You Need a Plan.

Nate Schlomann

[0:06] Go ahead and have a seat. Good morning Village Church. My name is Nate. I’m one of the pastors [0:12] here at Village and it is good to see each and every one of you here this morning. You [0:17] are catching us this morning at the end of a four-week series we’ve been doing on discipleship [0:22] in the local church. And our hope is that this series will serve as an encouragement [0:27] for you to pursue discipleship. But also our aim is to mark out this topic as vitally important [0:34] for the life of our church. And because it’s so important, we’re going to spend some time here

[0:38] on Sunday morning explaining our church plan for discipleship groups. And this really is not the [0:44] kind of topic we’d usually cover on a Sunday morning. And as Steve has already said the last [0:49] few weeks, this makes this a little bit of a different kind of a series. And I think this [0:53] last week is going to be the most different week of all. The first two weeks we did lay a biblical [0:57] foundation for discipleship and for groups. And last week Steve talked about the importance of [1:02] Scripture and then started getting into the practical how-to’s of studying Scripture. This

[1:07] final week, the majority of what I’m going to do this morning is to lay out for our church our [1:13] discipleship group plan and strategy and explain how we’re going to implement that over the next [1:18] month here at Village Church. We’re going to look at a passage of Scripture in a moment, [1:22] but I’m not going to try to proof-text every detail of our discipleship plan with verses. [1:27] This plan is based on principles that we’ve talked about the last three weeks and we do believe it [1:32] comes from things that the Scripture calls us to do. And so we’re just going to move forward with

[1:36] that. And I’m excited to share that plan with you this morning. If you call Village Home, [1:41] my hope is that you’ll participate in what we’re going to talk about this morning, discipleship [1:46] groups, and you’ll participate that in the months and weeks to come. If you’re newer to Village and [1:51] you’re not sure if this is your church home yet or not, my hope is that this is helpful for you [1:56] to know the kind of church that we’re seeking to be. The passage we’re going to start with this [2:01] morning is actually the one we were in last week. So turn to 2 Timothy 2 verses 1 through 2 and

[2:07] we’ll start there and kind of jump off from there. It says this, You then, my child, be strengthened [2:13] by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And what you have heard from me in the presence of many [2:17] witnesses and trust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. So here we have a [2:23] vision for discipleship. We’ve said in the weeks past that discipleship is the process of maturing [2:30] and following Jesus. So the normal Christian life is to grow in obedience and devotion to Christ in [2:36] every area of our life. The process for this happening is for those who are more mature in

[2:42] faith to pass on what they have learned. This is done from the Scriptures with the guidance of the [2:47] Holy Spirit. And the key is, and we see this in that verse there in 2 Timothy 2, very quickly [2:54] we are moving towards the kind of maturity that is able to pass on to others this life of following [3:01] Jesus. The very act of doing that matures us more and more and more as we grow. So that’s the Christian [3:07] life of discipleship. We grow through it. We never grow out of it. We’re always growing as disciples [3:12] of Jesus. But now, kind of with that as our base, let’s move on to the next verse, verse 3, 2 Timothy

[3:19] 2 verse 3, because Paul is going to tell us more about how to live the life of discipleship. He [3:25] says,

[3:48] Paul throws a bunch of metaphors at us here about the Christian life. And I want us to see one simple [3:54] idea from this passage before we move on and spend the bulk of our time talking about the discipleship [4:00] group structure at Village Church. Remember, all of this comes in the context of Paul telling Timothy [4:05] to pursue a life of discipling Christians who will then go out and disciple other Christians and on [4:10] from there. So what’s the common thread here in the things Paul talks about? He talks about being a [4:16] good soldier. Don’t get entangled in civilian pursuits. In other words, stay on mission. Don’t

[4:20] get distracted by lesser things that don’t matter as much. Then he talks about competing according [4:26] to the rules. So we have a goal in discipleship and becoming more like Jesus and God gets to [4:31] define what that looks like, not us. And then he talks about the hardworking farmer that gets the [4:37] first crops. And that one is very direct. We have to work hard at discipleship. It’s not going to [4:42] happen without effort. So consider then from this passage that discipleship requires effort and [4:48] planning. And oftentimes, it is the planning that takes the effort. Sticking to a plan takes work.

