Small Group Coaches are responsible for encouraging and strengthening 3-5 Small Group Leaders while being a Small Group Member. Critical to this role is the capacity for relationships and the availability to build into leaders. This role is not a top-down approach, but a commitment to come alongside Small Group Leaders. Coaches are more than experts–they are go-to consultants for support. Coaches help shepherd the shepherds and serve small groups from the ground up.

Ministry is often unseen and underappreciated. To help Small Group Leaders endure in ministry, one of the most important roles of a Small Group Coach is to encourage and pray for leaders. As Coaches, we want to cultivate relationships and build into our leaders as we care for them and foster a culture of interdependence.

Periodically, coaches are asked to connect with their leaders. This is critical to staying in touch with small groups as we share best practices and mutually minister to one another. As situations come up in small groups, coaches are asked to share appropriate information with the pastoral staff.

A good coach can fix problems by understanding the situation and offering solutions. A great coach will guide Small Group Leaders through the problem and help them come to their own conclusion. Coaches are not here to tell Small Group Leaders what to do. Instead, they are the first line of support and are committed to coming alongside each leader. 

Multiplication can seem daunting on your own. Thankfully, we are not called to walk by ourselves in the work of the ministry. A coach will come alongside the Small Group Leaders from the beginning weeks of a new group to the celebratory day when an apprentice helps multiply the group. In between, the coach and Small Group Leader can work together to discern, develop, and then deploy that apprentice.