Archive for New Groups

Developing Apprentice Teachers

“How could I be so stupid?”  Maybe you’ve never asked yourself this question.  But I have—lots of times.  I’ll never forget the day that my perspective on Sunday School teaching changed forever.  I had always been a good Sunday School teacher.  I had shepherded my students.  I had tried to ground them in the key doctrines of Scripture.  I had tried to encourage them to live for Jesus, in church and out of church.  But I had failed to develop apprentice teachers.  I had sought to gather students in my classroom, rather than equip students to minister in other classrooms. 

I was attending a LifeWay Sunday School training, when 2 Timothy 2:2 gripped my soul.  “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”  The verse became my life verse.  I determined that I would no longer evaluate myself based on the size of my class.  I would evaluate myself based on the Christian leaders, especially the Christian teachers, who came out of my class. 

We tend to grieve over the loss of students, even the students who leave our class to teach other classes.  In some ways, that’s understandable.  The world judges us by the number of students who sit in our classroom.  But Christ judges us based on our impact on his kingdom.  We should always be looking for that student who has the potential to teach.  We should be seeking to multiply our ministry, as the Apostle Paul did, through the lives of others.

Prepared by Dr. Fred Creason

Leadership Strategist, Wyoming Southern Baptists   

A Church Disciplemaking Process: Large, Small, Smaller

Get Smaller! An effective disciple making strategy begins large, moves to small, and gets smaller.
Why? Because disciple making best happens in the context of relationships!
Begin Large! We are all worshippers. God is the audience of our worship. He should be the center of a disciple’s attention. Your disciple making process should encourage seekers and believers to be an active participant in worship. I saw this humorous quote on a church sign several years ago, and it has always stuck with me: “CH__CH; What is missing?” The church is not complete without “U”! Likewise, a Christian’s life can never be complete apart from a healthy, Bible believing, Spirit filled church. It goes hand in hand. Begin Large!
Why? Because disciple making happens best in the context of relationships!
Move to small. When you ask church members why they stay at a particular church there really is only one answer. They never say that they stay because of the outstanding preaching or the wonderful music. They don’t stay for the teaching or the decorations. They don’t stay for the special programs. When you ask people why they stay at a church, the overwhelming answer is: they stay because of the relationships that they have with other members. People come to a church for a lot of reasons. But people stay at a church because of the fellowship.
Your fellowship requires getting small. It requires a connection. Fellowship is about doing life together. Doing Life Together requires: Show Love, Get Involved, Have Fun, Be Engaged with each other. It’s about fostering a sense of community together. We must get small by encouraging every worship attender, church member and even the lost to get connected to a Bible Study group where relationships are formed in the context of Bible Study. Get SMALL!
Why? Because disciple making happens best in the context of relationships!

Get smaller. Disciples are best made in a community of close relationships. Jesus had Peter, James, and John. The apostle Paul had Timothy, Silas, and Luke. David has his inner circle of three mighty men. Consider starting a D-Group. A D-Group is a smaller group of about four people who meet together to share the Word of God with each other; learn Scripture together, and support and encourage each other through prayer and relationships.

Why? Because disciple making happens best in the context of relationships!

Disciplemaking is a process! That process should move from Large, to small, to even smaller. Why? Because disciple making happens best in the context of relationships!

A D-Group Covenant

Holy Bible on a wooden desk in church

Is a formal D-Group Covenant really necessary? This question can stir some spirited debate. In many cases, however, when leaders evaluate the reasons a D-Group has failed, issues go back to things that could have been covered in some type of written or verbal covenant between the members of the group. Whether there is a formally signed covenant or simply a conversation about making a verbal covenant with one another, a D-Group Covenant can help build a foundation for a true disciple-making small group experience. Essential elements for a covenant can be summarized in three categories: goals of the group, expectations concerning commitment level, confidentiality.

Goals of the Group
The purpose of the D-Group sets the stage for everything that happens in the context of the group. It is vitally important that individuals in a group understand the purpose or goals of the group. For example, if a primary goal of a church is to use a D-Group structure to multiply disciples, then letting participants know from the outset that a goal is for them to be a leader of a group in the future will help them prepare for this next step. Communicating a clear purpose in a written or verbal covenant will also keep a group focused on a path toward discipleship and will help avoid wandering in wilderness of proverbial “rabbit-chasing” or becoming a social gathering with no spiritual growth among the participants.