[4:55] There’s no way around that. And none of these metaphors or illustrations would give you the idea [5:00] that we’re just going to drift into discipleship. Discipleship requires effort and planning. [5:06] Discipleship should be the normal Christian life, but that does not mean it is the automatic [5:10] Christian life. It’s not automatic. And to that end, as we talk about discipleship groups, what [5:16] we’re doing is talking about our plan as a church for discipleship. I won’t rehash the previous [5:22] sermons in this series to convince you that discipleship is necessary or to talk about what

[5:27] discipleship is. We’ve covered that. We want to be a church where we have a plan for discipleship. [5:33] Again, discipleship is the process of maturing and following Jesus. [5:38] So we’re not saying that this can be limited to any one thing or any one group that you do. God [5:45] can and use many things to grow us and mature us in following Jesus. God uses Sunday morning [5:51] worship. He absolutely uses sermons on Sunday morning. God uses our friends and family to grow [5:56] us. We mature in following Jesus when we serve others. Personal spiritual disciplines absolutely

[6:03] mature our faith. There are many things that are discipleship. However, our plan for discipleship [6:09] groups is how we’re being intentional about some key parts of discipleship that are often missed [6:15] in the modern church structure and that really need to happen. This is how we as pastors are [6:20] seeking to fulfill Ephesians 4 to equip the saints to do the work of ministry. Look at Ephesians 4, [6:26] 11 and 12 really quick. And we read this a few weeks ago. I’m going to read it again because [6:30] it’s really important for what we’re doing.

[6:33] Paul says, and he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers to [6:37] equip the saints for the work of ministry for building up the body of Christ. So churches need [6:43] a plan for how they are going to equip people for being disciple makers. This really needs to be a [6:50] church’s most important ministry in a lot of ways. When someone says, I want to grow in my faith, [6:55] when someone says, I want to do more, how can I help at the church? The first place that we need [7:00] to be pointing them is to discipleship groups. It’s a ready-made environment for growing.

[7:06] It is a place to do more ministry that moves the mission of Jesus forward and is meaningful. [7:12] In a lot of ways, discipleship groups are our men’s ministry. Discipleship groups [7:15] are our women’s ministry. Everything else that we might ultimately do supports the ministry [7:21] of making disciples and of teaching people how to make disciples. So everything else is going [7:26] to point us to this. One point of clarification I think is helpful to explain here is the difference [7:33] between community groups and discipleship groups. I think this is especially helpful for those of

[7:38] you who may be listening in and don’t call Village Church home yet and you’re wondering, [7:41] what are we talking about? We do have two different kinds of groups that we call you to at Village [7:46] Church. We’re not trying to confuse you. They have different purposes. Community groups are, and this [7:51] is going to be a shocker, for community. But a certain kind of community, there’s something that [7:55] we mean by that. It’s the community of the church. These smaller groups of 12 to 15 adults, men and [8:01] women plus their kids, there’s a long-term structure of the church. We talk about the Sunday

[8:06] morning sermon and how to apply it to our life. All the community groups are unified and studying [8:11] the same thing. We pray for each other. We’re there for each other when we need it and life happens [8:17] everyone at some point. So you’re going to need it. Beyond Sunday morning, this is the first place [8:22] to go in the life of the church and plugging into the community here. On top of all that, [8:27] community group leader is a specific role of service in the church. It’s not for everyone. [8:31] We train those leaders. We appoint them. We send them out. So that’s community groups. Discipleship

[8:37] groups are an environment specifically designed to allow every single person to grow as a [8:47] group. They’re not just a group of people. They’re men with men, women with women. They are much [8:51] more flexible with when they meet and with what they study when they meet. They’re short-term [8:55] with a set goal rather than long-term. And they are designed, and this really is key, [9:01] so that anyone can grow as a disciple maker and lead one of these groups. The more the better. [9:05] Our hope for Village Church, our prayer for Village Church is that every single person here

[9:11] becomes a leader of a discipleship group and is making disciples. So let’s talk about that now. [9:16] Let’s talk about discipleship groups at Village Church. Discipleship groups are an environment [9:23] where you take personal responsibility for your own discipleship and the discipleship of others [9:28] through the study of Scripture. That step of personal initiative is a key move that must [9:35] take place for anyone to become a mature follower of Jesus. And we’ve been making the case all [9:41] this time throughout this series that maturity in Jesus is going to mean both becoming a disciple,

[9:46] but that has to mean making disciples. And one traditional roadblock in the church is that [9:54] this kind of thing can’t happen merely by attending classes or events. This can’t happen [10:01] if your only spiritual experience is having things handed to you and simply responding [10:06] and answering questions. Hearing a sermon is great. It’s important. You need that edification [10:10] and knowledge and equipping. Attending a larger community group is great. You need that fellowship [10:16] and connection with others. An application of Scripture, attending classes and events are

[10:21] great. They’re helpful. Serving others is a key part of the Christian life. But in all of these [10:27] areas, you are receiving or at most responding to truth. And to make disciples, you need an [10:33] environment where you are able to initiate and have personal responsibility for growth both in [10:39] you, but then this is really important. You also need to have responsibility for growth in others. [10:45] Every single Christian needs this. It is not just for a select few church leaders. [10:51] Church leaders, we believe, are the ones who are responsible for equipping every Christian

