Leading in Community

Small group leaders are some of my favorite people in the world! I've met alot of leaders and they have several things in common. They are people who care about others. Group leaders care about the spiritual development of others and are willing to invest themselves in to seeing other people grow in the faith. Leaders of small groups are generous, opening their heart and their home to others. There are many fantastic traits that leaders share, but there is one trait that I find puzzling. We are champions of community, yet we often lead in isolation. Too many times, we set ourselves apart from our group and lead carefully, striving to model what we want people to become, but we lead from a position of solitude. Who helps you lead? Who is there to help you evaluate the health of your group? Who is there to help develope your skills as a leader? Who is there to share life with you so that you can experience the same strength you are try to help others discover? Share with us what it is that feeds you as a group leader--and is there a person tied to this, or are you leading people toward community from a point of isolation?