Expectations of Commitment Level
The success of a D-Group is in part based on active and consistent participation by the members of the group. A covenant should outline expectations for the group member’s commitment. There may be time expectations that let members know how much time they need to commit for the regular meetings. If the plan is to meet weekly for one hour, then the members need to know this and the leader must honor this commitment and the time of the members by managing time well during the meetings. People are often reluctant to sign up for indefinite involvement in a group in terms of how many weeks/months the group will meet. If the intent is to meet for one year, specifically outline the start and end dates in a D-Group Covenant. Expectations in terms of the work load could also be clearly communicated in a verbal or written covenant. If participants are asked to do certain things in advance so that group meetings are meaningful times of spiritual growth then these tasks should be outlined in the covenant. The tasks may include Scripture reading, journaling, reading other books/resources, sharing a testimony with someone, Scripture memory, and more. D-Group leaders can facilitate a successful group by communicating the expectations in a covenant.

Confidentiality
When a group is meeting together, learning together, sharing stories of personal growth or possibly some personal struggles, and praying together, it is important for participants to commit to confidentiality. The group will remain superficial and deeper authentic relationships will not develop among the participants if they are fearful that information they share may become public knowledge. Hold individuals accountable to this commitment more consistently by including it as a clear expectation in a verbal or written D-Group Covenant.

There are many variables that may create an environment for a thriving D-Group Ministry. A written and/or verbal covenant is one that should considered.

3 Ways to Commission New Groups

prayingoverWHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

The Great Commission calls for us to make disciples. From Jesus’ follow me example, we know relationships are a key factor in disciple-making and that relationships are built in small groups. So why is it important to commission new groups? If we are going to follow the model of our Master, we will commission leaders and groups to create new groups of disciples.

WHAT DO I DO?

  • Come and See Groups

One way to create new groups is to commission group members to start a group in their home. The focus of the group would be to invite neighbors to ‘come and see’ or come and explore the claims of Christ. In Acts 2, the church went from house to house “breaking bread,” “praising God,” and “enjoying the favor of all the people.” In recent days, churches have experienced revival through evangelistic home groups that connect people to Christ and to His church. Some churches have commissioned or challenged class members to start a Backyard Kids Club to reach families. Don’t miss the opportunity to challenge your group to be on mission by commissioning groups in their communities.

  • Follow Me Groups

Groups should be aware of people who have never attended a group or have dropped out of church or groups because of some type of ‘disconnect’ from others. Some leaders create a ‘paper class or group’ from a list of church members and community members who are not in a group. Many of these people need someone to invite them to “follow me.” There a numerous people not in groups because they attended and did not find anyone who tried to intentionally connect with them. Help your group members discover people who would follow them into a new group.

  • Be Fruitful and Multiply Groups

Every group should be challenged to develop new leaders in order to commission a new group every 12 – 24 months. The Great Commission is a reminder of the first words God said to mankind, “be fruitful and multiply.” Disciples have been recreated by Christ in the image of the Creator who expects them to be fruitful and multiply. Groups should create new groups. When you launch a new group, do so with the commission to be “fruitful (grow in faithful obedience) and multiply (grow in number).”

Each time one of these groups are launched, conduct a commissioning service to celebrate!

Prepare to Start Fresh This Year

 

FreshWhen does a fresh year of Sunday School and small groups begin. Many launch close to the start of the school year. That means that many launch on the first Sunday of September, second Sunday of September or a couple of weeks before September.
Others opt for a time earlier in the summer. Why earlier? The decision is often due to a desire to move (promote) teens or children into the next grade shortly after the school year ends. As a result, some launch a new year of groups on the first Sunday of June, July, or August.

No matter when your new year begins, there are some things that can be done to prepare for a great, fresh launch:

  • pray and seek God’s leadership and blessing;
  • enlist God-called leaders;
  • start new classes;
  • provide training for every teacher and leader;
  • commission every worker;
  • clean and straighten all classroom space;
  • restock and straighten the supply/resource closet;
  • paint/update classroom space;
  • prepare new classrooms;
  • replace worn equipment and furnishings;
  • organize to reach and care for people;
  • prepare good records;
  • make contacts with all members, absentees, and prospects;
  • plan new year fellowships;
  • communicate well with all workers;
  • plan outreach/ministry/service projects;
  • set goals for contacts, new members, attendance, and discipleship;
  • set aside time for a planning retreat;
  • and more.

Are you ready yet? What are you doing to prepare for the new year? Share it with by pressing Comments. Give God your best effort. Pray. Start well. Plan. Launch new leaders and classes. Reach and care for people. Make the new year fresh!

For more ideas about launching a fresh year, check out these posts: