Leading An
MCG
Missional Community Group
“Their (the leaders in the Church) responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”
EPHESIANS 4: 12
EPHESIANS 4: 12
THANK YOU
Leading a Missional Community Group is often a thankless task, and so we want to begin by saying a big THANK YOU! Whether you’ve been leading for a long time, or have only just begun, Disciples Church would not be the vibrant community of faith that it is without the tireless work that you, and the other MCG leaders, invest into our people.
While it is easier to focus on how long the road is to where we want our people to be; and all that we could be doing if we were seeing greater Gospel growth, or more leaders raised up, it is important to reflect on how far God has brought us. Ponder for a moment on the growth that has occurred during the past year or two - in your own life, or the life of another person in your MCG, the growth in the lives of those you’re leading and the growth across our church family as a whole. God is at work! Lives are being changed, and although it is often slower than we would like, it is happening. We are seeing people growing in their faith and Christlike character. We are seeing generosity, in many different forms, increase. We are seeing Outreach, Care, and Discipleship happen in our groups in a greater variety of ways and with greater frequency. Best of all we are seeing people come to saving faith in Jesus. Lord willing, many of those Not-Yet-Believers who engage with our MCG’s regularly will soon do the same!
We would not be where we are today without your sacrificial input and investment! We are so very thankful that you are willing to serve our people by seeking to mature and equip them for Kingdom work.
While it is easier to focus on how long the road is to where we want our people to be; and all that we could be doing if we were seeing greater Gospel growth, or more leaders raised up, it is important to reflect on how far God has brought us. Ponder for a moment on the growth that has occurred during the past year or two - in your own life, or the life of another person in your MCG, the growth in the lives of those you’re leading and the growth across our church family as a whole. God is at work! Lives are being changed, and although it is often slower than we would like, it is happening. We are seeing people growing in their faith and Christlike character. We are seeing generosity, in many different forms, increase. We are seeing Outreach, Care, and Discipleship happen in our groups in a greater variety of ways and with greater frequency. Best of all we are seeing people come to saving faith in Jesus. Lord willing, many of those Not-Yet-Believers who engage with our MCG’s regularly will soon do the same!
We would not be where we are today without your sacrificial input and investment! We are so very thankful that you are willing to serve our people by seeking to mature and equip them for Kingdom work.
We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defence. We serve God whether people honour us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.
2 CORINTHIANS 6: 3 - 10
2 CORINTHIANS 6: 3 - 10
A LIFE LAID DOWN
The call to be a Missional Community Group Leader is massive. Ultimately, it is a call to lay down your life to serve. It is a huge challenge to continuously live a sacrificial life so that others can grow to Gospel maturity and be equipped for ministry. Your life is on display, your time is in high demand, and you serve as the front line of pastoral ministry to those that you shepherd, as you lead an MCG.
This lifestyle is costly but the reward is great. Both in this life - seeing people transformed by Jesus working in them - and in Christ’s eternal kingdom, where He will reward His faithful servants. Having a front-row seat to what the Holy Spirit is doing in people is such a wonderful and privileged position. But it is, more often than not, a slow and messy process. We have to continually hold onto Gospel hope for sinful people, even when they are giving us very little reason to do so. Remember, there is no one who is beyond the transforming power of the Holy Spirit!
There is a huge amount of wisdom and grace needed to lead an MCG well. In fact, it would be an impossible task without the help of our precious saviour, Jesus. For this reason, as leaders, we need to abide in Him (John 15: 1 - 17). We are completely dependant on God to move in the lives of those we are leading if we are going to achieve any of the outcomes we want from our MCG’s. We need to be people of prayer. We need to be soaked in His Word. We need to encourage each other to press into Jesus when things are rough, and when all is smooth sailing. We need to be rejoicing with each other when we see God doing His good work in our communities. Leadership can be a lonely place and so we want to have a great camaraderie among the MCG leaders where we see this kind of encouragement happening regularly.
We pray that as you begin, or continue, in your role as an MCG leader that you will know God’s power at work in you and those you are leading. That He will continuously show you that He is enough and that He has empowered you with everything you need to do this work for His Glory.
God bless you,
The DC Elders.
This lifestyle is costly but the reward is great. Both in this life - seeing people transformed by Jesus working in them - and in Christ’s eternal kingdom, where He will reward His faithful servants. Having a front-row seat to what the Holy Spirit is doing in people is such a wonderful and privileged position. But it is, more often than not, a slow and messy process. We have to continually hold onto Gospel hope for sinful people, even when they are giving us very little reason to do so. Remember, there is no one who is beyond the transforming power of the Holy Spirit!
There is a huge amount of wisdom and grace needed to lead an MCG well. In fact, it would be an impossible task without the help of our precious saviour, Jesus. For this reason, as leaders, we need to abide in Him (John 15: 1 - 17). We are completely dependant on God to move in the lives of those we are leading if we are going to achieve any of the outcomes we want from our MCG’s. We need to be people of prayer. We need to be soaked in His Word. We need to encourage each other to press into Jesus when things are rough, and when all is smooth sailing. We need to be rejoicing with each other when we see God doing His good work in our communities. Leadership can be a lonely place and so we want to have a great camaraderie among the MCG leaders where we see this kind of encouragement happening regularly.
We pray that as you begin, or continue, in your role as an MCG leader that you will know God’s power at work in you and those you are leading. That He will continuously show you that He is enough and that He has empowered you with everything you need to do this work for His Glory.
God bless you,
The DC Elders.
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 THESSALONIANS 5: 16 - 18
1 THESSALONIANS 5: 16 - 18
THE FRONTLINE OF MINISTRY
Our desire is that our MCG’s would be the engine room of ministry in the life of DC. Although many other aspects of church life, like teaching on Sunday’s and our Biblical conferences, provide valuable input for us and our people, we want our MCG’s to be the place where the implications of what we are learning are worked out in the context of relationships. The people that you share fellowship with most closely can help you live out those truths as you grow in your new Gospel identity. For us as leaders, a significant part of our role is to help facilitate this growth: help people to apply God’s Word to their lives in the ordinary and everyday moments of life.
Probably the two most important factors for us as leaders in this are prayer and intentionality in those relationships. Prayer is critical because it is the Lord who is doing the work in softening and changing hearts; we get to play a co-labouring role in what He is doing but we are helpless to bring about the work of Christlike transformation without Him. Our intentionality is also of great importance. We could have many pleasant friendships with people in our MCG’s but unless we are continually pointing those we lead towards Jesus then that is all they will be: nice friendships. The Gospel needs to remain central in all we do. And while not every interaction or conversation will be completely “spiritual”, as leaders, we need to constantly be on the lookout for Gospel inroads; places where life intersects with the big picture story of what God is doing.
As we seek to lead others to have deep, real, and Gospel-Centred relationships it is essential that our personal relationship with God is fuelling our relationships with others. If it doesn’t, then the many relational bumps we may experience along the way will shake us. It can be good and valuable for us to have friendships within our groups but we should never become overly dependant upon them.
