Train
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Let’s Build a Movement. -
Discipleship Groups
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We often ask, “How do we get all the people out there to come in here to our church?” Instead, we should ask, “How do we get all of our people in the church to go out there?” This is the mission of Discipleship Groups.
Discipleship Groups are evangelization small groups modeled after the ministry of Jesus. These groups are focused on three primary goals– 1) intimate friendship 2) deep transformation 3) discipleship
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We were all made for community. Research supports that when people get connected to a small group , they stay in the church. If people only come to a Mass or an event at church, they can drop out without anyone knowing. When people move to a small group, they can be known. Small groups allow you to know people and to be known. Relationships are key to opening the life of faith and they are critical foundation in effectively reach the lost. If a stranger invites someone who is an unbeliever into their Discipleship Group, you can expect a typical negative response. However, when someone they know and trust invites them in to a small group, there is a real opportunity to reach that person.
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“Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3)
Knowing about someone and knowing someone personally are two entirely different things. We are called not only to know things about Jesus, but truly to know Him, deeply and personally, and to become like Him. Discipleship Groups are centered around coming to know the person of Jesus, and when we experience an authentic encounter with Him, the living Word of God, we are transformed.
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Remember, you aren’t just leading a Discipleship Group only for the sake of the small; the goal is to make disciples who will teach others also. Jesus invested in a few, not only for the sake of the few, but for the sake of the world. By Jesus simply entrusting the Gospel to a few and teaching the apostles to go forth and do likewise, the number of disciples increased more and more and the Gospel reached the ends of the earth. Discipleship Groups follow this model of Jesus in that they are oriented toward discipleship and spiritual multiplication.
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How We Launch and Multiply Discipleship Groups
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Invite Training Group
Prayerfully discern and invite a few faithful, available, and teachable disciples from the parish into an initial training group to be formed as Discipleship Group Leaders (DGLs). Many of these initial DGLs should be members of the Discipleship Team.
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Launch Discipleship Groups
Discerned, formed, and trained laity from the initial training group are sent to form their own Discipleship Groups, in their homes, made up of friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers. While accompanying their first Discipleship Group, DGLs begin forming intimate friendships and investing in the members in their group.
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Guide and Care for Leaders
As the DGLs are sent out on mission and are accompanying the people in their groups, they need to continue to be guided and cared for by The Discipleship Team. This should include (but is by no means limited to) consistent check-ins via email, phone, or face-to-face as well as regular opportunities for DGL gatherings. The Discipleship Team should also begin to discern and call a new training group over the next 12-18 months and this process repeats and multiplies.
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Next Step
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When you are ready to launch Discipleship Groups at your parish, WE WANT TO HELP you begin the process! We can provide in depth Discipleship Group Leader Training to pastors, parish staff, and to anyone who is interested in leading a Discipleship Group at your parish.
If you’d like to set up a Discipleship Group Leader Training at your parish, please reach out to our Office of Evangelization.
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