Shaping the Church's Future Through A New Discipleship Group

When we begin a new Discipleship Group, with shaping the future of the church in mind, there are several key factors for every leader to remember.  Such key factors must never be abandoned as the group continues.  These factors include: 

1. Remember you are training each group participant to think theologically.  Also, you are leading them individually to courageously explore their personal past and rethink how they arrive at theological answers. 

2.  Remember, in most cases, you are learning to relate to future leaders of the church.  Class discussions and problem-solving moments are only rehearsals that are preparing us to work together in the future.

3.  Remember, you are training them to fulfill the Vision Statement of the Church.  Nowhere else can this be taught so easily, as personal mentoring becomes part of the process.

4.  Remember, as new people come into the church, the personal identity of the church is always being affected.  Just as individuals have a personality, so do churches.  When the need exists, Discipleship is a great place for the present personal identity of the congregation to be better tweaked.           

5.  Remember to choose people for Discipleship who are teachable and willing to be trained in their ideology and philosophy of what the life of the church is all about.  

6.  Remember to look for future doors of change the church’s congregation needs to go through and allow these, if suitable, to be part of the Discipleship’s discussion.  These can become part of the group’s problem- solving exercises when discussing faith, commitment, and discerning God’s will.

To sum it up: 

The writer of Proverbs reminds us all that iron sharpens iron. In the Amplified Version, Proverbs 27:17 reads, “Iron sharpens iron: so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend [to show rage or worthy purpose].”  Shaping the church’s future sounds like a long hard tedious task when we think of pieces of cold iron.  Teachers of groups shape groups, and groups shape their teachers.  Both are continually agents of the Holy Spirit as the future of the church is shaped by Discipleship.  If there is any friction around you, make the most of it. Iron does sharpen iron and he who has begun a good work in you will complete it.  Real Discipleship always shapes the church’s future.   

Happy Discipling!!