But... I am but a lifegroup leader... not a preacher...
This post was originally sent out as an article under the ministry of Simply Proclaim. I have edited it to suit the purpose of this post.
Just because we are small group leaders does not mean that we are not involved in the process of preaching. For most part of my leadership journey in church, I have been serving as a lifegroup leader. It is only until recent years that I have been given opportunities to preach and teach in a public setting. So does that mean that I have not been preaching until recently? I would say no. As I reflect back on my own journey, I must say that there are two mindsets that we, as small group leaders, can take note when it comes to preaching.
1. My small group is as much a faith community as my church.
My senior pastor once told all the small group leaders that small groups constitute an important part in the local church. This is because if the church is persecuted one day, members of the church can still gather as a faith community in their lifegroups, since these are more mobile and can easily be gathered discreetly in homes. This means that the lifegroups should function like a faith community just like how our local church functions as a faith community. This also means that all lifegroup leaders should hold the mindset that one day they might have to step up as the “pastor” of their groups (doesn’t that make you excited?)
And this may happen on a one-on-one basis as well. One incident that happened recently illustrates this well. Angelina was meeting up with another friend one evening to do a Bible study. Towards the end of the study, she felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to give an “altar call” and challenged the friend to take certain actions with regard to her life. For me, this shows that within the gathering of believers, there is the potential for the Word of God to be proclaimed one-on-one.
The implication to preaching is this: as lifegroup leaders, we must not see preaching as just something that our pastors do but we must see preaching as part and parcel of guiding and discipling God’s people. It is our responsibility to the faith community that we are rooted in to proclaim the Word and impact our sheep for the Kingdom of God.
2. Everyone of us is called to proclaim the Word of God.
Our commission to make disciples of all nations and teaching them all that Jesus had taught us means that we need to be prepared to proclaim the word of God to the flock that God has entrusted to us, whether we are leading a small group of 5 or a congregation of 5,000. Preaching is simply proclaiming the Word of God and this is the responsibility of every Christian on the face of the earth.
Likewise, Paul urged in his first epistle to Timothy to “proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2, NRSV). While this exhortation was directed at Timothy who was delegated by Paul to oversee the churches in Ephesus, it continues to remain relevant to preachers and non-preachers alike. The imperative is to proclaim the message of Christ to our churches and small groups so that they may continue to grow in their understanding of the gospel.
Therefore, even when I was holding the position of a lifegroup leader, I took good care to ensure that I proclaimed the message of the gospel to my members. There was once when I took roughly one year to slowly proclaim the book of Romans to them. It may not be like how I would preach in the pulpit, but I see the proclamation of the Word in such a setting the same as it would have been in a pulpit.
Lifegroup leaders and church pastors all share the responsibility of proclaiming the Word to their members. There are no “buts” here.
Just because we are small group leaders does not mean that we are not involved in the process of preaching. For most part of my leadership journey in church, I have been serving as a lifegroup leader. It is only until recent years that I have been given opportunities to preach and teach in a public setting. So does that mean that I have not been preaching until recently? I would say no. As I reflect back on my own journey, I must say that there are two mindsets that we, as small group leaders, can take note when it comes to preaching.
1. My small group is as much a faith community as my church.
My senior pastor once told all the small group leaders that small groups constitute an important part in the local church. This is because if the church is persecuted one day, members of the church can still gather as a faith community in their lifegroups, since these are more mobile and can easily be gathered discreetly in homes. This means that the lifegroups should function like a faith community just like how our local church functions as a faith community. This also means that all lifegroup leaders should hold the mindset that one day they might have to step up as the “pastor” of their groups (doesn’t that make you excited?)
And this may happen on a one-on-one basis as well. One incident that happened recently illustrates this well. Angelina was meeting up with another friend one evening to do a Bible study. Towards the end of the study, she felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to give an “altar call” and challenged the friend to take certain actions with regard to her life. For me, this shows that within the gathering of believers, there is the potential for the Word of God to be proclaimed one-on-one.
The implication to preaching is this: as lifegroup leaders, we must not see preaching as just something that our pastors do but we must see preaching as part and parcel of guiding and discipling God’s people. It is our responsibility to the faith community that we are rooted in to proclaim the Word and impact our sheep for the Kingdom of God.
2. Everyone of us is called to proclaim the Word of God.
Our commission to make disciples of all nations and teaching them all that Jesus had taught us means that we need to be prepared to proclaim the word of God to the flock that God has entrusted to us, whether we are leading a small group of 5 or a congregation of 5,000. Preaching is simply proclaiming the Word of God and this is the responsibility of every Christian on the face of the earth.
Likewise, Paul urged in his first epistle to Timothy to “proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2, NRSV). While this exhortation was directed at Timothy who was delegated by Paul to oversee the churches in Ephesus, it continues to remain relevant to preachers and non-preachers alike. The imperative is to proclaim the message of Christ to our churches and small groups so that they may continue to grow in their understanding of the gospel.
Therefore, even when I was holding the position of a lifegroup leader, I took good care to ensure that I proclaimed the message of the gospel to my members. There was once when I took roughly one year to slowly proclaim the book of Romans to them. It may not be like how I would preach in the pulpit, but I see the proclamation of the Word in such a setting the same as it would have been in a pulpit.
Lifegroup leaders and church pastors all share the responsibility of proclaiming the Word to their members. There are no “buts” here.
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