The Zone Gathering

We are currently in a series on service, and today I want to talk about fostering an attitude of service within your group. The healthiest groups strike an appropriate balance of inward, outward, and upward focus. I believe our groups will be better if they are characterized by a passion for and involvement in service.

Here are 5 things you can do to foster an attitude of service within your group.

Model
If you are leading people and they are following, then the best way to foster an attitude of service within your group is to model that lifestyle for them. Every small group has a “lid” that is set by the passion and growth of the group leader. In general, your group will not grow beyond the “lid” that you set by your own example. That doesn’t mean you have to be the most spiritually mature or Biblically knowledgeable person in the group. It just means you will set the bar by the level of your commitment to Christ and obedience to His word.

Paul said, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” That’s a good summary of what leadership looks like. If we want our group to be servers, then we must be servers.

Teach on the Relationships Between Community, Discipleship and Service
Help your group understand the relationship that exists between community, discipleship, and service. Spend some time talking about the community found in the book of Acts 2:44-45:

“And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need.”

Christian community is characterized by service. Community develops in a group much faster when we serve together. That’s why missions trips are such bonding experiences for people.

Service is also tied to discipleship or spiritual growth. The more we serve, the more like Christ we become. In Reimagining Spiritual Formation, Doug Pagitt explained, “This way of living is not an outgrowth of faith but rather the essential means to our spiritual formation.”

Cast a Vision of What is Possible
Next, cast a vision of what’s possible. When we show people the love of Christ in a practical way, we lay the groundwork for a reformation in our neighborhoods, marketplaces, and other spheres of influence. Paint a compelling picture for your group of how you can practically make a difference in the lives of people.

In Nine Keys to Effective Small Group Leadership, Carl George explained, “Genuine, heartfelt service wells up as God’s love touches from one person to another, making the Gospel credible and the Body of Christ tangible.”

What are some ways we can make the Gospel credible and the Body of Christ tangible in Washington, DC.

Find Service in Your Group and Validate It
There are probably already pockets of service within your group. Look for it and validate it where it is happening.

Also look for the potential sources of service within your group members. Look the people who are in your group. Who are they? What is their background? Where are they already investing their time? What are they passionate about? Often, the service opportunities God calls you to as a group will emerge from the context of the background and connections of the people already present in the group. Be creative. Service does not have to involve paintbrushes or old people. Find places to serve that reflect the unique DNA of your group.

Schedule a Project
Fostering an attitude of service within your group can be difficult because many people will view service as a “project” and not a “lifestyle.” But you’ve got to start somewhere. You can’t foster an attitude of service if you are not serving. Begin this week in group. Announce that you will do a service project in your group, and use the ideas presented in this article to present the idea to them. Demonstrate to your group how service is tied to community development and spiritual growth. Cast a vision for their potential to bring change. Then, begin to ask what people in the group are passionate about and see what ideas emerge. Finally, put something on the calendar and stick with it.

If your group has done a service project, whether creative, non-creative, fun, boring, or otherwise, please share that with the rest of our leadership team using the comment thread. Or, if you have ideas about service projects, share those as well.

We want every NCC small group to participate in some sort of service or outreach project this semester!

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 28th, 2006 at 9:32 am and is filed under Leadership Lessons, Service. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.