What is a discipleship group?
Discipleship groups are gender-specific groups of three or four who gather regularly to know and encourage one another in their walk with Jesus. If community doesn’t draw us deeper into discipleship, it will become just another way to hide in plain sight. A discipleship group is ideally formed from within a community group, though there are some exceptions to this. As we grow in trust and safety with one another, we will more effectively be able to disciple one another.
How to start a discipleship group
Read the online guidelines, select facilitators, and form groups. Community group leaders should first form discipleship groups of three to four men or women from within each community group, using these guidelines that explain how to select facilitators for each discipleship group, and then how to launch and structure the groups. Community group leaders should lean on their hub leaders and community director as needed after having read through the guidelines.
Complete the audio training on how to facilitate a gospel-centered discipleship group. Before you gather for the first time, all community group leaders and discipleship group facilitators should listen to this training on Frontline's discipleship groups, and read over The Why of Discipleship Groups.
Assign some additional homework to all participants. Before gathering for the first time, everyone who will participate in each discipleship group should set aside time to thoughtfully listen to a second audio teaching on the do's and don'ts of discipleship groups, entitled “Aim for the Heart.” When you gather for the first time, discuss how you were each personally instructed or corrected by the content of that teaching. (You can follow along with the notes as well.) This teaching is designed to help us all avoid common pitfalls in interpersonal helping relationships, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and patient (James 1:21).
Finally, print out and work through the Discipleship Group Guide each time you meet.