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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 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.
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.
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.)
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?