Core Values of a Disciple Group

There are four overarching kingdom values that everyone in a disciple group should be working towards living out:

• Intentionality and Intimacy
• Affirmation and Accountability
• Prayer and Prophecy 
• Play and Proclamation

These values, described below, when lived out express the culture of how relationships are done in Jesus’ kingdom.  They are lived out through a variety of ways, rooted in biblical practices. Dgroups are our place to practice these values so that we can live them out wherever we live, work, and play.

All of us like to be people who feel important. We want to know we have value and that we matter to someone. It is so important that we be people who intentionally pursue  each other. Being intentional means we are communicating through our actions that someone else is valuable. This is certainly the style of love that God has for us and that he demonstrated when Jesus became one of us. In our disciple groups we need to pursue each other. We need to develop these relationships as a priority in our lives.

The goal is to see into each other’s lives. This is life-on-life as Pastor Perry likes to call it. We can accomplish this by allowing ourselves to be seen and by reciprocating seeing others.

Sharing our lives: As a part of God’s Kingdom family, we have the opportunity and the privilege to know and be known. This is a place to share concerns, pain, joy, hopes, failures, dreams, events, emotions – in short, what is happening in our lives. As we do this we can experience real fellowship and the community of love that God has ordained. If you are wondering how to get started you might use some of the sharing questions provided below to discover new areas about each other or to stop from being in a rut of just recounting a litany of events.

One of the most important functions a disciple group will ever do is to affirm its members. So often in our culture we do not take time to let people know that they are loved, really loved. Affirmation is an opportunity to do that. It is also an opportunity to learn what we can not discover without the help of others. We need feedback to find out who we really are. It is impossible for each of us to step outside ourselves and really take an objective look at our strengths, gifts, talents, and skills. We need others to affirm the gifts and talents God has given us so that we will be encouraged to use these with confidence.

God has created each of us with unique gifts and skill sets. He then has invited us to partner with Him to live out His kingdom on the earth. In Dgroups, we have an opportunity to account for our abilities in terms of how we are pursuing His invitation and partnering with God in bringing His kingdom where we live, work and play. In this way, each of us can account for our ability to love and follow Jesus.

As you are known and know the others in your group, we can better support each other in identifying and living into our original design, God given abilities, and individual callings in life. Sometimes this means calling each other on our excuses and passivity, and confessing our sin, but most of the time this means exhorting and encouraging each other to be faithful in following Jesus in the everyday stuff of life.  

For it is in prayer that we talk with the Lord of our lives. We can bring our needs and concerns, our joys and dreams, anything to God in prayer. Encourage one another to share conversational prayer in your disciple groups on a regular basis. For some this will be a new experience so encourage them to talk as they would to anyone in an honest informal style as they talk to God. Save enough time to share needs and pray and get to know the Lord of your life.

It is also in prayer that we have an opportunity to prophesy. Prophecy is speaking the words of heaven into the world around us. Disciple groups are the ideal place to listen and speak what heaven is saying about each other to each other. To unlock aspects of our character that we might not yet be aware of, and to access the insights of heaven for whatever situations we are currently in. God often gives answers to our questions to the people around us as a way of knitting us together in community. When we hear how God thinks about those around us, it ends up changing us, conforming us to see and think about others how God sees and thinks about them. It also encourages us because God often thinks more of us than we think of ourselves.

If anyone doesn’t know how to or is not comfortable with prophecy, please ask Ryan Gallagher, or let one of our leaders know, and we will be glad to talk through it over coffee.

So many disciple groups focus all their time on study, sharing, and prayer. Part of the development of whole relationships is playing or recreating together. This can provide a wonderful way to know each other in a different context and way. When your fellowship is not so highly focused on a topic, study or prayer, you will experience new sides of people you have not seen before. Play is important! Play is a priority in the development of relationships in a disciple group, so please make plans to have fun together.

The gospel is the power of God for salvation for those who believe. Therefore, in a disciple group, we want to consistently proclaim the gospel to one another, reminding each other of our identity in Jesus through His works and obedience, and also to encourage one another in our witness to speak the truths of Jesus into the every stuff of life to our lost friends, neighbors, coworkers and classmates. Speaking the Gospel is vital to growth and health and seeing God’s kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.