Incorporating Discipleship into your Small Group is so important.  The Bible says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42). That means they devoted themselves to growing in Christ and maturity. Evidently not only did they listen to what the apostles were teaching in the temple courts on the Sabbath and other days, but these people also gathered in their homes and studied and practiced what was being taught in the temple courts.

Doing a Bible study is just one piece of discipleship. Unfortunately, it is often the only piece that many groups accomplish. With intention and focus, however, group members can begin to look at discipleship as not only learning about the Word of God but also living out its truth in every aspect of their lives through the five biblical purposes. They can begin to identify and take their spiritual next step as well as help others identify theirs.

Ways to Incorporate Discipleship into your BHCC Group:

  • Encourage everyone to bring a Bible to your group meetings.
  • Go through the Community series by Andy Stanley.
  • Ask members to share verses, books, emails, podcasts, videos and other materials that encourage them.
  • Ask members to share their favorite verse and tell why it is special to them.
  • Ask members to talk about the person who has had the greatest spiritual impact on them.

As your group becomes more comfortable together, you can:

  • Encourage each other to spend quiet time with God.  Talk about what works for each member.
  • Have everyone write down a verse that encourages them on their walk and share with the group.
  • Ask members to devote a certain amount of time to studying the Bible each week.  (don’t worry about sharing the amount of time with group; it will vary with each individual)
  • Have a member bring blank note cards and ask members to write a note of encouragement to someone outside the group.
  • Ask members to share their spiritual journey.
  • Ask members what character in the Bible they most relate to at this point in their life.

Once your group has been up and running for a while, you may want to try these ideas:

  • Characteristics of a Christ Follower – ask the group to write them down, agree on ten, then discuss.
  • Take out the garbage – discuss the “garbage” in our lives – unhealthy shows, music, books, etc. Ask members to commit to removing one piece before next meeting.
  • What’s the message – Ask members to watch TV one night with family/friends and write down all the messages, both implicit and explicit that run counter to God’s Word.  Discuss what you learn at the next meeting.
  • Encourage members to mentor someone else. Spend time in prayer asking God who they should mentor.  Encourage members to contact these people before the next meeting.
  • Spend one meeting a year giving each member the opportunity to assess their spiritual health.  Where are you strong and where do you need to grow?

More Ideas to Consider:

  • The beginning of the new year is a great time to assess our own spiritual health.  Encourage honesty and authenticity in your group and ask each other, “Where are you strong and where do you need to grow?”  Help each other come up with ideas they can implement to help them grow in the new year. 
  • There are several Sunday school lessons prepared by Josh and videos from Lamar Bowman that are posted on our website. You can find links to these lessons and other resources by CLICKING HERE