"When we open our hearts in transparent trust to each other around the truth of God’s Word in the spirit of life-changing accountability while engaged in our God-given mission, we are in the Holy Spirit’s hothouse of transformation."
Greg Ogden, Transforming Discipleship
Discipling is defined by Greg Ogden in Transforming Discipleship as an intentional relationship in which we walk alongside other disciples in order to encourage, equip, and challenge one another in love to grow toward maturity in Christ. This includes equipping the disciple to teach others as well. (Note: this process takes approximately 1 year of regular meetings with your microgroup)
Microgroups are groups of 3-4 people, 1 convener and 2-3 other members, who meet on a regular basis in homes, coffee shops, restaurants, etc. and work through a curriculum as a means to disciple one another. At the conclusion of a group, each member starts their own microgroup and repeats the process, leading to multiplication.
For more information on these concepts, we recommend reading Transforming Discipleship by Greg Ogden.
Microgroups encourage each individual to take responsibility for and find accountability in their spiritual growth and multiplication. For that reason, groups are put together outside of Hosanna's direct involvement. Following Jesus's command in Acts, we exhort you to go, therefore, and make disciples! We will, however, help you along the way. Here are a few practical steps to take if you are seeking to be part of a discipleship microgroup.
1. Pray. Ask God to give you wisdom and pray for who to be in a group with. Jesus was in active ministry for approximately 6 months before He called His disciples to follow Him, so this process may take time. Don't worry--you have the rest of your life to participate in the disciple-making process.
2. If you don't know your fellow church members too well, join a few community groups during the next community group season. This will give you a chance to form relationships with your fellow disciples and find out who is not currently in a discipleship group, or who is near finishing a group and beginning a new one.
3. Learn, then lead. If you have never been in a microgroup like this before and gone through our curriculum, take the opportunity to be a member of a group prior to convening a group. This will give you all the training you need to convene a group in the future.
While this is a self-producing process without a lot of direct involvement from Hosanna, we will provide oversight to make sure members of our church are safe, healthy, and spiritually thriving. With that in mind, we ask that the following rules be respected by all microgroups.
1. Microgroups are not co-ed. As time with your group progresses, accountability demands trust, transparency, and openness. This is an intimate environment and to maintain proper relationships, all groups are to be men-only or women-only, but not a mixture of the two.
2. The first time any 3-4 people are in a group together, they must use Hosanna's chosen curriculum. We have chosen Discipleship Essentials by Greg Ogden. You can find more information about the curriculum and where to get it below.
3. Confidentiality must be maintained. As stated before, there is a high level of transparency and trust in every group, so to make these groups a safe space, things discussed in groups are not repeated outside of the group.
4. Groups need to be God-honoring. This is not a place to gossip, complain about other members of the body or church leadership, or have conversations that are not edifying. These groups are a crucial place for spiritual growth and maturity, so the enemy will seek to keep that from happening. Guard your groups and let your time and commitment produce as much fruit as possible.
In Transforming Discipleship, Greg Ogden teaches that relationship combined with a curriculum that is centered on God's Word is the best combination for making disciples that can leave a group feeling equipped to go and make disciples of their own.
The priority of every group is the relationship between the members, not the curriculum. The goal is not to go through the curriculum quickly, but rather to remain in a chapter for as many weeks as needed as members wrestle with, understand, and mature in each of the topics that a chapter teaches.
However, the curruculum does provide a basis for conversation and ensures that each memebr of the group is taught all the essentials needed to live a godly life and make disciples.
The curriculum used at Hosanna is Discipleship Essentials by Greg Ogden. You can find this book online wherever books are sold. The button on this page will take you to the Amazon link to buy the book.
If you're interested in joining a microgroup, click "Microgroup Interest Form" below. If you're already convening a microgroup, click "Register Your Microgroup" below.
Noah Stephens - Ministry Leader
America Hernandez - Assistant