in January
    As a church, we are going to add fuel to our faith with prayer and fasting every Wednesday in January to seek God corporately. We are taking one day a week for the month to put aside food to stir a greater hunger for God. We have a Wednesday Fireplace prayer pocket at 6:30pm at our Main Campus.

  • Discipleship Track Our Discipleship Track is designed to lead people to a healthy relationship with God and others. Over the course of four weeks, you will gain a deeper understanding of the gospel which will transform your life, equip you for ministry in the church, and for influence in the world.

Thursday Cycle

Main Campus - ENLI 1
February 6 - February 27
(7:00pm - 9:00pm)

  • Freedom Weekend
    A powerful class designed to allow God to speak His truth to us, draw closer to us, and transform us in a powerful way. The goal of this class is to help us arise out of our sin and its effects, into a new life of freedom and victory.

 WOMEN’S

Main Campus - ENLI 1
Friday, January 17
(7:30pm - 10:00pm)

-AND-

Saturday, January 18
(9:00am - 2:30pm)

MEN’S

Main Campus - ENLI 1
Saturday, February 22
(9:00am - 1:30pm)