The summarised version of the mission of Disciples Church is to make disciples, mature disciples, and multiply disciples.
As our Missional Community Groups are the "engine room" of ministry at DC, this means that the goal of our MCGs is maturity and multiplication. People becoming Christians, growing mature in their faith, and then groups multiplying out to form new groups.
An MCG is not meant to be a cul-de-sac where the same group of people hang out together forever. For some people a cul-de-sac might sound safe, but for others it might sound terribly claustrophobic.
What we have found in practice is that as people grow in their faith together, their love for one another grows too. Then when multiplication happens, it can actually involve some grief. We refer to these as “Gospel good-byes.” This is where you intentionally, and selflessly, choose to go and start again with another group of people so that you might encourage them to be on mission and grow in their faith.
Hopefully the graphic above is a helpful illustration.
Our prayer is that all our people might move beyond the “infant” stage to the “parent” stage. As this happens, it should be obvious when groups can multiply. When there are mature leaders who can disciple others, then these people can go and lead groups of their own.
Do you see the progression? People come to faith in Jesus, grow to maturity as they are discipled, start to disciple others, then go on to lead a group themselves.
Jesus saves, Jesus changes and Jesus sends. What we don’t want is for you to just settle. Following Jesus means participating in the work of sanctification (yours and others), and in the Great Commission.
As our Missional Community Groups are the "engine room" of ministry at DC, this means that the goal of our MCGs is maturity and multiplication. People becoming Christians, growing mature in their faith, and then groups multiplying out to form new groups.
An MCG is not meant to be a cul-de-sac where the same group of people hang out together forever. For some people a cul-de-sac might sound safe, but for others it might sound terribly claustrophobic.
What we have found in practice is that as people grow in their faith together, their love for one another grows too. Then when multiplication happens, it can actually involve some grief. We refer to these as “Gospel good-byes.” This is where you intentionally, and selflessly, choose to go and start again with another group of people so that you might encourage them to be on mission and grow in their faith.
Hopefully the graphic above is a helpful illustration.
Our prayer is that all our people might move beyond the “infant” stage to the “parent” stage. As this happens, it should be obvious when groups can multiply. When there are mature leaders who can disciple others, then these people can go and lead groups of their own.
Do you see the progression? People come to faith in Jesus, grow to maturity as they are discipled, start to disciple others, then go on to lead a group themselves.
Jesus saves, Jesus changes and Jesus sends. What we don’t want is for you to just settle. Following Jesus means participating in the work of sanctification (yours and others), and in the Great Commission.