[10:56] to take the initiative in discipling others. So we all need to be disciple makers and discipleship [11:02] groups is our environment for creating a place for that to happen for every single person who [11:07] is going to be a member of the Charles Village Church Home. Everything that I’m going to say here [11:11] over the rest of our time, and I’m going to be just laying out our discipleship group plan and [11:14] how we’re going to implement this at a church, all that I’m going to say is going to be turned [11:18] into a guide and made into something that you can take and read. So don’t feel like you got to take

[11:22] notes for all this. We’re going to make that and have it produced for you. But one goal that we [11:29] did have here in doing this series and especially this fourth last week here is to provide a [11:35] resource that can be used to help people in the future start discipleship groups and participate [11:40] in discipleship groups here at Village Church. So now we’re going to have this four part series [11:44] that you can watch or listen to, including this last part with an overview of discipleship groups [11:49] in our church structure. One thing that we have mentioned a few times throughout this series,

[11:54] which I will mention again here, is many of the ideas in this structure for discipleship groups [12:00] do come from replicate ministries and a pastor in Tennessee named Rob Egality. We’ve really [12:05] enjoyed how he structures his discipleship groups and just seen a lot of fruit from that. [12:10] You can get a copy of that book replicate in our bookstore in the foyer if that might be helpful [12:15] for you. But I will let you know what we’ve done here at Village isn’t just a direct carbon copy [12:19] of it. We have definitely put a little bit of a Village spin on it, adjusted it to our context

[12:23] and our experience here over the last decade. So the first thing I want to explain with our [12:29] discipleship group plan for Village Church is the goal. Let’s talk about the goal of discipleship [12:34] group. Our groups need to have a defined goal from the outset in order to stay focused and keep [12:41] momentum going for productive group meetings. And as with anything, it is so important to [12:46] start with the end in mind. You’ve got to start there and know where you’re headed. So we want [12:50] to know A, what are we trying to produce with discipleship groups? And then B, just as importantly,

[12:57] how do we know when we’ve done that? What is our measure of success for our goal? We don’t want [13:02] to end up in a situation where everyone’s just going through the motions, not intentionally [13:07] pursuing an outcome with their discipleship. And I do think that is where groups tend to stagnate, [13:13] especially groups that are self-directed, is it’s easy to get in a rut where you know what you’re [13:17] doing each week, but you don’t really know why you’re doing it. And so we want to have some [13:21] defined goals. And our goals are clear. And based on what Pastor Steve has talked about the first

[13:27] three messages of this series, our goal is very simply to make mature disciples of Jesus. And we [13:34] measure that goal very simply by group multiplication. And let me walk that out for you and explain [13:40] that a little bit to you. Within two years of starting a discipleship group, our goal is that [13:45] everyone in that group has matured enough as a disciple of Jesus that they are ready to start [13:50] their own group with new people. That’s it. It’s a very simple goal and measurement, but it is not [13:56] necessarily easy. And there’s a lot wrapped up in that. And here’s why. In order to be able to do

[14:01] that, it’s going to take some effort and focus, and it’s going to take time. It’s going to take [14:05] those two years. And having a goal of seeing every person in a group reproduce that group [14:10] really does put focus and intensity and needed just a desire for to get things done during a [14:17] group that needs to happen. That goal brings up helpful questions. What do we need to get done in [14:23] the next two years with our discipleship to be ready for everyone here to lead a group? It’s [14:27] urgency there that’s good. And what area does each group member need to grow in in order to be ready

[14:33] to lead their own group in two years? That goal really drives a lot of what we’re trying to [14:38] accomplish with discipleship. And there’s still one more question in terms of our goal that we [14:42] also help answer. If we need to mature as disciples so that we can multiply, what kind [14:48] of things does that involve? What kind of things are the traits of a mature disciple? And we want [14:54] to help as a church direct and answer this question as much as possible. And so we are [14:59] actually this week releasing a new tool to our discipleship groups called the traits of a

[15:04] disciple survey. And this tool is a self-assessment questionnaire based on some of the key traits [15:10] of maturity as a follower of Jesus. And those traits are one, faith in Jesus, two, submission [15:18] to scripture, three, devotion to prayer, four, commitment to the local church, and five, a life [15:25] of mission. And so these are traits kind of based on a lot of the things that you’ll hear as a part [15:30] of Village Church and the things that we focus on. And our intention is that everyone who starts a [15:34] discipleship group will take this survey and share the results with everyone else in their group.

[15:39] And this is going to create some great conversations about where growth is needed [15:43] in order to mature as a disciple. And this is also going to help the group have a direction [15:48] and focus as we study scripture together to know that these are the areas that we need to work on [15:52] together to help each other grow as followers of Jesus and multiply. The next aspect of [15:59] discipleship groups I want to talk about is the leader. One of the biggest shifts that we are [16:07] about defining the role of a leader of the group. First, let me say this just for clarification.

