by Tung Le, Small Group Coach
Ask any teacher about “spring fever” and they will tell you it is a real thing. As the weather gets more beautiful, and as children see the end of the school year and the beginning of summer, they begin to lose focus on the present. In the same way, at this time of the year, small groups begin looking to the summer and the end of the spring semester. As that happens, I’d like to encourage small group leaders to consider the following actions in response:
1. Remain focused on the present: Most groups have another 4-6 weeks of meetings left. God still has much to say and do into the lives of group members. There is no summer break in God’s plans for spiritual growth. Keep planning and preparing and praying diligently for your meetings. The summer will come when it comes.
2. Plan ahead for the summer: While we are to remain diligent and focused on the present, it is important to plan as a group for the coming months. Your group should know when its last official meeting of the spring semester is. Your group should also know what plans are for the summer months. Most groups plan monthly social occasions (BBQ, day at the beach, time at the park, etc.) — what will your group do to stay connected this summer?
3. Pray for the fall: As leaders, we need to be seeking the Lord’s will for whatever plans He may have for groups the next semester. Is your group going to branch this fall and birth a new group? Are any members leaving the group? Will you be open to new members this fall? These are all questions that don’t need any answers now; they simply need the Lord’s leading, and that will come only as we begin to pray now.
The Apostle Paul compared his ministry to a race and a fight, noting that he fought hard and that he finished the race. May we do more than simply finish this semester; may we finish strongly.
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