christian counseling today
Vol. 20 no. 4
13
faith and stimulate an appetite for biblical
wisdom (James 1:1-12).
Inspirational pastor, Eugene H. Peterson,
authored a devotional classic depicting being
a follower of Jesus Christ as
A Long Obedience
in the Same Direction
.
2
Outstanding care
group leaders see when members are acting
out an inner cry of, “Are we there yet?” The
endpoint remains out of reach. Nevertheless,
group support is an attainable rest stop. Leaders
accentuate the benefits of traveling with a
concerned crew so its resources become visible
and accessible.
Care Group Leaders:
Qualities from Scripture
The Apostle Paul’s instruction to Titus on
selecting those who will give oversight to a
ministry effort does have a bearing on care group
leaders (1:5-9). This basic point could be mistak-
enly dismissed on two grounds. First, the slice
of the community these leaders will touch seems
narrow. “This is only a
small
group, anyone
can be a leader.” Remember that care groups
are serious and specialized; not casual, social or
educational. Group numbers at any given time
can seem small, but over the months and years
these are active, many lives are impacted. The
biblical criteria for leadership cannot be ignored
on the basis of size alone. The intensity level of
care groups and the potential for impact raise the
leadership bar.
Second, these character qualities are critical
for care group leaders even though they are not
set apart as formal biblical teachers or preachers.
The content in focus is how to live the Christian
life and walk in holiness moment-by-moment.
This means becoming a “living letter;” not
extensively addressing God’s letter as a pastor.
Still, these leaders execute a form of Christian
teaching. Their method of impact is modeling
interpersonal characteristics and being trans-
parent about one’s spiritual journey. Opening
one’s heart before others is how care group
leaders convey the love of Jesus Christ. The
Word is communicated via humble transparency,
not by proclamation or taking center stage.
Therefore, biblical virtues, such as being
blameless, hospitable, upright, self-controlled
and disciplined, most certainly are applicable
Trekking involves the
journey itself and
the personal effort
exerted in making
new discoveries
along the way.