[16:14] Every person in a discipleship group should be there for discipleship. This is not the place [16:21] to teach and not be discipled yourself. Every person needs to grow more and more to be like [16:26] Jesus. Every person is absolutely starting from a different place. And so discipleship groups, [16:32] as we will see, are not intended to be little classes where one person is just teaching [16:37] a couple other people. Each person in a group learns together and has a personal responsibility [16:43] for their own growth. That being said, it is good and right that more mature believers are there to

[16:49] help guide and direct less mature believers. That’s exactly what we saw in that passage in [16:54] 2 Timothy 2 that we just looked at. So the main role of a discipleship group leader is to keep [17:00] the group accountable to its goal of growth, both for each person as a disciple of Jesus and for [17:06] the group as a whole to multiply. And this is a very important task that someone needs to be [17:11] responsible for. Responsibility is a big deal because where no one is responsible for a goal, [17:18] it often just never happens. And so we need discipleship group leaders who will keep groups

[17:23] motivated and directed towards their goals. Groups need encouragement to keep at it, to stay on track. [17:28] And on a practical level, with the system that we’re looking to implement, discipleship groups [17:34] do need a point of contact for adding to the group members and for multiplying the group. [17:39] So we have said before, and it is still true, discipleship group leader is not a spiritual [17:45] guru. When we say that, here’s what we mean. A spiritual guru is someone you kind of stay with [17:50] forever and depend on for your own spiritual help. But that’s actually the opposite of what

[17:55] we’re looking to produce in discipleship groups. The whole point of the kind of leadership we’re [18:00] looking for in a discipleship group is we’re talking about preparing other people to grow [18:05] as disciples and to lead themselves. A discipleship group leader equips others to do the works of [18:11] ministry, as we saw in Ephesians 4. And that’s a very key point. The very act of leading a [18:17] discipleship group is a key step of maturity for many people. And it is that step of maturity [18:22] that’s often missing in a lot of church contexts and that we need everyone to have a place to step

[18:28] into. It is good for you to prepare to lead others. You’re not going to be able to fulfill [18:32] 2 Timothy 2 unless you have an environment for that. And so that’s what we want to produce with [18:38] discipleship groups. The very act of preparing to lead and then lead is going to grow you like [18:42] you’ve never experienced spiritual growth before in your life. And so we want to do everything we [18:46] can as pastors to equip you for that to happen. Now, one thing I will say for our context, [18:51] I know that right now there are many discipleship groups with multiple people in them who could be

[18:58] group leaders. That is a good thing. Steve even mentioned that a few messages ago. And so I want [19:04] to encourage you that if that’s the case, that means you’ve done good at your discipleship. That [19:08] should be applauded. I’m grateful for that. But if your group has been meeting for two, three, [19:14] four years and you look around and you’ve got multiple people that really could be leading [19:18] their own groups and showing others how to do this, what you need to do then is you need to [19:23] multiply. We’ve got to have people who are willing to take that next step and gather up two or three

[19:28] people who are not yet ready to lead a group in that way and to take them through the process of [19:34] maturing as a disciple of Jesus and becoming ready to lead. We’re going to give you some tools [19:39] to do just that more tools than we certainly had before. But if you’re ready for that, [19:44] going to grow you so much to take on that responsibility and do it. And in this process, [19:50] you’ll be also making new leaders who in just a few years time can repeat that process. [19:55] Let’s talk about the format of discipleship groups. What should a group look like? What should

[20:00] it be made up of? What are some best practices for a typical group meeting? Let’s talk about [20:05] all those kinds of things right now. Discipleship groups of the kind that we’re talking about should [20:10] be men with men and women with women. This is the example we see in Titus 2 very specifically. [20:18] There are just some things men need to learn from men and there are some things that women [20:21] just need to learn from women. There are other environments that are not separated like that [20:26] and that is a healthy and good thing too. Community groups are not separated like that. Most of the

[20:31] classes that we do, serving opportunities, etc. But there is a need for men to do discipleship [20:38] with men and women to do discipleship with women. And that is one of honestly the biggest reasons [20:43] why discipleship groups really are an important environment for you to step in because we all [20:48] need a place for that in our life. As far as group size, we have found groups work best as small [20:55] groups of three to five people and there really are some specific reasons for this. This first of [21:01] all is an example we see from Jesus. He spent much of his time with smaller groups. You rarely did

[21:07] do one-on-one mentoring. There’s strength in numbers and three to five people are able to maintain [21:14] consistency for the long haul. Ecclesiastes 412 says, and though a man might prevail against one [21:20] who is alone, two will withstand him, but a threefold cord is not quickly broken. So we got a lot of [21:27] teaching in scripture that shows about the importance of groups and having three or four [21:32] people helps with your accountability in a group. There’s better discussion of issues where all the [21:38] pressure is not just on one person to respond. Small group also helps create a dynamic where

