The Small Group Leader

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The seeker small group team leader is the person that organizes the small group at the parish, handles logistics, puts together a team, and is usually the person who does the bulk of the teaching. This might not be the case if the pastor or someone else with more catechetical formation does the teaching. The lessons are outlined with enough detail that anyone with a basic knowledge of the Catholic faith and some presentation skills should be able to lead.

Qualities of a Team Leader

What does it take to be a small group team leader? This person:

is a practicing Catholic in good standing with the Church who has a mature sense of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Their lives have been surrendered to and transformed by Jesus Christ and His Church.
has a mature understanding of servant leadership. When invited they suggest that their role as a small group leader is something which they must take to prayer and if they receive a call to be a leader, will commit to the role.
demonstrates a basic understanding of Church teaching and a steadfast commitment to those teachings. They understand the need to constantly grow in their knowledge of the faith.
models the life of a disciple of Christ. They are not offended by people who do not have the same level of faith that they have.
comes to the group well-prepared. They may have previous experience as a catechist, leading a Bible study, or as an RCIA team member.
possesses excellent interpersonal and communication skills. They have an ability to connect with other people and make them feel loved and cared about. They understand the complexity of relationships with others and the need to be aware of where others are in order to shepherd them to a deeper relationship with Jesus.
has an openness to new relationships and knows how to practice the art of Christian listening.
has the gift of prudence and is able to keep confidentiality.
is developing an interior life of holiness, who keeps the precepts of the Church, and attends confession on a regular basis.
is joyful and knows how to have fun, even within the context of learning.

In summary, small group leaders: Listen, are good delegators and do not micromanage, are quick to forgive, constantly offer God’s grace, see Jesus in others, are humble, encourage, are authentic, ask good questions, ask for help, are patient with those who are difficult to love, are intercessors for each person who attends the group (even if they only attend once), have God’s love burning within their hearts and want to share it. They have to share their faith with others both as a duty and out of joyful Christian living.

Inviting and interviewing potential small group team members

Each small group team should consist of at least four to six people. That way if only one person attends the seeker small group, they don’t feel awkward about being only one of just two or three people. With enough advertising though, the goal is to have a minimum of 10-12 people in your small group at a time.

All small group team members do not need to be on a St. Paul Street Evangelization team, however, as the invitations to join a small group should primarily come through street evangelization, some of the team members should overlap both groups. Certainly, the person who made the invitation to someone attending the small group should always attend the first few meetings with that participant until they are comfortable with the rest of the team.

Explain the time commitment clearly. Team members should block off two to two and half hours for the small group. Everyone should plan to arrive at least 30 minutes early to set up, pray together, and go over the lesson for the evening. Some team members should prepare to greet people at least 15 minutes before the start time.

The team leader should interview potential small group team leaders. The meeting should go for at least an hour to allow for time to get to know the candidate and fall into deep conversation. Use the questions below as a guide to make sure the important topics are covered:

Tell me about yourself.
How would you describe your relationship with God and the Catholic Church?
How would you describe your knowledge of the Catholic faith?
Is there anything about Catholic teaching you disagree with? Why?
Do you live according to the Church’s moral teachings?
Describe your prayer life.
What experience have you had in evangelization?
What training have you had in developing relationship skills?
How would you handle working and interacting with someone whose personality you find difficult?
Would you describe yourself as a team player or more of an individual worker?
What gifts do you have that would be valuable in serving on the team?
How much time can you commit to serving on the team?
Are you involved in other volunteer work?

Scheduling & Communicating with the Parish

Once you have your small group team in place and they understand the basic structure of the small group, you will need to decide on a small group time. You should schedule for once a week at a time when people from your community are most likely to be able to come. If everyone in your town goes to the high school football game on Friday nights, don’t schedule for Friday night. You will probably have to compete with something and that is to be expected. Avoid competing with the most popular events that draw the most people away.

Before you start your small groups you’ll need to contact your parish business manager and secretary to confirm your schedule and reserve a room. It is best to have your schedule set in advance either by semesters or for the whole year, and bring your calendar to the parish office. Make sure to take into account any major parish events, as well as holidays. By working with the parish you should not be responsible for any rental insurance fees. Parishes often charge rental and insurance to outside groups. If the small group is an official part of parish ministry, the use of the facilities should be free.

Make sure you know the parish policies for using a room. Find out where cleaning supplies are kept, extra chairs, heat and a/c controls, etc. Have someone on your team be in charge of these things so that they get done and the space is cared for. Know who will be in charge of unlocking and locking up each time you meet. The parish staff should have no reason to complain about your group.

Prayer Warriors / Intercessors

Every small group team needs intercessors on their team. Prayer intercessors are considered team members. They are just as fully informed as other team members and are included in meetings and emails. Intercessors are expected to be at each meeting and should pray in the chapel while the team meets with the small group.

St. Paul Street Evangelization will not approve any small group teams or list them on our website until the team has confirmed that they have intercessors.

Intercessors may use any devotions they would like while the team is meeting. They should pray with the whole team 15 minutes before the session begins and then move in front of the tabernacle.

They should pray for the spiritual and physical protection of the team members and any participants. They should pray by name for each team member and each participant known to them, including any known prayer intentions.

Suggested format

10 Minutes – Silent Prayer
2-3 Minutes – Prayers for protection from evil.
20 Minutes – Holy Rosary
10 Minutes – Vocal intercessory prayer (pray for each person by name)
10 Minutes – Divine Mercy Chaplet or silent prayer

What about when no one shows up?

If no one shows up to your small group, do not be discouraged. It’s time to pray and go out and invite people. Join your intercessors in prayer for the first 30 minutes of your meeting time. Then, talk about what else you can do to reach out and invite people. How many people have been invited so far? Where have we made invitations? Is the SPSE team active? What parish events might be good to make invitations at? Keep praying and keep inviting. People will come as they respond to God’s call and your invitations.