As leaders, we need to be able to let growth in our people be an encouragement to us, which most people naturally find easy. The much harder thing for us to do, which most people find very difficult, is not to let lack of growth, disappointment, or hurt cause us to be so discouraged that it overshadows our leadership and our lives. To be able to do this we need to be pushing hard into Jesus and constantly handing these hard things over to Him!
Probably the two most important factors for us as leaders in this are prayer and intentionality in those relationships. Prayer is critical because it is the Lord who is doing the work in softening and changing hearts; we get to play a co-labouring role in what He is doing but we are helpless to bring about the work of Christlike transformation without Him. Our intentionality is also of great importance. We could have many pleasant friendships with people in our MCG’s but unless we are continually pointing those we lead towards Jesus then that is all they will be: nice friendships. The Gospel needs to remain central in all we do. And while not every interaction or conversation will be completely “spiritual”, as leaders, we need to constantly be on the lookout for Gospel inroads; places where life intersects with the big picture story of what God is doing.
As we seek to lead others to have deep, real, and Gospel-Centred relationships it is essential that our personal relationship with God is fuelling our relationships with others. If it doesn’t, then the many relational bumps we may experience along the way will shake us. It can be good and valuable for us to have friendships within our groups but we should never become overly dependant upon them.
As leaders, we need to be able to let growth in our people be an encouragement to us, which most people naturally find easy. The much harder thing for us to do, which most people find very difficult, is not to let lack of growth, disappointment, or hurt cause us to be so discouraged that it overshadows our leadership and our lives. To be able to do this we need to be pushing hard into Jesus and constantly handing these hard things over to Him!
Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.
1 TIMOTHY 4: 12
1 TIMOTHY 4: 12
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Jesus spoke of a different kind of leadership for His followers. He set a perfect example for those who follow Him. We can never do that, but we can always point our people to Jesus.
He was a servant leader (Mark 10: 45). He was a humble leader (John 13: 1 - 17). His leadership involved sacrifice (John 10: 1 - 18). He was an incarnate leader.
As leaders who follow in Jesus’ footsteps, our desire should be the same as Paul’s laid out in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “…you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.” We are both following Jesus ourselves and calling others to follow Him more closely. As we share our lives with those we lead, they should be able to see Jesus at work in us. It should be clear that we are both products of, and completely dependant upon, His grace. In the Gospel, we are freed to lead in a way that allows our flaws to be laid bare - we don’t need to be perfect because Jesus was perfect on our behalf. At the same time, those we are leading should be witnesses to the Gospel’s transforming power at work in our lives. They will see the Holy Spirit changing us and that should create in them a greater desire to let Him be transforming them too! This kind of leadership requires inviting people into your life. They get to see you growing to be more like Jesus.
On a slightly more pragmatic note, those you are leading should be able to see you live out Outreach, Care and Discipleship in tangible ways. You can’t lead people to places you aren’t willing to go yourself. Those we lead will take their cues from us in these areas so it is important as leaders to be modelling well what each of these aspects of MCG life can look like. If we aren’t displaying and setting an example of what OCD should look like then it is going extremely difficult for those we are leading to do it well.
We don’t have to be flawless but we do need to try to do each of these things well. We should be modelling them to our people as well as explaining to them what to do.
He was a servant leader (Mark 10: 45). He was a humble leader (John 13: 1 - 17). His leadership involved sacrifice (John 10: 1 - 18). He was an incarnate leader.
As leaders who follow in Jesus’ footsteps, our desire should be the same as Paul’s laid out in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “…you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.” We are both following Jesus ourselves and calling others to follow Him more closely. As we share our lives with those we lead, they should be able to see Jesus at work in us. It should be clear that we are both products of, and completely dependant upon, His grace. In the Gospel, we are freed to lead in a way that allows our flaws to be laid bare - we don’t need to be perfect because Jesus was perfect on our behalf. At the same time, those we are leading should be witnesses to the Gospel’s transforming power at work in our lives. They will see the Holy Spirit changing us and that should create in them a greater desire to let Him be transforming them too! This kind of leadership requires inviting people into your life. They get to see you growing to be more like Jesus.
On a slightly more pragmatic note, those you are leading should be able to see you live out Outreach, Care and Discipleship in tangible ways. You can’t lead people to places you aren’t willing to go yourself. Those we lead will take their cues from us in these areas so it is important as leaders to be modelling well what each of these aspects of MCG life can look like. If we aren’t displaying and setting an example of what OCD should look like then it is going extremely difficult for those we are leading to do it well.
We don’t have to be flawless but we do need to try to do each of these things well. We should be modelling them to our people as well as explaining to them what to do.
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
MATTHEW 28: 19 - 20
MATTHEW 28: 19 - 20
OUTREACH
Many churches seek to do outreach by holding some kind of large style event, like a concert or conference. Though these things can be helpful, we would seek to use them only as a way of supporting our primary strategy for outreach – building relationships. A big event might be the first point of contact and an opportunity to invite someone along. However, there will always be a more significant impact if there is an ongoing relationship. Knowing people and loving them well opens doors for deep ministry. Sharing the Gospel by sharing life with people is the best way to be a consistent witness for Jesus and to lead people to Him. They get to not only hear you proclaim the Gospel (which is critically important to do) but they get to see the Gospel being lived out in your life; both the ordinary and extraordinary moments.
Typically, this is the area that people in our MCG’s struggle with most. They know there is a calling to do it but often aren’t sure where or how to start, especially if they’ve come from a church background where outreach is an event, or something that is done by professional and/or “super-Christians”. The most valuable thing that we can do as leaders is to lead by example in this: both on a practical front and on a spiritual one. We need to be in prayer for the lost people that God has placed around us, and be inviting others to be praying for them with us. We also need to be setting an example of what outreach might look like by doing it ourselves and inviting others from our MCG along so they can see relational outreach in action.
Ask your people where God has put them, and who He has surrounded them with. Where are their opportunities to love and serve those who don’t know Him? How can they build those relationships, and is there a platform in place within your group that can help them do that effectively?
Here are some simple starter ideas in the area of Outreach: Get to know your neighbours/co-workers and their stories (where they grew up, hobbies/interests, family/cultural background etc); invite NYB into the ordinary rhythms of MCG life (where fitting and appropriate); be asking your group to pray when you have an engagement with a NYB (before or after or both) and encourage them to be doing the same; be hospitable - invite people to share a meal, throw parties, have board game night, host viewings of sporting events; get members of your group to join the same sporting team; exercise together; be a regular at a venue (cafe/restaurant) and get to know the staff; Attend and participate in local community events; look for opportunities to serve in the community together; if you have several families attending the same school, look for ways you could serve or be a blessing to the school community together.
