God is doing many exciting things at Lancaster Baptist Church, where I have the joy of leading our educational ministries. Every day, I have the privilege of working with some of God’s choicest servants. As I examine what works and what classes are growing, I am ever reminded of the importance of developing lasting relationships.
We strategically accomplish relationship-building through our Care Group Ministry. We divide our classes into groups of 5-7 adults or families. Each group is assigned a leader whose purpose is to encourage them and to relationally connect and minister to everyone in their group regularly.
Here is a brief list of routines performed consistently by great and effective care group leaders
Effective Care Group leaders are genuinely walking with God
Walking with the Lord, is a must if we are going to consistently help and care for others. The Apostle Paul challenged in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”
We must first follow before we lead. We want God to find us faithful in our personal devotional time so that He can fill us of Himself, and when it comes time for us to minister to others, all that flows out is His love!
Effective Care Group leaders are praying for their care group members
You can do a lot of things for people but none so powerful as praying for them. First John 5:4-15 admonishes, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
Effective Care Group leaders are faithfully attending class and church
People do what people see, and it is imperative that we are modeling faithfulness to God’s House. According to 1 Corinthians 4:2, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” Effective care group leaders consider faithfulness a high priority, and they go a step further to ensure their schedule reflects it.
Effective Care Group leaders are tithing
Satan is always trying to distract us, yet when we are faithful in our stewardship, it helps keep our hearts close to the things of the Lord. Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Effective Care Group leaders go soulwinning
Nothing keeps a class alive and exciting like having new people attend. Proverbs 11:30 promises, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” I believe Dr. Curtis Hutson said it best when he stated, “The only alternative to soul winning is disobedience to God.”
Effective Care Group leaders are aggressively setting the right example
If everyone in your class were just like you, what kind of class would you have? That is a challenging question and one that should be considered often.
Effective Care Group leaders are contacting everyone in their care group every week
This can be done through a visit, phone call, note, email, text, fellowship, etc. The idea is designed to change up your follow-up process weekly. Keep it fresh and refuse to get in a rut. When you make your contacts, be sure to follow up on any absentees. This may be somewhat awkward at first. As we connect faithfully, the goal is to build a relationship that grows into friendship. It is easy to connect with a friend and ask how their week was.
Effective Care Group leaders are encouraging everyone in their care group to grow spiritually by taking the next step
You should be able to go through your care group and know the next step everyone needs to take spiritually. Is it salvation, baptism, discipleship, ministry involvement, etc.? This is something we need to be aware of, praying for, and encouraging them about.
Effective Care Group leaders are keeping their teacher informed of any needs
I recently heard an idea and asked my care group leaders to start practicing 7UP. This means they send me an update every Saturday evening by 7:00 PM. Usually this comes in the form of a text message and is a huge encouragement to hear how God is using them to minister to others.
Effective Care Group leaders are assisting their class support team each week in any way they can
You should know exactly how your teacher wants the class to operate and purposefully assist in executing the plan. This can be done by helping new people get assimilated, helping with the structure and spirit of the class, and by always being on the look out for a way you can be of help every time the class meets together.
Effective Care Group leaders are attending class activities
We try and do these once a month and they are a great opportunity for fellowship and relational connection. It should not just be the teacher promoting the class activities. Every care group leader should support the activities, promote the activities, and attend the activities. An invitation from a friend, often means more than the invitation or announcement from the teacher. Use class activities as a way to further invest in the people you are caring for.
I am so grateful for the wonderful care group leaders God had given our class. I appreciate their labor of love and their practice of these routines. When the leaders of our class reach out and minister to others in the class, it is extremely encouraging to me as the teacher, it encourages the class member, it even encourages the care group leader themselves. Everyone benefits!!
If you are a care group leader, I pray these are an encouragement to you. If you would add a routine, what would it be?