[21:44] every single person can grow. Oftentimes what we see is with a one-on-one session, it can turn into [21:50] a counseling session or mentoring between the more mature believer and the less mature believer. And [21:56] there’s nothing wrong with that when that’s needed, when that is appropriate. But that is more of a [22:01] short-term for a specific need kind of relationship. What we’re talking about [22:05] is a longer-term view of discipleship where we want to be learning from multiple people, [22:12] having multiple different phases of life together that we can encourage each other to grow as

[22:18] disciples as Jesus. Finally, a group of three to five people is more reproducible. And this [22:23] really is important. It might be a little counterintuitive, but it’s actually less intimidating [22:28] to lead a group of three or four people rather than just one-on-one because the pressure is not [22:34] all on you to respond to everything and lead to everything. So having a small group helps us [22:39] reproduce groups and make more disciples. It’s also on the flip side important for a group to [22:46] stay small. We want to really encourage all our discipleship groups to grow to no more than five

[22:51] people. Beyond that side, it starts to be hard for every person to participate fully. If a group has [22:57] five people and it finds another person that wants to do discipleship, that is a great thing. [23:01] It means that group is ready to multiply. And we will work with you through that process. We need [23:06] to find another leader. We need to multiply to two groups of three because it is important for [23:10] groups to stay small, keep everyone involved, and really be intentional about our discipleship groups. [23:16] Discipleship groups should meet weekly. A typical group meeting will last about an hour to an hour

[23:22] and a half depending on how much time you have. But it is important for it to meet weekly. The [23:27] discipleship that we’re pursuing needs that level of consistency. So yes, this is a sacrifice of our [23:33] time. We need to believe that the sacrifice for discipleship is worth it. Otherwise, we’re not [23:39] going to be ready to do this if we don’t believe the sacrifice of our time is worth what we’re [23:44] getting out of pursuing discipleship. One thing that does make the sacrifice easier for making [23:49] the time for discipleship groups is they are specifically designed to work with your schedule

[23:54] at a time that works. If the time that you’re meeting doesn’t work for you, you’re not going to [23:58] stick with it. And one of the great things about having a smaller group and being self-directed [24:04] is that you can set your own schedule. You can work at a time that works with you. So maybe that’s [24:08] early in the morning. Maybe that’s lunch. Maybe it’s in the evening. Whenever in your schedule [24:14] works for discipleship, we want to be a church that has the resources to find a group that [24:19] can work with you there so you can stick with it and be consistent in your discipleship.

[24:25] A few quick thoughts on meeting times. Definitely do what works best for you. But I know that I’m [24:31] talking to a lot of people with young kids in the home. And so I want to encourage you [24:35] to do discipleship groups early in the morning. It’s going to be better for your family. [24:39] Sacrifice a little bit of sleep one day a week. You can get up early. I promise that you can do it. [24:44] Men and women, you both can do this. And your family will be better off for it. And then the [24:50] other piece of that is husbands and wives, you need to be there for each other to make time for

[24:55] discipleship. I don’t want to hear about husbands who weren’t watching kids and making wives [25:00] available for discipleship or the flip side. Wife, make sure that you are not expecting your husband [25:07] to always be home and never have anything else that they need to do. Discipleship matters. [25:11] We need to make time for each other as spouses to do that. [25:15] All right. Let’s talk about the process of discipleship. So this is the format. We’re [25:21] in small groups, men and women, three to five people meeting weekly. What is the process?

[25:25] What do we do when our group gets together and meets? The foundation of a discipleship [25:31] group’s meeting time is the study of scripture. That is the key, key ingredient. We believe [25:38] it’s the word of God that grows us and changes us. So there’s no [25:42] system or program apart from the Bible. There’s going to be some secret sauce that helps us grow. [25:49] What’s more, the act of learning to study scripture by ourselves is a key part of [25:54] discipleship itself. So we want to emphasize that to become a mature disciple of Jesus,

[26:00] you have to be able to read and apply the Bible yourself. This doesn’t mean we can’t have help [26:05] doing this. Like with study Bibles and commentaries, this doesn’t mean you can’t do this with others [26:10] in community. That’s why we have these small discipleship groups. But it does mean that we’ll [26:16] never become mature if our only interaction with scripture is what other people say about it. We [26:22] must each learn to spiritually feed ourselves. And so a typical group time will look like this. [26:29] Of course, start of the group, you’ll spend some time catching up on the week, getting life updates.

[26:34] But then we need to move pretty quickly to a time of 30 to 45 minutes of discussing the passage of [26:41] scripture for each week. And each group should have a set plan of what scripture they’ll be studying [26:46] each week, planned in advance to help you stay on track. If you’re doing an in-depth study of a book, [26:52] this can be just one chapter of scripture. Or maybe you’re doing a broader overview [26:57] and you’re studying several chapters of scripture each week. Either way is fine. [27:01] The key is having the expectation that each person that comes to a discipleship group is there

[27:07] prepared and ready to discuss that week’s topic. Being prepared for group time is an area that I [27:13] have seen trip up discipleship groups over and over again over the years that I’ve been a part [27:17] of them. And so one thing that we really want to encourage as we are relaunching discipleship [27:22] groups here at Village Church is commit to preparing for group time ahead of time. And a [27:32] I’d encourage you to keep a journal that you can write in for your discipleship group [27:35] and keep track of what you were talking about each week. Preparing a journal is very easy.

[27:41] You simply take the seven questions that you can ask about any passage of scripture that Pastor [27:46] Steve talked about last week and answer what stands out to you from that week’s reading. [27:53] Those questions are available in our foyer in a handout form. They’re on the website. There’s [28:00] about that though. Just understand you don’t have to answer every question [28:04] every single week. The questions are there as a guide to get you thinking. So go through the [28:09] passage of scripture. Answer what stands out to you from that passage. If the passage is longer,

[28:15] you don’t have to cover every part of it. If you’ve got plenty to talk about in group, [28:19] then you can stop there. The point is that you interact with what stood out to you from the [28:24] reading and come to the discipleship group prepared to discuss. The level of preparation [28:28] that you put into this, and it doesn’t have to be a lot, but it does have to be a little bit, [28:33] will infinitely help your group to be more productive. Yeah, it’s a commitment, [28:37] but this is the kind of commitment that we need to make to be disciples of Jesus.

[28:42] So how do you discuss scripture in group? Having a discussion about scripture is much easier [28:47] if everyone has prepared beforehand. It’s even easier still if everyone’s got a journal that [28:52] they’ve written some notes and some thoughts in ahead of time, because then all you do in group is [28:55] just sit down and say, okay, what did we learn from this passage of scripture? You can talk [29:00] through the seven questions that can be asked about any passage of scripture. You can talk [29:04] through that in group time, but then if everyone’s prepared ahead of time, it becomes very natural

[29:07] to have a discussion about that. Another very helpful thing to keep in mind [29:12] when having a discussion about application of scripture is the roles that each of us have in [29:17] our lives. I find that this really helps people talk and discuss scripture. We all have different [29:22] roles in life at different times, and they aren’t all the same, and they vary. So here’s [29:26] some examples of what I mean by roles. Some of us are parents. Some of us are spouses. Hopefully, [29:31] all of us are friends to somebody. Some of us are church members. Some of us are employees. Some of

[29:37] us are bosses. We’re all neighbors. And so we all have different roles in life that we have at [29:41] different times. And for each of those roles, you can ask the question, how does what we’re studying [29:46] impact that role in my life and impact how I might live my life differently this week? [29:52] Another thing that should be very helpful moving forward with discipleship groups is in the [29:56] background of every discussion should also be the areas that we know we’re trying to grow in [30:01] as a disciple of Jesus. And so that’s why this traits of a disciple survey that we’re going to

[30:06] do is so important. So we can reference that and actually reference specific areas that we know [30:11] that we are seeking to grow over our time in group in and talk about those things as we discuss [30:17] that week’s passage of scripture. One question that always comes up, so I want to talk about it [30:22] as we’re doing this is, is there a place for studying things other than the Bible and [30:26] discipleship group? Is there a place for studying a good book or material that we may all be [30:31] interested in? Yes, there absolutely is a place for that. Discipleship groups are actually very

[30:36] much designed to make that helpful and productive. It just needs to be kept in its place. [30:41] The study of scripture needs to be our primary diet. You’ve got to be very careful not to get [30:46] away from this because we’re missing a huge part of discipleship if we do that. So I want to [30:51] encourage you 80 to 90 percent of what you do should be scripture. But there’s still a place [30:55] for studying a particularly recommended resource that may help your group, may be very appropriate [31:01] to the people in your group at that time. So easy examples of this is maybe you need to study a book

[31:06] on manhood or womanhood issues. Maybe you need to study a book on marriage or parenting or some [31:11] pressing issue in the culture, pressing theological issue. There’s a lot of questions about. There is [31:15] time and a place for studying those things. We are often asked, how do we know what good [31:21] resources for those things are? We have done a lot to make that easier for you, and we have [31:27] stocked the bookstore in the foyer. And so that is our resource guide. If you want to know if a [31:31] resource is good or not, check out the books that we have out there. We are recommending all those

[31:35] books and you can get more copies and you can study those in your discipleship group if that [31:40] is appropriate for your group. We also, Pastor Steven and I did a podcast pretty recently on [31:45] 10 books every Christian should read. So check that out and read those books. If you get through [31:50] those 10 books and all the books in the bookstore, I would like to talk to you because you are the [31:54] best reader I’ve ever met and you need to teach me a few things. So that’s a good place to start. [31:59] If you have more questions, though, by all means, we’re happy to talk to you about resources.

