Below are some of the more common questions that we have heard from small group leaders. 

What does it take to be a leader, and do I have to be a member of the church to lead a group?

How can I add more members to my group?

Who do I go to for help finding curriculum and studies? 

A friend of mine wants to become a leader...how does he go about this?

Top Ten Tips for Leading Your Group

1. Grow your group by making personal invites: the best way to build your group is to invite people that you already know.  Generally, when people are "placed" into a group, they feel somewhat out of place, whereas if they know someone within the group that they are joining, they are much more likely to have a higher comfort level.
2. Attend small group training: Connect with the small group leadership network in your church at these training events, to pick up tools and skills, to be encouraged and motivated, and to interact with other group leaders.
3. Find an "apprentice" leader: if you try doing all of the leading, two things will happen.  You will risk burnout, and you will also squelch any potential leaders from using their gifts and abilities.  Hand certain tasks off to others within the group at times.  One word of caution.  Don't rotate leadership too much.  There still should be one clearly identified leader, or else when the group gets stuck in a decision or a growth stage, no one will take the risk of stepping out and leading.
4. Encourage the group to sign a "covenant":  A covenant is a heavy word.  Basically, however, it is a group agreement.  It is whatever the group agrees that they want to attain in their meeting together.  It is important to have a covenant so that there are no misunderstandings about what the group's purpose is. Everyone will be on the same page about when you meet, how often you meet, and what you will do when you meet.  You can agree upon the date, time, frequency, and place that you meet.  You can also agree upon values such as the value of confidentiality.  With this group agreement, growth will be more likely, and conflict will drastically be reduced. 
5. Create a warm and inviting atmosphere: the setting for your group sets the tone for how the group will go.  Consider things such as the seating arrangements, the lighting, background music before the meeting, refreshments, etc.
6. Ask good questions: the second best leadership skill you can learn is to begin your small group meeting with good icebreaker questions, and then transition into questions related to the topic which you are studying.  To develop dynamic interaction in your small group, ask questions that will draw everyone into the group.  The worst thing you can do is set yourself up as the expert who has all of the answers.
7. Listen well: the best leadership skill you can learn is the ability to listen well. 
8. Help your group understand that it is normal to go through stages:  Most groups go through a number of stages together.  They start out in a polite and superficial stage, and at some point they will go through a stage when they start to have more open conflict with one another.  Be patient and willing to go through such stages, and teach your group about such stages as well.
9. Begin and end your session on time: Respect the time of the people that come to the group, by starting at the time that you have agreed upon, and by ending at the time you have agreed upon.  That is not to say that there may be moments, when you can and should care for people beyond the "official" time.  Yet, often people have things scheduled before and afterwards, and they will respect you if you respect their time.
10. Encourage your group to be "well balanced": Learn how to balance the building of relationships with the spiritual growth and Bible study that needs to take place.    Learn how to balance the focus on the group, with focus outside of the group, by serving together in the community, or by reaching out and inviting more people.