By Julie Woodruff: We talk a lot about what we should be doing in in our Discipleship Groups, but what are the stumbling blocks that we need to avoid in order to make them as fruitful as possible?
Too Much Fellowship– We encourage our Discipleship Groups to open with a discussion about their week (high’s and low’s) but it is easy to let that time get away from you and prevent you from getting to the other important aspects of the meeting. Keep the main thing the main thing!
Information NOT Transformation– The goal is for each woman to hear from God’s Word and apply it to her life. Be careful not to let chasing rabbits distract you. Make sure everyone gets a chance to share. It is NOT about learning information but about being transformed by God’s Word.
NOT Prioritizing God’s Word – God’s Word is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12) There are many good books to use as extra resources but not at the cost of neglecting the Bible.
Ignore Scripture Memory– The groups that have the biggest problem with scripture memory are mostly the ones that have never tried it! This is a discipline that yields incredible benefits for you and through you. You are doing your group a disservice if you are not making this a priority.
Soft Accountability– You MUST get beneath the surface to achieve significant growth. “Inspect what you expect.”
No Prayer– I am talking about both the women in your group praying as well as you praying for your group. You can’t effectively talk to your women about God until you have talked to God about your women. Prayer is how we talk to and hear from God. As the leader, you model it for your group and then give them opportunities to pray.
Inconsistent Participation– Whether it is attendance, assignments or effort, this must be addressed. Inconsistency is contagious and will eventually have a negative impact on the whole group. If you find this is an issue with your group, pull out the covenant that they all signed and ask them to self-evaluate how well they are doing with the commitment they made to the group.
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You as the leader set the tone for your group. They will replicate what they learn from you. Hopefully this is a good check list to help you evaluate how you are doing.
By Julie Woodruff
Originally posted on Replicate’s blog here. Used by permission.
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