[32:03] Here’s something that is key. If you’re going to take a short break to study a book, [32:07] truly make it short. Almost no book needs to be read and discussed a chapter at a time as if [32:13] it’s scripture. Books are not scripture. So break up a book into three or four sections [32:18] and just spend that amount of time, you know, three or four weeks on a book. Get through it. [32:22] Talk about the big ideas. You don’t have to read every single page in the book. You just need to [32:25] discuss the ideas. And I think you’ll have a much more productive time in discipleship group if you

[32:30] treat books in that way. Finally, after discussing the scripture for that week, [32:37] every meeting of the discipleship group needs to have a time of accountability and challenge [32:42] for the week. It should be quick. It does not need to be a confess all your sins accountability [32:47] session. Although certainly you can talk about real things that you are struggling with. [32:52] But the important element is that this kind of accountability is where you share with the group [32:57] how your week has gone in terms of your discipleship and the areas that you are

[33:01] seeking to grow in in your discipleship. Did you pray and read the Bible this week? How [33:05] was your family time? How have you done sharing your faith at work? Are you participating at [33:10] church? And these kind of questions, they can be very much based on the needs of the group and what [33:15] you already know about each other. It’s also important to leave every week with an application [33:21] or challenge that each group member kind of knows that they want to focus on this week based on what [33:26] you’ve studied. So this is the process in a nutshell. We meet weekly to study scripture

[33:31] together in the context of seeking to grow as disciples of Jesus and to challenge and encourage [33:37] each other towards that goal. We say this all the time at Village Church. You need to trust the [33:42] process. You can’t microwave this. It does take time. It takes consistency. It takes showing up [33:48] and doing the work. And you want to know another thing that absolutely is true. Some groups are [33:53] going to be better than others. Some seasons of group are going to be better than other seasons [33:58] of group. That is how life goes. But you won’t be there for the really good times. You won’t be there

[34:03] for the seasons of growth in the most productive times if you don’t make the commitment to just [34:08] show up and trust the process. So I’d encourage you trust the process. Be a part of it. [34:13] Maintaining a consistent group format and the process of doing the group time week after week [34:19] is one of the reasons why it is so important for each group to have a leader and why we really are [34:24] stressing that and encouraging that now. Leadership is about responsibility to see this process [34:30] through more than anything else. Someone needs to take that role in a group and then multiplication

[34:35] becomes about teaching others to go and take that role as they start their own groups in the future. [34:40] So last thing I want to talk about is the discipleship group. So we’ve talked about [34:43] what the groups are, the process of how they meet. But I want to talk about our structure as a church. [34:47] How are we going to try to structure our church to encourage and support discipleship groups [34:52] in some new ways? So that’s what we’ll talk about. We want to make discipleship groups more [34:58] accessible and organized without losing the aspect of personal initiative that is so important for

[35:05] growth. So we’re going to add in some extra support and guidance for discipleship groups and make the [35:10] on-ramps for them easier. And if you have a discipleship group now, our ask for you is that [35:16] you would catch a vision for multiplication. That you would organize your group around the ideas that [35:21] we’re talking about here this morning in the previous three weeks and consider a restart or [35:27] relaunch of your group where appropriate. Being organized in a local church really is the key [35:34] element that makes discipleship groups work. There are a lot of parachurch organizations that will

[35:40] talk about discipleship and actually have many of the same principles that we are talking about, [35:45] but not connected to a local church. You’re going to lose a lot of the key things that you are [35:49] looking to grow in as a disciple. And so doing discipleship groups in the context of a local [35:55] church is key. It gives you a shared framework to talk through topics that are coming up. You’re [36:00] all sitting under the same sermons. You have the same kind of community groups. You have the same [36:05] outreach events. You have a common mission and language. So discipleship groups, I believe,

[36:09] in the context of a local church really is what is needed in the life of a believer. [36:14] We’re going to have multiple on-ramps to getting in a discipleship group. I will always encourage [36:20] you, and this is what we have said before and it is still true, the best way to start or join [36:25] a discipleship group is to talk to the people that you already know. Find out if people in [36:30] your community group are in discipleship groups. That is the best place to start because you [36:35] already have a relationship built there and it’s the most natural place to kind of go further with

[36:40] discipleship. Go to some events and make some friends. That’s a place you can make discipleship [36:46] groups to meet people in the foyer. Like that is a perfectly great place to find people to do [36:50] discipleship with. And since we’re all in the same church together, they’re not going to look at you [36:54] like you’re crazy unless you’re crazy. That’s on you if they do look at you that way. On the flip [37:01] side, those of you in groups, and I know there’s a lot. Last count, we had 35 to 40 discipleship [37:06] groups running and going at the church, which I’m so happy about. We just want more and more and

