Articles for tag: Adult Discipleship

May 23, 2015

By Michael C. Mack A huddle of small group and discipleship ministers in the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana region discussed how to get more people involved in disciple-making groups. Here are 12 of their ideas. Many of these work well in combination with others. 1. Build a culture of authentic community in smaller groups in the church. Of course, the preaching minister/lead minister is in the best position to build this culture. Consistently mentioning in his messages how his group has helped him or made an impact on others sends the clear message that groups are important. 2. Redefine “normal.” In everything you

May 22, 2012

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Growth

Center Creek: Serving Christ in the Heartland

By Kent E. Fillinger Mike Johnson”s passion and focus was student ministry when he arrived at Center Creek Christian Church. He previously had enjoyed a decade of student ministry at a medium-size church, where he started fresh out of Bible college. Mike had seen his student ministry grow during this time, but the church remained stagnant overall. Mike searched for a new opportunity with a church that had the desire and potential to grow. He soon found Center Creek; it was similar in size to his first ministry, but he felt a positive connection with the senior minister, who expressed

April 18, 2011

Christian Standard

Christian Living

Making Disciples?

By Kent E. Fillinger What about small groups? Should they be “euthanized,” as Brian Jones asserted (January 23) or promoted, as all the writers in Christian Standard”s March 6 issue suggested? We asked the churches we surveyed for their answer. For the first time, the churches that participated in this study were asked: “What is the primary method for adult discipleship (spiritual formation) at your church?” Churches were given these three choices to select from: Sunday school classes/adult Bible fellowship classes, small group Bible studies, or a combination of classes and groups. Here are the findings. Not a single megachurch

March 2, 2011

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Small Groups

How to Organize a Small Groups Ministry

By Kent Odor As a young man I ran several seasons on my high school track team. I won a few races and some ribbons, but I realized early on the Olympics were not in my future. Nevertheless, the experience had a very positive lasting impact on me. The daily training in preparation for the track season was absolutely necessary before I finally put my feet in the starting blocks for my first race. In a similar way, establishing a small group ministry in a church of any size requires some serious preparation. Here are some of the necessary ways