04.06.10
What I Learned about Small Group Leadership from my Drama Profs
Chinese leader, Li Hung Chang once said, "There are only three kinds of people in the world -- those who are immovable, those who are movable, and those who move them." Leaders are those who can move people, they direct followers to greatness.
Throughout high school and college I was involved in theater productions. The roles I’ve taken on are as diverse as becoming “Corndoggie,” a takeoff on the 1950’s, to “Curly,” one of the roles in the classical musical, Oklahoma. Both of these were lead roles, roles I was certain I was incapable of doing well. Now let me tell ya’, I wasn’t the most intelligent guy in the world. Memorization has always been more than a miraculous affair for me. And I certainly wasn’t that talented. But I was willing to allow a leader who cared about the heart of me to direct the soul of me. While my peers would’ve never known it, I was an emotionally paralyzed person longing to have surgery done on his heart. And these directors did just that. And when they did, they led me down “paths of righteousness,” (Psalm 23:3), safe places where the power of God could be released from me.
Small Group leaders need to understand that many of the people they will lead don’t believe in themselves. They need a leader who sees potential in them and is willing to do what it takes to direct them to become all they were created to be.
Looking into the drama of my relationship with these directors I see that the script they utilized to bring my heart to new levels of anticipation and exhilaration included five acts that I believe need to be played out by every small group leader in relation to every small group member. And when they are, that small group leader will have a team willing to follow him wherever the journey takes them.
Act I: Potential: See potential in every small group member.
Act II: Relationship: Build a meaningful relationship with every small group member.
Act III: Reveal Potential: Great small group leaders reveal the potential they see in each small group member to each group member.
Act IV: Mentoring: The small group leader does all in his power to help each small group member reach their full potential.
Act V: Empowerment: The group leaders sets each small group member free to flourish.
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