Disciples

Excerpt from Multiplying small groups by developing leaders

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Small group systems consistently fail when their main purpose is not strategically connected to the church's overall process for making disciples. Here’s what that means. If groups just help people get connected, make friends, and do a little Bible study along the way, their momentum is limited. The energy of the group will rise & fall on the leader’s ability to motivate, plan & keep the group connected. BUT if the group leader & members see the group with a deeper purpose: as a way of life; as a way to practice the teachings they hear about on Sunday morning (which is a hugely important time as well); as a way to truly make disciples, then the group has a momentum that will live past the highs & lows of a single Bible study.

                When discipleship becomes the purpose of the group, leaders see the big picture & move past the successes & failures of a particular meeting. The hard work of weekly meetings in homes, caring for members, building trust, developing accountability, teaching members to pray, & spending time together outside of group fuels a much greater purpose than simply keeping a group alive. The leader sees his or her objective as making disciples. Not pulling off a meeting. There is a big difference. Group leaders & systems that prevail for the long haul understand that success is not measured in meetings but in multiplication.

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