[37:10] more. If you’re in a group right now and you’ve got room, be inviting people. Consider adding [37:17] more people to your group. If you have room, start a new group. If you know that there’s multiple [37:21] people in your group that could lead one, we want to encourage you to start one and make more room [37:25] for more people. Naturally forming discipleship groups, that’s the ideal way that we’re going to [37:30] encourage that. But we realize that that can be an obstacle that it doesn’t need to be. So we’re [37:35] going to help people get in groups too if you’re not sure where else to go. So if you go to the

[37:40] discipleship group page on our website, there’s a form that you can fill out there to join a group. [37:44] We’ve got cards in the foyer you can fill out this morning. We even put cards in the tables in the [37:49] back so you can fill those out and put those in the boxes in the back. And we will get you connected [37:53] to a discipleship group in the coming weeks if you sign up that way. Part of what’s going to help [38:00] make joining and starting new discipleship groups work is we’re going to do a better job of tracking, [38:05] which groups are out there and when they meet. This won’t be published so that just anyone can

[38:10] view it, but we are going to maintain a list of groups and their leaders so that we know who we [38:14] can contact and talk about adding new group members or multiplying groups. So that’s another [38:19] important reason that having a designated leader for your group is really key. So here’s a big ask [38:25] for you. For those of you who call Village Church home this week, there’s going to be a survey going [38:30] out asking about discipleship groups and we really need you to respond to that to help us [38:35] get going on its new structure for discipleship groups. We need you to identify the leader of

[38:40] your group and who we can identify as a contact person. If your group has more than one leader, [38:45] we need you to be willing to launch a new group. So let us know that. This doesn’t mean for sure [38:51] that it’ll be needed right away, but we do need to form groups. And if you’ve got room, if you’ve [39:00] [39:00] know that too. Lastly, something we’re going to add to our church structure for discipleship [39:05] groups is more follow-up and guidance from the pastors. We think that this matters both for men

[39:10] and women. We view this as a vital area of pastoral care, and so we’re going to dedicate [39:15] resources and time from our pastoral staff to make sure discipleship is encouraged and supported. We [39:21] know we’re available to help with this, so take us up on that in the coming weeks and months. [39:27] I know this was a different kind of Sunday morning. I know this was not a typical sermon, [39:31] but more like a presentation of discipleship groups here at the church. But I am glad that [39:36] we got to do this because we want to grow as disciple makers at Village Church, and so we

[39:40] thought this was important enough to take this time to do it. If you call Village Church home, [39:45] I hope you’ll participate in the life that we’re calling you to with discipleship groups. [39:49] As you see communication coming from the church over the next few weeks, take notice of that and [39:55] respond to that where you need to. If you have questions, please ask. If you don’t call Village [40:00] Church home yet, just visiting, maybe you’ve been a few times, my hope is that our plan for [40:05] discipleship and that what we’ve shared over these last four weeks will spark a curiosity in you.

[40:10] We want you to participate in the discipleship that we have here to become a part of our church [40:15] and our family to join us on this mission. So I hope that you will. And our hope really for [40:20] Village Church is that we will be a place that takes making disciples so seriously that we’re [40:25] just known for that as a church. We want to be known as a place where wherever you come from, [40:30] wherever you are, maybe you just met Jesus, maybe you need to get saved, you don’t even know him, [40:34] maybe you’ve been following Jesus for decades. We want to be a church that takes you where you are

[40:38] and equips and encourages you to be a disciple maker in your life in this community right here. [40:43] So that’s what we’re going to be about as a church. I hope that you will join us in that [40:48] endeavor. We’re going to take communion. We take communion each and every week here at Village [40:53] Church. So somewhere either in the seat pocket in front of you or around you should be a [40:58] prepackaged cup. The bread represents Christ’s body broken for you. The blood represents, [41:05] not the blood, the juice represents Christ’s blood shed for you. Promise it’s juice.

[41:12] Um, ultimately the life of a disciple starts with understanding that it is Christ’s life in us and [41:18] not our own. And so that is what’s happening when you’re taking communion. You are recognizing [41:22] we have died to ourselves and we need to live to Christ. And so that’s what we’re doing as we’re [41:27] taking communion. If you are a believer in Jesus, we want to encourage you to do that with us. If [41:33] you are not a believer in Jesus, I want to encourage you not to do that right now. It wouldn’t mean [41:36] anything to you. I don’t want you to do something that doesn’t mean anything to you, but I don’t

[41:40] want a week to go by where we’re not encouraging you. If you don’t know Jesus, you can know him. [41:45] All you have to do is pray. Pray, Father, save me. I believe in Jesus. Save me. He will save you. I [41:51] want to know if you did that though. Um, there are those of us out in the foyer that would love to [41:55] talk to you. So slip out during the next song. Come on out and talk to us. We’d love to know about [41:59] that. But right now, um, go ahead and take communion.