There are so many different ways to be Outreaching to NYB’s. Be creative, ask the members of your group what they think might work for their NYB friends. Chat to other group leaders about what has worked well in the past. But most importantly be praying that whatever you do the Holy Spirit will be going before you and softening people’s hearts.
Typically, this is the area that people in our MCG’s struggle with most. They know there is a calling to do it but often aren’t sure where or how to start, especially if they’ve come from a church background where outreach is an event, or something that is done by professional and/or “super-Christians”. The most valuable thing that we can do as leaders is to lead by example in this: both on a practical front and on a spiritual one. We need to be in prayer for the lost people that God has placed around us, and be inviting others to be praying for them with us. We also need to be setting an example of what outreach might look like by doing it ourselves and inviting others from our MCG along so they can see relational outreach in action.
Ask your people where God has put them, and who He has surrounded them with. Where are their opportunities to love and serve those who don’t know Him? How can they build those relationships, and is there a platform in place within your group that can help them do that effectively?
Here are some simple starter ideas in the area of Outreach: Get to know your neighbours/co-workers and their stories (where they grew up, hobbies/interests, family/cultural background etc); invite NYB into the ordinary rhythms of MCG life (where fitting and appropriate); be asking your group to pray when you have an engagement with a NYB (before or after or both) and encourage them to be doing the same; be hospitable - invite people to share a meal, throw parties, have board game night, host viewings of sporting events; get members of your group to join the same sporting team; exercise together; be a regular at a venue (cafe/restaurant) and get to know the staff; Attend and participate in local community events; look for opportunities to serve in the community together; if you have several families attending the same school, look for ways you could serve or be a blessing to the school community together.
There are so many different ways to be Outreaching to NYB’s. Be creative, ask the members of your group what they think might work for their NYB friends. Chat to other group leaders about what has worked well in the past. But most importantly be praying that whatever you do the Holy Spirit will be going before you and softening people’s hearts.
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.
JOHN 13: 34 - 35
JOHN 13: 34 - 35
CARE
We want to be looking after our brothers and sisters in Christ as we share life with them. To care for each other means that we should know each other well enough to be aware of each other’s needs, physically, emotionally and spiritually. This means actively pursuing genuine friendships within your group. Maybe someone is sick and needs a meal or some help with the housework. Maybe someone is doing it tough financially and people from your MCG could chip in to buy some groceries. Someone could be grieving and needs extra prayer and support. You might ask how God spoke to someone through the sermon or what he or she is reading in the Bible. We weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who are rejoicing. We bear one another’s burdens. In essence, you can take any of the ‘one another's’ we are instructed to live out in the New Testament and place it under the heading of ‘Care.’ We want these to be lived out within MCG families.
The most repeated of these is to love one another (Jn 13: 34, 15: 12, 17; Romans 13: 8; 1 Thessalonians 3: 12, 4: 9; 1 Peter 1: 22; 1 John 3: 11, 4: 7, 11; 2 John 5). Having this love for another is clear evidence to the world around us that we belong to Christ. You will find this easier to do with some people more than others. But regardless we need to love our people with a deep, genuine love!
Many of the other "one another" references can be grouped together into a few board categories - for example, unity and humility. If we seek to be gracious, forgiving, patience, kind, tender-hearted and accepting it will promote unity. If we try not to complain or grumble against each other but rather build one another up, spur each other on towards love and good deeds, confess our sins to each other, bear one another’s burdens, pray faithfully for each other and lovely speak the truths of Jesus to each then unity will and abound and our communities will flourish. For any of us to be able to do this it will require great humility and selflessness. This is another opportunity for us to model a growing Christlikeness - when we do this well it is clear; and when we don’t, we can model repentance and point our people to the only one who does it perfectly: Jesus.
What are some more practical ways to lead by example in this area? We need to set the tone by actively getting to know our group members, pursuing them relationally and facilitating opportunities for others to do the same. This is why regular social engagements are really helpful as they provide the chance for these kinds of friendships to be cultivated. We can’t expect that everyone will be able to come along to everything but all we can do is provide opportunities - and rather than be disappointed when numbers are low, we should see that as a chance to seek to go deeper with those few. When there are seasons where it is tricky to be connected face to face, for whatever reason, we can stay in touch by texts, phone calls, zooms etc.
Of course, there is always caring for practical needs - meals for sick, helping with practical tasks (mowing lawn, moving house etc), financial assistance where needed - just to name a few. And most importantly, remaining faithful in prayer for those you lead.
The most repeated of these is to love one another (Jn 13: 34, 15: 12, 17; Romans 13: 8; 1 Thessalonians 3: 12, 4: 9; 1 Peter 1: 22; 1 John 3: 11, 4: 7, 11; 2 John 5). Having this love for another is clear evidence to the world around us that we belong to Christ. You will find this easier to do with some people more than others. But regardless we need to love our people with a deep, genuine love!
Many of the other "one another" references can be grouped together into a few board categories - for example, unity and humility. If we seek to be gracious, forgiving, patience, kind, tender-hearted and accepting it will promote unity. If we try not to complain or grumble against each other but rather build one another up, spur each other on towards love and good deeds, confess our sins to each other, bear one another’s burdens, pray faithfully for each other and lovely speak the truths of Jesus to each then unity will and abound and our communities will flourish. For any of us to be able to do this it will require great humility and selflessness. This is another opportunity for us to model a growing Christlikeness - when we do this well it is clear; and when we don’t, we can model repentance and point our people to the only one who does it perfectly: Jesus.
What are some more practical ways to lead by example in this area? We need to set the tone by actively getting to know our group members, pursuing them relationally and facilitating opportunities for others to do the same. This is why regular social engagements are really helpful as they provide the chance for these kinds of friendships to be cultivated. We can’t expect that everyone will be able to come along to everything but all we can do is provide opportunities - and rather than be disappointed when numbers are low, we should see that as a chance to seek to go deeper with those few. When there are seasons where it is tricky to be connected face to face, for whatever reason, we can stay in touch by texts, phone calls, zooms etc.
Of course, there is always caring for practical needs - meals for sick, helping with practical tasks (mowing lawn, moving house etc), financial assistance where needed - just to name a few. And most importantly, remaining faithful in prayer for those you lead.
Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labour.
2 TIMOTHY 2: 1 - 6
Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labour.
2 TIMOTHY 2: 1 - 6
DISCIPLESHIP
This is where the rubber meets the road. Discipleship is a regular one-to-one or small group (DNA) meet up where we seek to intensify growth on our walk with Jesus. A Discipler will invest into a Disciplee with the aim being to grow them in grace. This means seeking transformation to become more Christ-like, dealing with sin through repentance, developing a richer understanding of the Gospel and our identity in Christ, and learning more about the character of God and what life with Jesus at the centre is about. Most meet-ups will have a time of reading (the Bible or another good Christian book) or maybe video content, a time of focussing in on the application of what we’re learning to our hearts, time to ponder and chat about how to live it out, and a time of prayer committing it all to God.
Our goal is to raise up many Disciplers. We seek to use discipleship as a way of raising up these leaders but the process can be slow going. What they see and learn from us, they should be able to model to others in time. The experts say it generally takes 2-5 years of discipleship before someone is ready to reproduce – that is, take on their own disciple. We have discovered a helpful framework to assist with this is the DNA model used by Soma. Check out or review this intro video (https://saturatetheworld.com/resource/equip-an-mc/details-of-a-dna/) and chat to Sly if you don’t yet have a copy of the DNA Booklet that goes along with it. This will give you a basic framework to use that is easily reproduced - DNA as the acronym used for this - Discover (including the 4 Gospel Fluency Questions), Nurture, Act.
Not everyone who is connected with an MCG will be ready for this kind of direct investment - and that is ok - you invest where investment is wanted. If someone is serious about wanting to be in a discipling relationship then they will prioritise it; be committed to showing up regularly and to any ‘homework’ components (doing the required reading for example). Prioritise your time to invest into those who display these things, beginning with the Members in your MCG. If you have capacity and attenders who are keen for investment, then you can be discipling them too. (Although, it is probably worth having a conversation early on about membership and determining if/why there is a barrier in their minds).
We need to be wise not to overestimate our role in this process. We need to continually encourage people towards spiritual growth but we are not ultimately responsible for it. The Holy Spirit is the only person who can change a heart. We should be pointing those we lead towards Jesus consistently, urging them to keep growing and helping them see a next tangible step in the process of becoming like Jesus. Be wise and prayerful about how and when to apply pressure. Pushing too hard often leads to frustrated or angry responses. We need to be trusting the leading of the Holy Spirit and trusting Him to bring conviction in His timing in the lives of those we are investing into. Pray, pray, pray for Him to move!
Since Discipleship is both a science (requiring a methodology) and an art form (fluid and flexible) this process will likely look different from person to person. We need to develop skills to be able to cater to the unique journey that Jesus has each individual on but at the same time enough of a system that they will be able to take on what they have learnt and pass it onto others.
The command to make disciples was the final words that Jesus left with us and so we should work hard to make disciples who will make disciples. Doing so will empower others for effective gospel ministry, expand His Kingdom and bring glory to His name.
Our goal is to raise up many Disciplers. We seek to use discipleship as a way of raising up these leaders but the process can be slow going. What they see and learn from us, they should be able to model to others in time. The experts say it generally takes 2-5 years of discipleship before someone is ready to reproduce – that is, take on their own disciple. We have discovered a helpful framework to assist with this is the DNA model used by Soma. Check out or review this intro video (https://saturatetheworld.com/resource/equip-an-mc/details-of-a-dna/) and chat to Sly if you don’t yet have a copy of the DNA Booklet that goes along with it. This will give you a basic framework to use that is easily reproduced - DNA as the acronym used for this - Discover (including the 4 Gospel Fluency Questions), Nurture, Act.
Not everyone who is connected with an MCG will be ready for this kind of direct investment - and that is ok - you invest where investment is wanted. If someone is serious about wanting to be in a discipling relationship then they will prioritise it; be committed to showing up regularly and to any ‘homework’ components (doing the required reading for example). Prioritise your time to invest into those who display these things, beginning with the Members in your MCG. If you have capacity and attenders who are keen for investment, then you can be discipling them too. (Although, it is probably worth having a conversation early on about membership and determining if/why there is a barrier in their minds).
We need to be wise not to overestimate our role in this process. We need to continually encourage people towards spiritual growth but we are not ultimately responsible for it. The Holy Spirit is the only person who can change a heart. We should be pointing those we lead towards Jesus consistently, urging them to keep growing and helping them see a next tangible step in the process of becoming like Jesus. Be wise and prayerful about how and when to apply pressure. Pushing too hard often leads to frustrated or angry responses. We need to be trusting the leading of the Holy Spirit and trusting Him to bring conviction in His timing in the lives of those we are investing into. Pray, pray, pray for Him to move!
Since Discipleship is both a science (requiring a methodology) and an art form (fluid and flexible) this process will likely look different from person to person. We need to develop skills to be able to cater to the unique journey that Jesus has each individual on but at the same time enough of a system that they will be able to take on what they have learnt and pass it onto others.
The command to make disciples was the final words that Jesus left with us and so we should work hard to make disciples who will make disciples. Doing so will empower others for effective gospel ministry, expand His Kingdom and bring glory to His name.
So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.
COLOSSIANS 1: 28 - 29
COLOSSIANS 1: 28 - 29
SETTING YOUR GROUP RHYTHMS
The three key elements of an MCG are Outreach, Care and Discipleship. We want to see each of these components having a regular place in MCG life. As you lead your group to plan out its weeks and months, be aware of how to factor each of these in some way. Below are some suggestions, and basic methods that have worked for others to give you some ideas (if needed).
Our MCG’s should have at least one opportunity to invite Not-Yet-Believers along each month. These can vary from all-in activities, guys and girls evenings, playdates, or even just a family inviting over some Not-Yet-Believing friends for dinner and asking the MCG to be praying for them.
Care is most likely to happen in many small ways among the members of the MCG from week to week. On occasions, there will be a need that is sufficient enough that it may require some coordination from you as the leader. It normally doesn’t take too long, or too much encouragement, for participants to be able to initiate some of this off their own bat.
Most have found that a fortnightly discipleship rhythm works best for DNAs. It means that for households with kids only mum or dad is out once a week (and because we currently have a lot of households with young children this is a blessing to them). For some people (usually those just starting the journey), one-to-one works better for a season. There may even be times and reasons to be doing weekly discipleship with individuals, couples or groups - e.g. Working through HPC or Gospel Fluency or doing some more intensive personal ministry for those working through heavy issues.
Again, these are just suggestions. Be in discussion with your MCG about what will work best for you as a group. Many of our groups have found it helpful to do an annual reset in January to reaffirm what their group rhythms will be for the following year.
When it comes to establishing these rhythms, we have observed there is normally a bit of a pattern that emerges. In the early stages of an MCG, the leaders need to drive and facilitate the majority of these elements - sometimes even just hosting regular social gatherings to help build relationships. Once a decent level of friendship develops, these elements begin to happen more organically. When fellowship and care within an MCG start to occur naturally, then it normally doesn’t take too much of a push to get the group to be working on mission together - whether that’s supporting each other as individuals, or on a corporate level. Then it (slowly) becomes more normal for Not-Yet-Believer’s to be hanging around with the MCG regularly. This is a healthy place for our MCG’s to be as we seek to expand Christ’s Kingdom.
Our MCG’s should have at least one opportunity to invite Not-Yet-Believers along each month. These can vary from all-in activities, guys and girls evenings, playdates, or even just a family inviting over some Not-Yet-Believing friends for dinner and asking the MCG to be praying for them.
