Responsibilities Of A Caregroup Leader

Responsibilities of a Caregroup Leader New Hope International Church uses caregroups to care for and equip members, and to reach out to people outside of the church. Caregroups are an essential element in the church, and no one has a greater effect on the caregroup than the caregroup leader. This lesson describes the responsibilities of a caregroup leader.

1. Represent the church leadership God did not intend for the local church to depend on just one person who can effectively oversee only a limited number of people. The senior pastor needs a team of leaders to effectively shepherd and lead the church. We can learn from the experience of Moses after he led the Israelites out of Egypt. At that time, there were roughly 1 million Israelites following him, and the Bible says that he spent his entire day solving problems for these people. When his father-in-law, Jethro, visited and saw the situation, he advised Moses to appoint leaders over groups of 10, 50, 100, and 1,000 people. By delegating responsibility to trustworthy leaders, Moses was able to more effectively oversee the large Israelite community. (Read about this story in Exodus 18:13-26.) In the church, we can learn from Moses’ example. The senior pastor delegates authority to trustworthy people in the church so that everyone’s needs are met as best possible. (Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary gives the definition of delegate as: 1) to entrust to another, 2) to appoint as one’s representative.) Caregroup leaders are an essential part of this leadership team. Caregroup leaders are on the front lines of the church. The senior pastor relies on caregroup leaders to faithfully represent him to the members and to people outside the church. Because of their special responsibility, caregroup leaders should be careful to not misrepresent the church leadership. They should submit to the church leadership and advocate the church vision. As with any good leader, caregroup leaders must also understand how to be good followers. The caregroup leader should regularly provide updates to the church leadership about the welfare and status of the caregroup members. This type of information is important for the pastor to understand what is going on in the church. This conversation also gives the pastor an opportunity to offer advice. A typical report should include: • Accounts of recent and planned evangelistic activities • Summary of members’ involvement in the caregroup ministry • Update on individual members’ physical, mental, and spiritual status (when appropriate) • Special concerns and requests • Plans and strategies for spiritual growth and growth in terms of numbers

2. Give an account to Jesus Not only do caregroup leaders need to represent the church leadership, but they also must give an account to Jesus, the Chief Shepherd. In John 21, Jesus asked Peter to

take care of His sheep. In his first general epistle, Peter relays that same spirit to church leaders, asking them to willingly live as servants of the church. He reminds church leaders that they will one day give an account for those people entrusted to their care. Therefore, they should be careful to serve with the right actions and motives. 1 Peter 5:1-4 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. The Bible is full of many similar warnings for leaders in the church. Hebrews 13:17 says that church leaders “keep watch over you as men who must give an account.” James 3:1 says, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” In Acts 20:28, Paul reminds the elders of the church at Ephesus of the importance of their task: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” Caregroup leaders are responsible for the well-being of the caregroup. If they neglect their responsibility or abuse their authority, they will be held to account on the Judgment Day before God. To avoid sin in this area, we should be careful to fear God, pay attention to our spiritual life, do everything to keep our conscience clean, and keep accountable to the church leadership.

3. Care for the caregroup members The primary task of a caregroup leader is to take care of the members spiritually. Sometimes, this requires taking care of them physically first, before we can minister to their spirits. Caregroup leaders should be aware of the background and current situation of members in their caregroup so that they can provide assistance. The lesson “Role of a Shepherd” details the responsibilities and functions that the caregroup leader should assume on behalf of the members in their caregroup.

4. Develop the caregroup members New Hope International Church, we believe there is no division between clergy and laity, but that all Christians are called to serve God fully. The caregroup is an ideal setting to give people hands-on ministry training. The caregroup leader plays an important role in helping members learn to serve more effectively in the church body.

Identify spiritual gifts Caregroup leaders are responsible for identifying and developing the caregroup members’ spiritual gifts. To help identify people’s spiritual gifts, caregroup leaders should use the S.H.A.P.E. teaching. Caregroup leaders should assign responsibilities within the caregroup according to the needs of the group and the members’ spiritual gifts. For example, some people may have the gift of teaching, so should be given more opportunities to teach in the caregroup. The same can be said with other spiritual gifts

listed in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12. It is the responsibility of the caregroup leader to give people the opportunity to exercise and develop their God-given spiritual gifts in the caregroup setting.

Promote teamwork The caregroup leader should not do everything by themselves. Instead, they should encourage others to serve as a team. The caregroup leader should delegate responsibilities to others in the group, especially in areas where they are weak. For example, if the caregroup leader does not have good organizational skills, they can ask for help from one of the members to organize schedules and meetings. The caregroup leader should form a core team who works together to build the group. The caregroup leader should seek to involve committed members in the core team.

Make room for others to serve Sometimes the caregroup leader will need to step aside from some activity to provide other people the opportunity to serve. This can be uncomfortable because members may feel they cannot teach, lead worship, organize activities, or do some other function that the caregroup leader previously did. However, this type of challenge is important for two reasons: The member grows by developing their gift, and the caregroup leader grows because they are free to do things that others cannot do. In general, a good rule to follow as a leader is to never do something that someone else could be doing.

Train the next caregroup leader Every caregroup leader should be also train an assistant caregroup leader who will lead a group in the future. The way to train an assistant is to progressively assign responsibility. First, you demonstrate and ask them to observe. Second, you ask them to do the task while you observe. Finally, you ask them to complete the task themselves and provide you with a report.

