Group Leader Training (Participant Workbook): A Biblical Manual for Small Group Leaders and Sunday School Teachers in the Local Church

Build Leaders. Build Groups. Build Disciples.

This workbook is for Group Leader Training Course Participants (existing and potential new group leaders) seeking to start or strengthen their call to lead a group

The Group Leader Training Course Participant Workbook was written over a 6-year field study that equipped 1,000 life group leaders and Sunday School teachers and impacted more than 15,000 group members to be spiritually formed into the image of Christ. This course is meant to help start or strengthen your call to lead a small group or teach a Sunday School class. Within the contents, there are five trainings: 1) Healthy Groups 2) Fellowship 3) Grow 4) Serve 5) Multiply

Also within the contents of this web-based course are QR codes and website links that contain the following training components within each chapter:

1) 5 Workbook Reading Chapters that correspond and answer the group discussion questions so participants can focus on the experience of the group training discussion and have a reference for all the answers to take home with them as a field guide for leading a group or Sunday school class.

2) 5 Video Sessions with an average length of 9 minutes per video.

3) Fill-in-the-Blank Workbook for participants to follow along with the video and write down keywords and phrases.

4) Essential Beliefs Assessment for each participant to explore essential doctrines that produce healthy leaders who shepherd and teach healthy groups.

5) New Leader Assessment Tool for pastors, ministers, and directors to measure what progress is required for them to become suitable leaders who are prepared to deploy into starting their own group.

6) Group Discussion Questions to host in-person trainings with potential small group leaders and/or Sunday School teachers to explore together in community as they prepare to help others begin to build biblical community and instruct them in biblical teaching.

Hundreds of leaders have gone through the Group Leader Training and seen many incredible works of God come about from it. Life transforming stories have resulted. No matter who you are, where you are, what you’ve done in ministry, how much or little you know, the group leader training process is for you. It has equipped, inspired, challenged, taught, corrected, and ministered to the souls of many men and women. Truly, it can do the same for you and your church.

How powerful would adding 5 newly equipped small group leaders to your church be?

How encouraging would it be if those 5 small group leaders mobilized 10 people each (50 total) to begin serving in a ministry?

How relieving would it be for your pastor(s) to have 5 leaders who could help care for a person in your church?

It is my conviction that as the local church builds leaders, groups will be started. As new groups are started, disciples will be made. Purposefully, I believe this is the model Jesus left us to turn the world upside down and fulfill the Great Commission. Jesus chose twelve disciples for his group. He poured into them for three years so that they would in turn pour themselves out for many other disciples to be made. Here in lies the root of the repeated phrase throughout this book:

“Build Leaders. Build Groups. Build Disciples.”