More Than a Host: Leader, Teacher, Shepherd

Leading Small Groups

A small group leader models the faith, facilitates the discussion, and cares for the members. This course describes each of the three roles and shows what happens to a group when one gets neglected or takes over. You will read descriptions of real groups and diagnose which role needs attention.

1 hour

11 units

2 sections

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What You'll Work Through

Each unit is a conversation, not a page to read. The tutor asks you to explain, apply, and work with the material until it holds.

Chapter 1: The Three-Legged Stool

Section 1.1: A Leader's Job Description

Small group leaders are on the front lines of soul care
The three roles: Leader, Teacher, Shepherd (a three-legged stool)
The leader's definition: leads with integrity, teaches with wisdom, shepherds with compassion

Section 1.2: The Three Roles Defined

The leader models with integrity
The teacher facilitates with wisdom
The shepherd cares with compassion

Chapter 2: When a Leg Gives Way

Section 2.1: Failure Modes of Imbalance

The Fan Club: over-weighting the Leader role for admiration
The Lecture Hall: over-weighting the Teacher role for head knowledge
The Support Group: over-weighting the Shepherd role into revolving recovery

Section 2.2: Diagnosing and Blending Your Group

Diagnosing a Single Overweighted Role from a Group Description
Blending the Three Roles by Leveraging Strength and Mitigating Weakness