Co-leaders and Core Teams | the small team behind your small group

Leading a small group alone is never a good idea.  A naive person believes they can effectively cover everything associated with hosting and leading a small group.  It is foolish for a solo leader to believe they will make it to every group meeting, always be on time, come fully prepared, and care for every group member effectively.  Every leader needs a co-leader but there are also times when it is right for a leader to go beyond just having a co-leader and build a core team.

What a Core-Team does:
A core-team is a small group of people who share in planning, praying, facilitating, communicating and shepherding a small group.  This small core team members serve the small group based on their "shape" for service.  SHAPE is an acronym for (Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experiences).  The core team meets a few times prior to the group launch to make key decisions concerning the group. Team members serve the group in areas such as marketing and inviting,  ordering and preparing materials, managing communications, hospitality, recording and reporting attendance, deciding who will teach, and determining who will facilitate and lead discussions. The core team is lead by one clear leader who upholds the vision for the group and  relates to the church staff as the "point person" for the team and group. 

Reasons to build a core-team:

When the purpose of the group is recovery:
Recovery group ministry can be spiritually and emotionally draining at times.  It is unwise for one person to attempt ministry to multiple people who are hurting and in need of loving emotional support as they take steps toward healing and wholeness.

 
When there are multiple small groups within the group:
At times it is beneficial for multiple groups to meet in one setting.  On occasion multiple groups are studying the same curriculum or are learning from the same teacher.  The energy of cenergy is good in these settings which helps to overcome the problem groups face when they are too small.  Multiple small groups in one setting will require a team of people who will (among other things) host table discussion groups.

When the group is on-going:
There are some groups that are offered each season as a part of the church's discipleship process. A solo approach to an on-going small group will lead to burn out, while a team approach will lead to consistent, repeatable, and effective small group ministry many times over and for new groups of people.

When multiple groups are doing the same study:
It is good to build a core team any time the same study is being offered in more than one group.  People who sign on to be a part of these groups are likely looking to have a similar experience as others in the church who are going through the same material.  One of the main goals of the group would be consistency of experience.


Which type of small team is needed for your next small group idea?
Would your group benefit most from a simple leader - coleader team or would your group thrive best through the effort of a core-team?

What other scenarios are right for core-team effort?