Care is most likely to happen in many small ways among the members of the MCG from week to week. On occasions, there will be a need that is sufficient enough that it may require some coordination from you as the leader. It normally doesn’t take too long, or too much encouragement, for participants to be able to initiate some of this off their own bat.
Most have found that a fortnightly discipleship rhythm works best for DNAs. It means that for households with kids only mum or dad is out once a week (and because we currently have a lot of households with young children this is a blessing to them). For some people (usually those just starting the journey), one-to-one works better for a season. There may even be times and reasons to be doing weekly discipleship with individuals, couples or groups - e.g. Working through HPC or Gospel Fluency or doing some more intensive personal ministry for those working through heavy issues.
Again, these are just suggestions. Be in discussion with your MCG about what will work best for you as a group. Many of our groups have found it helpful to do an annual reset in January to reaffirm what their group rhythms will be for the following year.
When it comes to establishing these rhythms, we have observed there is normally a bit of a pattern that emerges. In the early stages of an MCG, the leaders need to drive and facilitate the majority of these elements - sometimes even just hosting regular social gatherings to help build relationships. Once a decent level of friendship develops, these elements begin to happen more organically. When fellowship and care within an MCG start to occur naturally, then it normally doesn’t take too much of a push to get the group to be working on mission together - whether that’s supporting each other as individuals, or on a corporate level. Then it (slowly) becomes more normal for Not-Yet-Believer’s to be hanging around with the MCG regularly. This is a healthy place for our MCG’s to be as we seek to expand Christ’s Kingdom.
OUR GOALS FOR MCGs
We hand out M&M chocolates at our leaders’ meetings to remind us that our goals for MCGs are Maturity and Multiplication.
Sadly, maturity often gets reduced to knowledge and commitment. If someone has a decent level of Biblical knowledge and shows up to church events fairly regularly, then many would consider them a ‘mature’ Christian. These aspects can be indicators of maturity but they are far from a full picture. What is far more important is that a person is displaying the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) as these are indicators of Christ-likeness being produced in them.
We want to see our people better reflecting Jesus to all around them - both those who are believing the Gospel and those who are yet to believe it. As their hearts are transformed by the Holy Spirit to be more like the heart of Christ then they will be more Gospel centred and driven, more christ-like in their character, more focused on others rather than themselves, and more willing to structure and live their lives with Kingdom priorities.
As people become more like Jesus and prioritise His Kingdom, one of the out-workings will be a desire to invest into the lives of others - to help others be living out of the new identity they have in Jesus - so that they, in turn, will be able to help someone else once they are matured and equipped to do so. This happens through the process of discipleship. We should be disciples of Jesus, who makes disciples of Jesus, who will continue to make disciples of Jesus (2 Tim 2:2). As these disciples are matured and equipped then more leaders will rise up. As more leaders arise, then we will be able to multiply more Missional Community Groups. As multiplication continues to happen by God’s grace more churches will be planted, as more people are prepared and sent into the mission field.
We long to see Disciples Church be a place where this kind of multiplication occurs. That we would see believers giving over more of their lives daily to the Lord Jesus, His plans and purposes, and His Kingdom. We want to be able to equip you so that you can equip others and our hope is that the little part of the body that is Disciples Church will be filled with mature believers who can invest into others through discipleship. We want to be making disciples, who will make disciples. In this way, we will increase the Gospel impact we have upon the places where God has placed us.
As leaders, the biggest thing we can do is constantly be in prayer for greater maturity and multiplication - first in us and then in those we are leading. Because you are leaders or those in the process of becoming leaders, you most likely know about OCD quite well. We have touched briefly on each, in a very basic way, just to remind and refocus you on these key components of leading a Missional Community Group.
Sadly, maturity often gets reduced to knowledge and commitment. If someone has a decent level of Biblical knowledge and shows up to church events fairly regularly, then many would consider them a ‘mature’ Christian. These aspects can be indicators of maturity but they are far from a full picture. What is far more important is that a person is displaying the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) as these are indicators of Christ-likeness being produced in them.
We want to see our people better reflecting Jesus to all around them - both those who are believing the Gospel and those who are yet to believe it. As their hearts are transformed by the Holy Spirit to be more like the heart of Christ then they will be more Gospel centred and driven, more christ-like in their character, more focused on others rather than themselves, and more willing to structure and live their lives with Kingdom priorities.
As people become more like Jesus and prioritise His Kingdom, one of the out-workings will be a desire to invest into the lives of others - to help others be living out of the new identity they have in Jesus - so that they, in turn, will be able to help someone else once they are matured and equipped to do so. This happens through the process of discipleship. We should be disciples of Jesus, who makes disciples of Jesus, who will continue to make disciples of Jesus (2 Tim 2:2). As these disciples are matured and equipped then more leaders will rise up. As more leaders arise, then we will be able to multiply more Missional Community Groups. As multiplication continues to happen by God’s grace more churches will be planted, as more people are prepared and sent into the mission field.
We long to see Disciples Church be a place where this kind of multiplication occurs. That we would see believers giving over more of their lives daily to the Lord Jesus, His plans and purposes, and His Kingdom. We want to be able to equip you so that you can equip others and our hope is that the little part of the body that is Disciples Church will be filled with mature believers who can invest into others through discipleship. We want to be making disciples, who will make disciples. In this way, we will increase the Gospel impact we have upon the places where God has placed us.
As leaders, the biggest thing we can do is constantly be in prayer for greater maturity and multiplication - first in us and then in those we are leading. Because you are leaders or those in the process of becoming leaders, you most likely know about OCD quite well. We have touched briefly on each, in a very basic way, just to remind and refocus you on these key components of leading a Missional Community Group.
So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.
COLOSSIANS 1: 28 - 29
COLOSSIANS 1: 28 - 29
MATURITY
Simply put Christian maturity is Christ-likeness. Now obviously none of us is going to reach complete Christ-likeness in this lifetime but we should always desire to be becoming more like Him. The more our lives reflect Jesus, the more mature in the faith we will be.
Emulating the Son of God is an impossible task without the Holy Spirit at work in us. But by His transforming power, we can grow more and more into the image of Christ. Even as leaders (or leaders of leaders) we have a long way to go in our transformation into Christ-likeness. The greatest way for us to keep growing into the image of Christ is to be beholding who Jesus is. The more we look to Him, we more we keep our eyes fixed upon Him, the more our awe and adoration for Him grows, the more we deepen our own personal intimacy with Jesus, the more our lives will reflect His.
To help define maturity it is beneficial to examine and clarify a couple of areas that are commonly mistaken, or taken to be good enough, to consider a person to be mature.
Maturity is not just knowledge. Plenty of people can know scripture and not apply it or apply it badly. The Pharisees that Jesus rebuked regularly are a good Biblical example (check John 5:39-40). Knowledge needs to be impacting a person’s life; the information needs to lead to transformation for that life to be becoming more like Jesus’ life.
