Creating a Healthy Core Group
by Craig K. Miller
What expectations do you have for someone who is a leader in your church? A leader is anyone who is responsible for the spiritual formation of others in your congregation. A quick list of leaders would include people on committees and boards; teachers for adults, youth, and children; and people responsible for outreach ministries, such as a soup kitchen or a tutoring ministry.
Churches that pay attention to the spiritual health of their leaders are putting first things first. Before you start that new worship experience or launch that new outreach ministry, you need to check on the nature of the relationships among your leaders. Are you praying for one another? Do you have a spirit of encouragement? Do you hold one another accountable for your spiritual growth?
As United Methodists we have a wonderful tool for spiritual formation. It is called means of grace. Found in the 2000 Book of Discipline, Paragraph 103, page 74, they are as follows:
- The public worship of God
- The ministry of the Word, either read or expounded
- The Lord's Supper
- Family and private prayer
- Searching the Scriptures
- Fasting or abstinence
- Christian conferencing
Through these practices Christians become leaders who share their faith in a way that builds up the whole body of Christ. How does a congregation create a healthy core group? It starts by encouraging leaders to live out their faith on a daily basis. Where do you start? Have a group of your leaders complete the Spiritual Leader Checklist below, then discuss how they can improve in their spiritual disciplines. After all, leadership starts with what's in the heart.
Spiritual Leader Checklist
Complete the following survey, giving yourself 10 points for each ÒyesÓ answer.
| Points | |
| _____ | 1. I say grace before each meal. |
| _____ | 2. I set aside a time to pray each day. |
| _____ | 3. At least once a week, I pray out loud with another person (with a family member, a friend, a person at work or church). |
| _____ | 4. I read at least one verse of Scripture every day. |
| _____ | 5. I attend worship at our church at least three times a month. |
| _____ | 6. At least twice a month I meet with a group of people to pray, reflect on Scripture, and build one another up. (Small group, Sunday school, prayer group, etc.) |
| _____ | 7. I take Communion at least once a month. |
| _____ | 8. At least once a month I give of myself to others. (I volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen, visit in a nursing home, tutor a child, visit a prisoner, mow a neighbor's lawn, etc.) |
| _____ | 9. I fast once a week. (I give up food for a period of time or do a media fast and go without electronic media — TV, radio, etc. — for a day.) |
| _____ | 10. As part of every meeting at church, we spend 10-15 minutes praying together and reflecting on a Scripture passage. |
| _____ | Total |
Which of these are the most attractive to you? Which of these practices can you add to the ones you are already doing?As you reflect upon your score, where can you improve?
— —Checklist created by Craig K. Miller based on "The Means of Grace," 2000 Book of Discipline, Paragraph 103, page 74.
Dr. Craig K. Miller currently is the Director of New Church Development at the General Board of Discipleship, Nashville, Tennessee.
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