Confessions Of A Small Group Leader - Prone To Clone

I recently read an article by Joe Higginbotham titled, "Confessions of a Small Group Leader." I want to spend the next couple of posts exploring some of the issues that it raises. Here is the first section of Joe's article:

Prone to Clone

Having never been a guru before, I had no idea how easy it is to abuse your position of prominence and clone others in your image.

Our group granted me the positions of Discussion Leader, Teacher, Information Clearinghouse, and Interpreter of Holy Writ—and I too readily accepted.

At first I praised the Lord for a group so responsive to my discipling, but I started hearing things that scared me. People began quoting me the way I quoted C. S. Lewis and C. H. Spurgeon. I heard not only my words, illustrations, anecdotes, mottoes, and doctrinal positions being repeated, but also my attitudes and prejudices. It wasn't so bad that they adopted my soteriology and even my eschatology, but they were assuming my personality! I wondered if Jim Jones started out this way.

What precautions should I have taken?

I should have insisted that others in the group lead the studies with gradually increasing frequency. I should have asked fewer questions with "right" answers. I should have gradually extricated myself and forced them to go on without me as their role model.

I think Joe is on the right track here. Another part of being a small group leader is understanding your role. I think we need to view ourselves as facilitators and not teachers. One key question we need to ask ourselves before every gathering is:

"What questions can I ask this week that will help encourage discussion and not just receive wrong or right answers?"

Hopefully we can encourage spiritual growth in such a way that encourages discipleship and authentic Christianity. Through that we will initiate life change.