5. Lead the caregroup Leading a caregroup is a challenge that requires the caregroup leader to learn many different leadership roles and responsibilities. The Bible provides many good examples of different types of leaders who administer, set vision, lead by life example, promote and preserve unity, and pray for those under their care.

Administer activities Caregroup leaders need to plan and administer the activities of the caregroup. It is not enough to simply have a vision—caregroup leaders need to plan steps that will help the group reach those goals. Nehemiah is a good example of administering activities to fulfill a goal. Nehemiah had a God-given vision to see the city walls around Jerusalem rebuilt so that the people could live in safety. He planned carefully and organized the families to rebuild the wall in a short time, even though they faced many challenges from their political enemies.

Set a vision The caregroup leader should also set a vision for the caregroup. A vision is something that you want to achieve in the future. Every caregroup member should be able to form a mental picture of the group’s goal. The caregroup vision should support the church vision. At New Hope International Church, we have a vision to train Spirit-filled disciples and participate in building revival churches all over the world. Every caregroup in our church should have a vision that supports this larger church vision. A student or young professional caregroup could include training missionaries in their vision because that would support the overall church vision of seeing revival churches all over the world. Or, a family caregroup could have a vision of reaching out to more local families to build up the local church. Joshua is a good example of this type of visionary leadership in the Bible. He received a God-given vision from Moses: that the Israelites were to retake the entire territory that God had promised to their ancestor Abraham. When the Israelites kept working toward this goal, they prospered. Each tribe had a specific goal that was part of the larger goal, just like each caregroup can have a specific vision that is a subset of the larger church vision. However, after Joshua and his generation died, the following generation became complacent about fulfilling the vision of God, fell into sin, and lost God’s favor. In the same way, the caregroup will become complacent if they do not follow God’s vision for their group. (Read a summary of the Israelites’ case in Judges 2:6-15.)

Promote and Preserve Unity The caregroup cannot change people; only God can do that. But they can do their best to work with God to foster unity within their caregroup. Some ways to create unity include: casting a common vision, working together as a team, enduring hardship together, spending quality time together, and making sacrifices for one another. Unfortunately, sometimes the caregroup leader needs to preserve unity by dealing with divisive members. Although they may want to keep everyone in the group at all costs, caregroup leaders should heed Paul’s advice to Titus. Titus 3:10 If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with them. (NLT) If a divisive member listens to multiple warnings and does not repent, then the caregroup leader should ask them to stop coming to the caregroup.

Set an Example In 1 Timothy, Paul encourages Timothy to lead the Ephesian church by setting an example with his own life. 1 Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”

Caregroup leaders should take these words to heart and know that their life example speaks louder than any words. Caregroup leaders can set either a good example or a bad one. A good example opens the way for people to follow Christ, but a bad life example damages the work of God. Leaders in the church cannot manipulate or control people. Instead, biblical leaders lead by example. Biblical leaders must practice what they preach. Notice how Paul appeals to the Thessalonians to be industrious. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us. For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you. We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”(NLT) First, he reminds them about what he taught them. Second, he reminds them how he and his companions set an example by providing for themselves while they were in Thessalonica. This example shows how lifestyle and teaching go together.

Pray Caregroup leaders should faithfully pray for their group. After the prophet Samuel appointed Saul to be king, he told the Israelites that he would continue to pray for them. 1 Samuel 12:23 “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.” Samuel said it was his responsibility as their spiritual leader to pray for the Israelites. Caregroup leaders should pray for their caregroup regularly, both in their personal devotional time and also during their normal daily activities. They should constantly lift up their concerns and the needs of the caregroup to the Lord. There are two benefits for a caregroup leader who prays for their caregroup. First, they will see the answer to their requests. Second, they will receive from God a greater love and passion to see the members in the caregroup grow up in Christ.

6. Grow personally Caregroup leaders need to take care of themselves mentally, physically, and spiritually so that they can be effectively used by God. They should diligently study the Bible and eat well, for example. But the most important responsibility of a caregroup leader is to maintain a close relationship with God and to grow spiritually. There is no simple formula for doing this, but it is necessary to start with a firm determination to move forward spiritually. Church leaders are targets of the devil and so cannot remain complacent. They should consider the attitude that Paul expressed in Philippians 3.

Philippians 3:12-14 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Conclusion If pastors are captains in God’s army, then caregroup leaders are the platoon sergeants of the local church. They are the ones who are in the front lines. Their sacrifice is often unheralded on earth, but is honored in heaven. The church needs many regular people who are willing to give their lives for their brothers and sisters in the church and for people outside the church who don’t know Jesus yet.

Discussion Questions 1. This lesson covers responsibilities mostly in a theoretical sense. What are some of the practical applications of this teaching? What are some practical actions that you plan to take after reading this lesson? (For example: To take care of the caregroup members, I can help organize assistance if their family is moving.) 2. What do you think would be a good vision for your caregroup? How does it support the overall church vision? 3. Why is it important for caregroup leaders to know how to be good followers of the church leadership? 4. In Acts 20:28, Paul told the Ephesian elders, “Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” Why is it important for us to remember Jesus bought the caregroup members with His blood?