Maturity is not just commitment (although it is a necessary part). Just because someone is faithful in attendance and is interested in leadership does not necessarily make them leadership material. The heart and motivation behind why they are showing up is just as important as them actually being there.
All that being said, there are a number of key areas where people need to exhibit a level of maturity before they can be leading an MCG.
Humility - not thinking of yourself too highly, being able to put the needs of others above your own, willing to serve and take on the lowly tasks when needed.
Teachability - willing to keep learning, admitting that you don’t know everything, and being keen to take input from others.
Self-feeding - being so enthusiastic and desiring to keep growing in your faith that you are proactively investing into it - regularly and consistently.
Gentleness - showing Christ-like responses under pressure, and not talking down to people or responding in anger to confrontation or difficulties.
Integrity - in walking out faith and repentance transparently.
Finally, in a practical sense, to lead a group you need to be able to ‘lead/set an example’ in each of the OCD areas. This often includes a certain relational and functional capacity. As we seek to prepare others to lead, we should be giving them opportunities to do just that. There should be a lot that happens naturally within group life; you see them stepping up in these areas - but also seek to create ‘formal’ opportunities where they can rise to the challenge and display their ability to do OCD well. The character components are of first importance over the practical, but a person will need both if they are to lead an MCG successfully.
Emulating the Son of God is an impossible task without the Holy Spirit at work in us. But by His transforming power, we can grow more and more into the image of Christ. Even as leaders (or leaders of leaders) we have a long way to go in our transformation into Christ-likeness. The greatest way for us to keep growing into the image of Christ is to be beholding who Jesus is. The more we look to Him, we more we keep our eyes fixed upon Him, the more our awe and adoration for Him grows, the more we deepen our own personal intimacy with Jesus, the more our lives will reflect His.
To help define maturity it is beneficial to examine and clarify a couple of areas that are commonly mistaken, or taken to be good enough, to consider a person to be mature.
Maturity is not just knowledge. Plenty of people can know scripture and not apply it or apply it badly. The Pharisees that Jesus rebuked regularly are a good Biblical example (check John 5:39-40). Knowledge needs to be impacting a person’s life; the information needs to lead to transformation for that life to be becoming more like Jesus’ life.
Maturity is not just commitment (although it is a necessary part). Just because someone is faithful in attendance and is interested in leadership does not necessarily make them leadership material. The heart and motivation behind why they are showing up is just as important as them actually being there.
All that being said, there are a number of key areas where people need to exhibit a level of maturity before they can be leading an MCG.
Humility - not thinking of yourself too highly, being able to put the needs of others above your own, willing to serve and take on the lowly tasks when needed.
Teachability - willing to keep learning, admitting that you don’t know everything, and being keen to take input from others.
Self-feeding - being so enthusiastic and desiring to keep growing in your faith that you are proactively investing into it - regularly and consistently.
Gentleness - showing Christ-like responses under pressure, and not talking down to people or responding in anger to confrontation or difficulties.
Integrity - in walking out faith and repentance transparently.
Finally, in a practical sense, to lead a group you need to be able to ‘lead/set an example’ in each of the OCD areas. This often includes a certain relational and functional capacity. As we seek to prepare others to lead, we should be giving them opportunities to do just that. There should be a lot that happens naturally within group life; you see them stepping up in these areas - but also seek to create ‘formal’ opportunities where they can rise to the challenge and display their ability to do OCD well. The character components are of first importance over the practical, but a person will need both if they are to lead an MCG successfully.
THE BIG TRANSITION POINTS
Maturing in Christ takes time - your whole life as a Christian in fact! While, this side of Heaven it is a journey that never ends, there are some key indicators of progress that are observable along the way. The illustration above gives a simple overview of what some of the major ones are.
Raising spiritual children takes time. Just like with physical children, the early years can feel monotonous. In the same way, as there is no microwave solution to raising children, we need to embrace the fact that shepherding people towards maturity in Christ will likely be slow going and hard work. To try to get it over quickly can only lead to frustration and disappointment. But the satisfaction, and Kingdom benefit, of having more mature and equipped believers in our MCG’s is well worth it, so stay on the discipleship grind!
Conversion - This is when the Holy Spirit brings life to a person’s dead heart and they are moved to trust and believe in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. One of the greatest privileges we have is to be a part of this journey. Although we can’t do anything to bring about a person’s conversion, our gracious God still lets us be involved by proclaiming and displaying the gospel to not-yet-believers. These spiritual ‘newborns’ need a lot of grace and input as they begin to learn about what a life following Jesus looks like. It also may be messy and complicated as they seek to transition out of a purely worldly lifestyle. The value of discipleship can not be overstated at this point in a believers life - a more mature believer helping the spiritual infant grow into their new identity in Christ and to begin having their mind transformed by God’s Word.
Self-Centred to Christ-Centred - As this growth continues there will start to be an increasing shift towards Jesus becoming the highest priority in the life of the young believer. If we remember that they are spiritual children, it should be expected that there will be a level of self-centredness. But this should be decreasing in their life as they grow in their relationship with God. We should begin to see an awareness of sin, a desire to confess and repent of it, and a growing love for Jesus.
We need to be careful not to judge too harshly or quickly when spiritual children act immaturely. Rather, we should graciously and lovingly challenge the behaviour or mindset with God’s Word and Gospel truth. We can even expect that some will respond poorly when this happens. But others will continue to grow in Christlikeness.
Self-Focussed to Others-Focussed - Next we should being to see an increasing measure of servant-heartedness in the growing believer. They become less the centre of their own universe and the desire to serve others will become more prominent. Prioritising God and His kingdom will also become more important, as the Holy Spirit continues to do His work in them. You should begin to see a greater heart for people - both God’s family and the lost. Their Gospel generosity with their time, talents and treasures should be growing. Prayer for others becomes more important. There will still be places where spiritual guidance and direction are needed but they should welcome this kind of input. It is more often than not a great joy to be investing in people who are in this spiritual life season.
Second Generation Discipleship - As people enter the spiritual parent, and Lord willing the grandparent stage, they will want to invest into others. They should continue growing a heart to see God’s children increase in maturity and for Not-Yet-Believers to come into Christ’s Kingdom. The key shift that occurs in the transition into this stage is intentionality. Spiritual parents will prioritise investing into others - it will begin with a desire, and then with some training in the early stages, they should confident and equipped to spiritually invest into others. At the start having a framework will be beneficial but as their discipleship skills are developed there may be less need for set structures. To be leading an MCG independently there would need to be a high level of confidence that those individuals were in the ‘parenting’ stage - they will be making disciples, who will in turn (by God’s grace), make more disciples. And so on goes the spiritual life cycle.
Raising spiritual children takes time. Just like with physical children, the early years can feel monotonous. In the same way, as there is no microwave solution to raising children, we need to embrace the fact that shepherding people towards maturity in Christ will likely be slow going and hard work. To try to get it over quickly can only lead to frustration and disappointment. But the satisfaction, and Kingdom benefit, of having more mature and equipped believers in our MCG’s is well worth it, so stay on the discipleship grind!
