Chapter 4
Who Can Be A Pearlside Small Group Leader?
One who puts their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior and has been water baptized.
One who is consistently growing in their relationship with Jesus as a disciple.
One who is in the process of completing or has completed the Pearlside Discipleship Pathway and has completed the One2One book with a Small Group leader or coach. (The Purple Book is another resource for a study in biblical foundations)
One who believes in and lives the mission and values of Pearlside Church. (See Mission, Vision, and Values in the Appendix)
What are the roles and responsibilities of a Small Group Leader?
Weekly Responsibilities:
Communicate to the Small Group (or through the tripod) weekly.
Touch base with your tripod periodically to strategize group health, growth, and multiplication. (More on this in Chapter 8)
This can be done 15-30 minutes before or following the group. It can be in person or on the phone.
Prepare and lead your Small Group. (More in Chapter 6)
Facilitate discipleship and spiritual growth of the members.
Walk them through the Discipleship Pathway
Walk them through discipleship moments
Walk them through life storms & seasons.
Leading your group through the Discipleship Pathway
Our discipleship classes are designed as a tool to assist you as you establish and equip the members of your Small Group. In the spirit of relational discipleship, we recommend a current member of the group walk with new members through the discipleship pathway.
Growth Track: If you are new to the faith or new to Pearlside your next step is to attend our growth track designed to help you to know God, follow God, discover purpose, and make a difference by helping others do the same.
Discipleship Track: In this class, you will learn key truths on how to be a disciple and to make disciples, which is Jesus’ Great Commission call to all believers.
Freedom Weekend: This class is designed to help us identify and find freedom from spiritual strongholds and bondages through the power of the Holy Spirit.
It is helpful to go through the classes every few years as a refresher of the basics. Groups may consider attending classes together. Information on classes will be on every monthly leadership guide and can also be found at pearlside.org/classes.
What are the leadership roles in Small Group ministry?
At Pearlside Church, we have a clear vision: make disciples, train leaders, and plant churches, locally, nationally, and globally. Our goal is for every believer to be a disciple and make disciples. To this end, our leadership structure is designed to provide care and coaching for each stage along this journey. The leadership of Moses as seen in Exodus 18 illustrates this principle. He appointed leaders over groups of tens, twenties, fifties, hundreds, and thousands.
Leadership Group Pastor/Director: A Pearlside Church Pastor or staff member who oversees Small Group Lead Coaches, Coaches, and Leaders, providing support, care, and guidance.
Lead Coach: One who is appointed by a pastor, leads a Small Group, and oversees other Coaches.
Note: Not every Leadership Group has a Lead Coach.Coach: One who leads a Small Group and oversees other Small Group leaders.
Leader: One who leads a Small Group.
Apprentice: One who co-leads with the Leader to lead their own Small Group eventually.
Assistant: The third leg who is committed to anchoring the group and supporting the leader and apprentice by being faithful in attendance, helping to facilitate discussions, and helping to disciple new believers.
Attendees: All those who attend a Small Group.
Leadership Group Meetings (LGs):
Coaches meet with the Small Group leaders under their care monthly for a Leadership Group meeting or LG. The LG exists for two reasons: 1) To provide care and support for the leaders, and 2) To provide leadership equipping and guidance for the group. Monthly LG guides are produced and are to be used to facilitate these meetings.
DISCUSSION:
Are there any values, roles, or responsibilities listed above that you find challenging? Explain.
Have you completed the Discipleship Pathway this recently?
Is there someone in your group whom you can walk through the discipleship pathway with? Explain.
