by Jim Putman: As a senior pastor of Real Life Ministries and a board member with the Relational Discipleship Network, I am passionate about the importance of a relational environment to making disciples of Jesus. Small Groups are one such relational environment that works well when trying to create a culture of disciple making in your church. Because we talk about them so often, sometimes people mistakenly get the idea that Small Groups are the goal – that if you are a church that has developed Small Groups you have hit the target.

However, the target is not a relational environment. A relational environment is the vehicle we travel in to get to the destination. A church is successful when everyone in the church is in the game, maturing into disciples who can reproduce other disciples. The purpose of the church has been, and should always be, to make disciples of Jesus.

You can have small groups and not make disciples – small groups exist throughout our society. From regulars at a neighborhood bar to a sports team that plays in a league, small groups are all around us. They are not a new concept by any means. However, small groups formed for the purpose of making disciples of Jesus are a less familiar concept – but that is the method Jesus used when making his 12 disciples during his time on earth.

It is not something that just happens by chance – there must be a combination of specific components that are used in conjunction with a small group in order to make disciples. I like to use the analogy of a road trip to explain the different components and the part each one plays:

An Intentional Leader: A car doesn’t get very far unless there is someone in the drivers seat with a key. This leader is driving the group towards the destination, or purpose. It helps if the leader has already made the trip and is familiar with the route!

A Relational Environment: The driver has to have something that drives – and something that accommodates passengers. Relationships are what God uses to communicate His truth and help people grow. Without relationships, the journey of discipleship can be boring and ineffective. Motivation can die because no one is there to celebrate a breakthrough or support us when we struggle. Relationships create the environment where discipleship happens best.

A Map – The Reproducible Process: The third component for this successful journey is a map. Using a map helps eliminate the risk of getting lost or off track from your destination. The road map for making disciples is the reproducible process. This process allows us to measure a disciple’s progress – to figure out where they are in the journey so we have a better idea of what they need. And it teaches the disciple the route, so that they in turn can share it with others.

The entire discipleship journey has a biblical foundation. In other words, these three elements of the discipleship journey are modeled in Scripture, especially in the life of Jesus and in the early church. You can make a disciple without a biblical foundation, but you won’t be making a disciple of Jesus. When people talk about Real Life Ministries, we love to be known as a Disciple Making Church, rather than a Small Group Church. Small Groups are a core essential to us, but they are the vehicle we use to reach our destination – which is being a Disciple Making Church.

Written by Jim Putman

This was originally posted on Jim Putman’s blog here. Used with permission.

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Source: Small Groups are the Vehicle, Not the Destination

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by Healthy Growing Churches: A few weeks ago, we shared the story of River City Church and how they are doing church differently. Today, we want to share the story of The Tampa Underground Network. As we’ve stated before, we hope that by sharing these stories with you dreams, vision, and newfound faith would permeate your hearts and minds. Ultimately, our goal is for us to work together to build the Body of Christ in stronger and more effective ways.

The Underground’s Story

In 2006, Brian Sanders, along with about 50 others, left their traditional churches to pursue together a different vision for how the church should look. At least, this was the vision given to them by the Spirit for how they should do things differently, and therefore, add greater depth to the Church as a whole. They left with a love for the Western church, but “hoped for more than Sunday morning worship and middle-class Christianity.” 

With a passion for the poor and the lost, The Underground works to “empower communities to reach and serve the people who exist at the margins of the church as we know it.” They believe that intimacy with God means committing to His mission, which leads to “prioritizing both those in poverty and those without knowledge of His saving grace.” 

Discipleship is of utmost significance to The Underground. They help empower people to pray and seek to know their unique calling and then find a community where they can pour themselves out. At the heart of this vision is the micro-church. As people find their true callings, they can get to work mobilizing communities to meet needs there and to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus and His kingdom.

Theology

One of the best places to discover The Underground’s theology is in Brian Sanders’ book, Underground Church, which we highly recommend. Flip to the back to Appendix A, and you find their “Manifesto,” or statement of belief. As one who senses the call and is starting a micro-church movement in my community in South Carolina, this book has been transformational in my thinking and planning.

The following is what The Underground’s website states regarding their Theology:

Theologically, we are orthodox and evangelical. Being an independent church plant (not coming from any denomination) we are anchored by the ancient and historical creeds of the church. The first and simplest creed: Jesus is Lord. We seek to place Jesus Christ as the head of this church, and to establish and submit to his supremacy in all things.

We acknowledge both the historical significance and the prophetic call of the Lausanne Covenant (1974), agreeing with it completely, and the reaffirmations of the Manila Manifesto (1989). These creedal/confessional documents serve to anchor our theological commitments while also expressing our missional and evangelical convictions. We stand to be both challenged and guided by these core expressions of theological commitment as we try to grow and mature into the church that God has destined us to be.

Learn More

The very best way to get to know this incredible ministry network is to watch this video. You will not regret the time spent watching!

What’s Happening Now?

The Underground now supports and encourages 100s of micro-churches across 6 continents.

The Underground also has 12 global sister movements. You can click here and find out more about each of these movements.

Most importantly, people from all walks of life are making a difference in their various communities by becoming empowered and supported to live their God-sized, God-given dreams!

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Source: Missional Community

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