Discipleship Groups
Discipleship Groups, or as we call them, D-Groups, help you build close friendships, provide an environment of accountability, and live deeply rooted in God’s Word.
Making Disciples who make disciples.
Our goal must be the same as Christ's ... build strong disciples of Jesus who love God and obey Him out of love!
A D-Group is a gender-specific group of 3-5 believers who meet together weekly for the purpose of discipleship and multiplication. Eventually, each member invites others to take the same journey with them. D-Groups help anyone facilitate a group leading to maturity!
How are Discipleship Groups different from Small groups?
D-Groups
- 1 Gender specific, closed group of 2-5 who all begin the group together
- 2 Focused on community, accountability, and accelerated discipleship
- 3 Consists of believers who desire to go deeper with others
- 4 Group discussion of focused scripture reading
Small Groups
- 1 Open group of 5-15. Can be gender specific or mixed. Joinable at different stages.
- 2 Focused on community, discipleship, and community outreach
- 3 Mixture of believers and those that are curious about God
- 4 Group leader convos from sermon discussion guides.
What commitments am I making?
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Pursuit
Commit yourself fully to the Lord during this time with anticipation that this will be a season of spiritual transformation. -
Consistency
Commit to meeting weekly for about 60 minutes with the group for the next 9-15 months. -
Input
Commit to the weekly inputs, including reading Scripture 5 days a week with written responses. -
Accountability
Commit to an environment of confidentiality, honesty, and transparency. -
Prayer
Commit to praying for those far from God on a weekly basis. -
Leadership
Commit to praying about leading a D-group in the future.
D-Group FAQ's
There are only two requirements for leading a D-Group. The first is that you are intentionally pursuing Christ. If you can say, “Follow me; I’m pursuing Christ,” you have the tools you need to lead a D-Group. Second, you must be a member of Rock Bridge, which means you are committed to the family mission.
Jesus spent time in prayer before selecting men to disciple, so you should begin by asking God to send you a group of people who have a desire to learn and grow. Your D-Group should consist of believers who are Faithful, Available, and Teachable.
Is this person faithful in following Jesus at whatever stage of life they are currently?
Is this person available enough to fulfill the time commitment of a D-Group?
Does this person display a humble desire to learn from those around him or her?
It doesn’t matter if a person has been walking with Jesus for two months or two decades. If they have a track record of being faithful, available, and teachable, then they would be a great person to invite into your D-Group.
If you don’t have anybody like this in your life, the next step for you is to join a Small Group!
- Small talk/catch up (5 mins.)
- Start with silence & prayer (5 mins.)
- Discipleship/Accountability questions (15 mins.)
- Share what was learned through reading & responding to God’s Word (25-30 mins.)
- Share prayer requests and pray for one another (10 mins.)
Yes, and it is not negotiable. The first time I meet with a potential group, I review the commitments with them. Since we’re going to spend the next 9-15 months together, I want to know if they are committed. Some people have said after the initial meeting, “This isn’t really for me.” That’s okay.
We allow potential disciples to opt out of the group on the front end after understanding the expectations. Remember, you're looking for people who have a desire to grow and learn. An unwillingness to commit reveals that they are not ready to be in a D-Group.
There’s no shame in not knowing the answers to every question. Simply confess that you don't have all the answers, but you will find them. Then do so before the next meeting by using a trusted resource or asking a spiritual leader for help.
It is less important to know answers than it is to know how to seek them. You may not have total recall when it comes to biblical history, theology, and doctrine, but with time you can locate them.