How To Lead a Healthy Discipleship Group
If we come in from playing a round of golf, the winner would depend on which scorecard we use.
For instance, if we were scoring golf like we would score bowling, whichever of us had the highest stroke count would walk away the victor. But that’s not how golf works. You have to use the right scorecard when determining whether something is done well.
The same is true for Discipleship. We can’t measure the health of our Discipleship Groups if we’re taking the wrong temperature.
To gauge whether you are leading healthy Discipleship Groups, ask yourself two questions:
Pray with those in your group. Encourage them to pray constantly through the week. If it helps, text each other at certain times of the day when you know you’ll be praying to help keep each other accountable.
Discipleship is a process, but don’t let that discourage you from putting every effort into it from the beginning. In our next blog, we will look at the defining characteristics of a healthy Discipleship Group.
If you’d like to know more about how to start a Discipleship Group, download out our free D-Group Starter Guide, and if you’re a pastor wanting to start D-Groups in your church, we recommend you check out our Discipleship Blueprint training.
- Are we valuing weekly disciplines?
- Do those in my group demonstrate the MARCS of a disciple?
Valuing Weekly Disciplines in Discipleship
As disciples grow in Christlikeness, one of the things we hope to see them develop is discipline. You can help the people in your group grow through the following disciplines:Scripture Memory
As a lover of God’s Word, a disciple of Jesus will be committed to storing Scripture in their heart. Spend some time each week holding each other accountable to quote verses you are memorizing together. Some people like memorizing key verses from various parts of Scripture, while others like memorizing longer passages in bite-sized chunks. Whichever method works for you, hold your members accountable to memorizing Scripture.Bible Reading
Spending time in the Word regularly is crucial if you want to grow into the image of Jesus. One of the easiest ways to hold each other accountable to being in the Word is to follow a reading plan. At Replicate, we have several reading plans that you can use if you don’t have one you already like. Check out both the F-260 and the NT-260.HEAR Journals
As you are reading together, each of you will notice different things in the text. So while you are reading, practice writing HEAR Journals. In a HEAR Journal, you zero-in on one or two verses you read that day that spoke to you. As you Highlight, Explain, Apply, and Respond to that verse, you will find that your interaction with and recall of Scripture jumps through the roof. You can read more about what a HEAR Journal is and how to use it here.Prayer
Prayer is the thread that ties the Disciple’s life together. It is not an activity that you engage in sporadically or just before meals; the Disciple prays without ceasing.Pray with those in your group. Encourage them to pray constantly through the week. If it helps, text each other at certain times of the day when you know you’ll be praying to help keep each other accountable.
Discipleship is a process, but don’t let that discourage you from putting every effort into it from the beginning. In our next blog, we will look at the defining characteristics of a healthy Discipleship Group.
If you’d like to know more about how to start a Discipleship Group, download out our free D-Group Starter Guide, and if you’re a pastor wanting to start D-Groups in your church, we recommend you check out our Discipleship Blueprint training.