Conversion - This is when the Holy Spirit brings life to a person’s dead heart and they are moved to trust and believe in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. One of the greatest privileges we have is to be a part of this journey. Although we can’t do anything to bring about a person’s conversion, our gracious God still lets us be involved by proclaiming and displaying the gospel to not-yet-believers. These spiritual ‘newborns’ need a lot of grace and input as they begin to learn about what a life following Jesus looks like. It also may be messy and complicated as they seek to transition out of a purely worldly lifestyle. The value of discipleship can not be overstated at this point in a believers life - a more mature believer helping the spiritual infant grow into their new identity in Christ and to begin having their mind transformed by God’s Word.
Self-Centred to Christ-Centred - As this growth continues there will start to be an increasing shift towards Jesus becoming the highest priority in the life of the young believer. If we remember that they are spiritual children, it should be expected that there will be a level of self-centredness. But this should be decreasing in their life as they grow in their relationship with God. We should begin to see an awareness of sin, a desire to confess and repent of it, and a growing love for Jesus.
We need to be careful not to judge too harshly or quickly when spiritual children act immaturely. Rather, we should graciously and lovingly challenge the behaviour or mindset with God’s Word and Gospel truth. We can even expect that some will respond poorly when this happens. But others will continue to grow in Christlikeness.
Self-Focussed to Others-Focussed - Next we should being to see an increasing measure of servant-heartedness in the growing believer. They become less the centre of their own universe and the desire to serve others will become more prominent. Prioritising God and His kingdom will also become more important, as the Holy Spirit continues to do His work in them. You should begin to see a greater heart for people - both God’s family and the lost. Their Gospel generosity with their time, talents and treasures should be growing. Prayer for others becomes more important. There will still be places where spiritual guidance and direction are needed but they should welcome this kind of input. It is more often than not a great joy to be investing in people who are in this spiritual life season.
Second Generation Discipleship - As people enter the spiritual parent, and Lord willing the grandparent stage, they will want to invest into others. They should continue growing a heart to see God’s children increase in maturity and for Not-Yet-Believers to come into Christ’s Kingdom. The key shift that occurs in the transition into this stage is intentionality. Spiritual parents will prioritise investing into others - it will begin with a desire, and then with some training in the early stages, they should confident and equipped to spiritually invest into others. At the start having a framework will be beneficial but as their discipleship skills are developed there may be less need for set structures. To be leading an MCG independently there would need to be a high level of confidence that those individuals were in the ‘parenting’ stage - they will be making disciples, who will in turn (by God’s grace), make more disciples. And so on goes the spiritual life cycle.
Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
PHILIPPIANS 3: 13 - 14
PHILIPPIANS 3: 13 - 14
MULTIPLICATION
As intimated above, “discipleship is not truly discipleship until it is third generation.” Until you have helped a disciple become mature and equipped enough that they can invest into others, all you have done is invest into that person. That investment is a wonderful blessing to them and a privilege to be a part of; but until that investment is reproduced it is not achieving all that discipleship should - the full cycle of discipleship, if you will. The true measure of discipling success is not how many we are investing into but how many of those are moving on to discipling others.
Part of the reasons why we’ve adopted the DNA framework from Soma is because it gives us a method that is easy to train others to use and yet is effective at ministering the Gospel deeply. To make an easily reproducible discipleship framework is a huge blessing to new and future leaders. We never want to become ‘religious’ about it - thinking it is the best or only way to disciple, or not allowing any flexibility to group leaders - but we do want it to be a tool and process that all leaders can use to help those they are leading to grow in maturity towards Christlikeness. Multiplying disciples will lead to new leaders, who in turn can lead new groups that are formed through multiplication.
Our groups can multiply (one becoming two) when several critical milestones have been reached. Most importantly, multiplication can take place when mature and equipped leaders have emerged, who are ready to take on the task of leading a group themselves. This can happen in a variety of ways, including multiple married couples or singles who are willing to lead together (co-leaders), or leaders being sent out with a strong support couple. Married couples both need to meet the qualifications for leadership, and singles should always be considered as having leadership potential - though not completely on their own without any support. There are other things to consider in regards to multiplying, like timing, group numbers, readiness of leadership within both of the new groups, support for new leaders, core couples with the groups, and keeping discipleship relationships that are particularly helpful together, amongst other things.
Multiplication will always be bittersweet. Many members of our MCG’s will find this difficult, so we need to be regularly reminding those in our groups about "Gospel Goodbyes," both in a discipleship context and to the group as a whole. Encouraging our people to see the greater, more beautiful picture of the Kingdom of God and our responsibility to welcome others into it joyfully and sacrificially. Multiplication should be seen and a normal and inevitable part of MCG life, even though it comes with a degree of relational cost.
Part of the reasons why we’ve adopted the DNA framework from Soma is because it gives us a method that is easy to train others to use and yet is effective at ministering the Gospel deeply. To make an easily reproducible discipleship framework is a huge blessing to new and future leaders. We never want to become ‘religious’ about it - thinking it is the best or only way to disciple, or not allowing any flexibility to group leaders - but we do want it to be a tool and process that all leaders can use to help those they are leading to grow in maturity towards Christlikeness. Multiplying disciples will lead to new leaders, who in turn can lead new groups that are formed through multiplication.
Our groups can multiply (one becoming two) when several critical milestones have been reached. Most importantly, multiplication can take place when mature and equipped leaders have emerged, who are ready to take on the task of leading a group themselves. This can happen in a variety of ways, including multiple married couples or singles who are willing to lead together (co-leaders), or leaders being sent out with a strong support couple. Married couples both need to meet the qualifications for leadership, and singles should always be considered as having leadership potential - though not completely on their own without any support. There are other things to consider in regards to multiplying, like timing, group numbers, readiness of leadership within both of the new groups, support for new leaders, core couples with the groups, and keeping discipleship relationships that are particularly helpful together, amongst other things.
Multiplication will always be bittersweet. Many members of our MCG’s will find this difficult, so we need to be regularly reminding those in our groups about "Gospel Goodbyes," both in a discipleship context and to the group as a whole. Encouraging our people to see the greater, more beautiful picture of the Kingdom of God and our responsibility to welcome others into it joyfully and sacrificially. Multiplication should be seen and a normal and inevitable part of MCG life, even though it comes with a degree of relational cost.
Potential Leaders Checklist
When thinking about someone as a potential leader, go through this list and see how they possibly measure up...
