Introduction:

Even if Worship Services are the center of Christian life, it is too easy to allow them to fulfill our spiritual needs and to be self-focused.  However, small groups and Bible study are usually not enough to bring about real change and motion.  We need something that challenges us and takes us out of our comfort zone.   We began DISCipleship Groups based on the 3Thirds structure (Look Back, Look Up, Look Forward) that is described in Steve Smith’s book “T4T: A Discipleship ReRevolution”.  We don’t see the church growth that is described in the book (experiences from China), but we like the model and how it emphasizes the accountability, vision casting, and practice which simple Bible studies lack. We also saw how Apologetics can energize, equip, and encourage believers in their faith, which lead us to starting the Worldviews Course and Christian Worldview Course.  However, even if this encouraged many believers, it still did not prepare them to consider reaching out to others, so we developed the Full Life Seminar, which needs Discipleship Groups to allow believers the time to process and mature in what they are learning.  We didn’t get it overnight.  It is a process.

The first 2 Discipleship group meetings are used to establish the format of the group and to discuss how we mature as followers of Christ. Next, it is good to walk through some of the basics of the Christian walk.  We have 6 sessions that follow the Navigator’s Wheel Illustration topics: Christ the Center, Obedience, Prayer, Bible, Fellowship, Evangelism.  We have in addition several lessons dealing with different apologetics topics which make up portions of the Full Life Seminar, the Worldviews Course, and the Christian Worldview Course.