Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Six Steps to Help Your Leaders Grow Spiritually



When my daughter, Michelle, was diagnosed with a form of cerebral palsy, we thought she’d never walk. But one day she started getting up on her haunches and crawling. The next minute, she started climbing up the edge of things and trying to walk, but she didn’t look like she would ever get her legs underneath her. So we got a little walker that allowed her to cruise around the house — slow to fast, fast to faster, and faster to really fast. Finally, after four and half years, she took her first step and jumped into my arms.

When we bought a two-story house, she wanted to climb. She didn’t want to use the railing for support; she wanted to go straight up the center of the stairs, just like everybody else. One day, my wife called and said, “You’ve gotta come home.”

When I came home, Michelle, now 5, said, “Dad, I’m ready to do it.” She went up a couple of steps and wobbled a bit, but she refused to use the rail. She kept going up. Two thirds of the way up the stairs, she fell back on her heels, reached over for the railing, missed the railing, and caught herself. She kept going, one step at a time, all the way to the top. Surrounded by the hoots and hollers by the entire family, she raised her arms victoriously.

This didn’t happen overnight for Michelle; it happened over time. Similarly, we take our spiritual journeys one step at a time. Small groups help people take these baby steps. What is it going to take for you to help your small group leaders take these steps of spiritual growth?

Here are six simple ways you can MENTOR your hosts to help them spiritually mature. Read more

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