The absolute best way to transform the culture in the group is for the leader to share joy with those around. It’s all about being genuinely glad to be with each other, and that starts with the leader. Do your facial expressions and even tone of your voice amplify a tenderness and joy? Do you linger in a conversation or do your eyes dart back and forth as someone speaks? Are you thinking of responses or actively listening?
Joy is all about being connected to each other. When Jesus spoke about having abundant life in John 15, I am convinced he was speaking about the church family. Abundant life centers around us enjoying each others as we together enjoy His presence. So many people don’t even know it but they are cut off from this abundance. And it’s our role as a leader to help them get it back. To get into a place of belonging and then identifying with ‘one another’ in the group. So my fellow leader SHARE JOY! Here are two easy steps to get started…
- Text three people you know right now and simply tell them how much they mean to you. Watch for a reply. How’d you feel?
- Sit down with a trust friend or spouse. And just look at each other for a minute. Then look down for a minute. Do this three times attempting to transmit ‘I’m glad to be with you’ with your eyes. Engaging and then disengaging. Now talk about what you might have seen in each other.
If you’d like more information on this check out Chris Coursey’s book here.