Circle as appropriate
1 = not really | 2 = a little bit | 3 = getting there | 4 = yes | 5 = exemplary
Knowledgable
adept at explaining the Gospel
1 2 3 4 5
knows their way around the Bible
1 2 3 4 5
has/is developing a good grasp of sound doctrine
1 2 3 4 5
understands the DC ministry philosophy
1 2 3 4 5
has a hunger to keep learning
1 2 3 4 5
Committed
a track record of prioritising Kingdom tasks
1 2 3 4 5
do what they say they are going to do
1 2 3 4 5
reliable
1 2 3 4 5
someone you can count on
1 2 3 4 5
Mature
exhibit humility and teachability
1 2 3 4 5
highly developed understanding of their own character
1 2 3 4 5
are Christ-centered and others-focussed
1 2 3 4 5
sacrificial
1 2 3 4 5
gracious
1 2 3 4 5
pro-active self-starter
1 2 3 4 5
constant self-feeder
1 2 3 4 5
Equipped
has led someone to Christ
1 2 3 4 5
has some experience at discipling people (maybe leading or co-leading a DNA)
1 2 3 4 5
has been assisting in the leading of a group for a while
1 2 3 4 5
has completed How People Change course
1 2 3 4 5
has read The Disciple Makers Handbook
1 2 3 4 5
has completed Soma School modules 1, 4, 7-11, 13 & 16
1 2 3 4 5
has watched “A Blueprint for Making Disciples in Your Church” video
1 2 3 4 5
Circle as appropriate
1 = not really | 2 = a little bit | 3 = getting there | 4 = yes | 5 = exemplary
Knowledgable
adept at explaining the Gospel
1 2 3 4 5
knows their way around the Bible
1 2 3 4 5
has/is developing a good grasp of sound doctrine
1 2 3 4 5
understands the DC ministry philosophy
1 2 3 4 5
has a hunger to keep learning
1 2 3 4 5
Committed
a track record of prioritising Kingdom tasks
1 2 3 4 5
do what they say they are going to do
1 2 3 4 5
reliable
1 2 3 4 5
someone you can count on
1 2 3 4 5
Mature
exhibit humility and teachability
1 2 3 4 5
highly developed understanding of their own character
1 2 3 4 5
are Christ-centered and others-focussed
1 2 3 4 5
sacrificial
1 2 3 4 5
gracious
1 2 3 4 5
pro-active self-starter
1 2 3 4 5
constant self-feeder
1 2 3 4 5
Equipped
has led someone to Christ
1 2 3 4 5
has some experience at discipling people (maybe leading or co-leading a DNA)
1 2 3 4 5
has been assisting in the leading of a group for a while
1 2 3 4 5
has completed How People Change course
1 2 3 4 5
has read The Disciple Makers Handbook
1 2 3 4 5
has completed Soma School modules 1, 4, 7-11, 13 & 16
1 2 3 4 5
has watched “A Blueprint for Making Disciples in Your Church” video
1 2 3 4 5
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."
MATTHEW 11: 28
MATTHEW 11: 28
CARING FOR YOU
Leadership can sometimes be isolating and many give up from lack of support (even if that is only a by their own perception). We want to care for our MCG leaders well. First and foremost because we love them! They are also invaluable partners in the ministry and their input into the people of DC is amazing!
Here are a few of the things we have in place to help you stay encouraged and feel supported as you serve in this role.
Coaching Calls - a monthly check-in with Sly (or another coach), either over the phone or by Zoom, where you have a chance to chat through anything and everything in group life. It is a space to discuss resources, work through pastoral issues, workshop ideas about Outreach, Care, or Discipleship or anything else that may arise. It’s also a chance to talk about anything that could be shared as a testimony to encourage the church - an MCG Story.
Heart Checks - a 6 monthly check-in (normally with Greg and Fiona) that focus on you as leaders; your own walk with the Lord, your marriage (if you are), your kids (if you have them), or anything else on a personal level.
Leaders Retreat - our annual time away as leaders! We get to spend an extended period together over a few days. This involves training, updates to policy and procedures, time to share and pray and of course down-time to enjoy fellowship. It is a wonderful time to look forward to.
Quarterly Gatherings - these normally occur on a Saturday morning three times a year (leaders retreat is the fourth). It usually involves a small training/teaching component, some time to share about your group and then have the other leaders pray for you, as well as any important updates in the life of DC that could impact MCG’s.
Conferences - our one-day biblical conferences are a time for you to get some input, as well as having content that (hopefully) many in your MCG will have been exposed to (because they also attended). Then you can continue to discuss and work through it as you seek to live out the applications from what you have learnt.
We also want to encourage you to apply the rest principles we’ve looked at during leaders retreats in the past. (If you’re a new leader, chat to Sly about these). Remember to plan for days offs and holidays, have good sleep patterns (as much as possible) and make time and space for friendships that refresh you.
But most importantly, stay close to Jesus. Abide in Him (John 15: 4 - 5). He is your ultimate and most satisfying place of rest! Make sure you prioritise time to just be with the Lord regularly (daily). Renew your joy in your salvation through His Word and personal prayer. Remember, rehearse and recite Gospel truths to yourself. Read and listen to things that will build you up, strengthen you in your Gospel identity. You can always come to Jesus and find rest! (Matthew 11: 28 - 30).
Here are a few of the things we have in place to help you stay encouraged and feel supported as you serve in this role.
Coaching Calls - a monthly check-in with Sly (or another coach), either over the phone or by Zoom, where you have a chance to chat through anything and everything in group life. It is a space to discuss resources, work through pastoral issues, workshop ideas about Outreach, Care, or Discipleship or anything else that may arise. It’s also a chance to talk about anything that could be shared as a testimony to encourage the church - an MCG Story.
Heart Checks - a 6 monthly check-in (normally with Greg and Fiona) that focus on you as leaders; your own walk with the Lord, your marriage (if you are), your kids (if you have them), or anything else on a personal level.
Leaders Retreat - our annual time away as leaders! We get to spend an extended period together over a few days. This involves training, updates to policy and procedures, time to share and pray and of course down-time to enjoy fellowship. It is a wonderful time to look forward to.
Quarterly Gatherings - these normally occur on a Saturday morning three times a year (leaders retreat is the fourth). It usually involves a small training/teaching component, some time to share about your group and then have the other leaders pray for you, as well as any important updates in the life of DC that could impact MCG’s.
Conferences - our one-day biblical conferences are a time for you to get some input, as well as having content that (hopefully) many in your MCG will have been exposed to (because they also attended). Then you can continue to discuss and work through it as you seek to live out the applications from what you have learnt.
We also want to encourage you to apply the rest principles we’ve looked at during leaders retreats in the past. (If you’re a new leader, chat to Sly about these). Remember to plan for days offs and holidays, have good sleep patterns (as much as possible) and make time and space for friendships that refresh you.
But most importantly, stay close to Jesus. Abide in Him (John 15: 4 - 5). He is your ultimate and most satisfying place of rest! Make sure you prioritise time to just be with the Lord regularly (daily). Renew your joy in your salvation through His Word and personal prayer. Remember, rehearse and recite Gospel truths to yourself. Read and listen to things that will build you up, strengthen you in your Gospel identity. You can always come to Jesus and find rest! (Matthew 11: 28 - 30).