We asked Craig Eggleton, a member of our small groups staff serving as a groups coach, to reflect on his many coaching experiences and answer the question for us, “what makes a good small group leader?” you can keep up with craig on twitter @craigeggleton.

This is the second of a two-part blog post highlighting some obvious and not-so-obvious qualities of a good small group leader. My goal in this post is to highlight some of the hidden qualities of good small group leaders. This short list comes from my interaction with the 25 or so small group leaders I interact with and observe leading their groups. Special thank you goes out to all of you awesome group leaders!

Good small group leaders are not just good bible study leaders.  They are more than a good facilitator of discussions.  A good small group leader thinks well about the needs of the church and the needs of his or her individual group.

Inviting – Some of the healthiest small groups I have witnessed are constantly inviting new people to their group.  When a small group leader and members invite someone to come to their group, it usually means that they are excited about sharing life with other believers.  It is also usually a good indicator that God is doing something in the midst of their group.  If God is really moving in a group, it is natural for the group to experience what they are experiencing.   Because seeing people grow in their relationship with the LORD ought to be the priority of every small group leader, inviting new people into life on life discipleship relationships is natural for good small group leaders.

Implements Vision – Some of the best small group leaders at the Summit are the ones that have taken the broad vision of – LOVE GOD, LOVE EACH OTHER, LOVE OUR WORLD – and have made it their own.  Part of being excited about the vision of the Church is not seeing the vision as an end…but as the means by which the small group chooses to live life.  Good small group leaders promote the Summit’s vision as a philosophy of life to the individual members of their small group.  This means being creative in serving the community and tangibly showing the love of Christ in everyday life.

Evaluates needs in the group – No two small groups are the same.  Not everything that works in one group will by nature work well in another.  The same is true to the needs of the group and the needs of the surrounding community where the small group meets.  So good small group leaders learn to be constantly evaluating the needs of the individuals and the group as a whole in order to best help the group be conformed into the image of Christ.