Look for people who love Jesus, are committed, engaged in the group, and have good social skills. You may be tempted to look at your group and say, “There is no one to choose from.” My encouragement would be to lower the standards of people you are looking for. We tend to try to pick the “perfect people” as future group leaders, but the point is to develop them. In reality, no one is ever going to be perfectly ready to start a group, there will always be growth areas, even after they plant a new group

The short answer is no. The reason we are making this shift is so that a handful of groups are not the only ones sending new leaders every single semester and to disperse where the multiplication is taking place. If every group multiplies one time every 12 months, we will have more than enough groups to add all the new people looking for a group. 

The best way to approach this is: "I do, you watch; I do, you help; You do, I help; You do, I applaud," which provides a gradual approach to developing new leaders in groups. It begins with the leader leading while the future leader observes and debriefs afterward. Next, the trainee takes on small tasks, like leading prayer, while the leader handles most responsibilities. In the third phase, the trainee leads the group while the mentor supports and gives feedback. Finally, the trainee leads independently, and the mentor offers encouragement, celebrating their growth and development. This process builds confidence and skills while fostering group multiplication.

Ask them to take some time to pray about it and process the decision. Continue to encourage them that you see leadership skills in them, as these are things they may not see in themselves. After they take some time to process, if they say no, respect their decision and find a new couple or person to develop.