Serving a small group

After many decades absence from it, I'm again involved in small group ministry. Our church, being modern, likes to call we small group ministers 'leaders'. As though the other group members are sheep, I suppose!

There is a pastoral function, but it is mutual. 'Leadership' conjurers up too many images and impressions of control, authority, and being boss. I eschew such connections.

I hope and pray that I serve diligently, but that's what I do: I serve (like the Prince of Wales' Ich Dien...although generally I don't put much store in princes). If you must sling a title at me, I convene the group, I serve it by preparing studies, and I keep in mind Brookfield's approach of learning by discussion. Which is darn hard. These types of discussions aren't just chats, but are well structured, and prepared to deal with the likely forks in the road that we take.

A group of us meet quarterly to discuss our experience in serving small groups. The woman who convenes this group calls it the 'leadership' group. I call it the ministry group. I much prefer Christian concepts to business ones.