The Cell Leader's Life training resource

"How am I doing as a leader? Am I growing, passionate, envisioned?"

THE LEADER:

As with churches in general, so a Cell group takes on the DNA of its leader(s). Churches tend to mirror their leader(s). A particularly evangelistic leader will invariably result in a particularly evangelistic church, and so on. How you are spiritually directly affects your group. Recognising our strengths and weaknesses as individuals helps us recognise what will come naturally into our leadership and thus into the groups we lead:

• What are my strengths?
• Where can I recognise my limitations?
• Which of those are the way God made me...
• ...and which are areas where I need to act?

THIS IS NOT ABOUT LEGALISM OR GUILT!!! Our understanding of His grace and Fatherhood - hence, our identity and personal walk with Him - feeds our groups' own understanding and their witness and growth is a direct result of that feeding.

THE HEART:

PROVERBS 4.23: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life"

• Whose life? Yours or others? Might I suggest both?
• It is always so easy to believe it is our knowledge, our skills, our acumen that matter in leadership. Not so. Which is why Solomon - the wisest man on the planet told his son it's the heart that needs priority.

 Michael Hyatt (CEO of Thomas Nelson publishers) gives the following wisdom¹:

“The most important thing you can do as a leader is to keep your heart open. What do I mean? Think of it this way. When your heart is closed:

You are distant and aloof.
You don’t connect to people.
Communication shuts down.
You leave people to fend for themselves.
You focus on what people are doing wrong.
You are critical and demanding.
People feel oppressed.

The result? Possibility dries up and the organization begins to die.

Conversely, when your heart is open:

You are fully present and accessible.
You connect to people.
Communication is wide open.
You are a resource to your people.
You may focus on what is missing, but not on who is wrong.
You are affirming and encouraging.
People feel free.

The result? Possibility flows through the organization and the organization grows and develops.”

THE VISION:

Have the confidence to dream dreams for our folk!!! = boldness in leading folk/taking some degree of (wise) risk:

"...leaders can easily type cast people, boxing them in to a role that gives them no potential."

 "It was said that the core of Horatio Nelson’s talent for leadership was that he made his officers and men feel as if he had faith in them, and depended on them. Taking his captains into his confidence, not only engendering personal loyalty, quickly and permanently, but also created an atmosphere of trust and cooperation..." - Jesus did exactly this with a bunch of selfish, screwy oddballs 2000 years ago. He's still doing that with us too! (both quotes Colin Baron)

"Do you lead an organisation whose front line employee is a volunteer? Pay them vision and meaning. Today." (Will Mancini)

THE PREPARATION:

The behind-the-scenes stuff!

It is a well-documented fact² that those who pray the most for their cell groups on a daily basis are TWICE as likely to see their groups multiply than those who pray minimally. Prayer opens our eyes to the potential in each of our members, to enlightenment in how to tackle issues, in having HIS vision for our group before we cast it.

• How do you pray for your group?
• How do you prepare for a meeting?
• Are you able to meet with or phone your members regularly?
• And just as importantly: this acts as a model for your group to do the same...

¹Ref: http://michaelhyatt.com/2008/02/the-importance-of-a-leaders-heart.html
²Home Cell Group Explosion, Joel Comiskey, p34