You have been lied to about making disciples. Whether you use a discipleship group or home Bible study, you probably moved to the idea of “disciple making” after having previously being on the bandwagon of soul-winning. Many churches have picked up the buzzword of “disciple-making” because we have realized that our goal is not to win a soul but to make disciples. It is important to know how to start a discipleship group by first looking at discipleship in the Bible.
The Christian world of the past century popularized the “get your ticket” kind of salvation plan. It was fire-insurance for people who wanted to avoid hellfire. This led to a one-and-done approach to getting people in the Kingdom. For Pentecostals, of course, we believed that once a person was baptized and filled with the Spirit, then they were saved. Looking back over a wasteland of thousands who did not make it, we have been forced to reexamine the Scriptures. There is more to this than just people “getting saved” (an unbiblical phrase).
This search for effectiveness brought us to the disciple-making impulse. We do not want to just “win” them, which assumes we’ve reached the finish line, but to “make” them as Jesus commanded. Practically, disciple-makers have been using teaching to a group and giving disciples one-on-one attention. Thank God our efforts have improved. But if we really believe Jesus is the WAY, we will see that He did not do one-on-one disciple-making.

Jesus modeled discipleship in the Bible

We are making disciples of Jesus Christ, right? Then we need to put Him at the center of the room. Disciple-making is not lecture based—it is not charts, slides, or a teaching series. Yes, we need to teach, but disciple-making is more than information transfer. Discipleship is doing, not just hearing and regurgitating information.
This is why Jesus did discipleship in a group. Remember as we have pointed out previously, you might try to win souls with anyone and everyone, but when you realize how personal disciple-making becomes, you will not be able to include anyone and everyone. If you try to make a disciple of everyone you meet at the store, you will wear thin and be ineffective. You will burnout and give up.
Jesus made disciples of those given to Him. He prayed and got clear direction before deciding whom He would invest the years-long-process of making disciples with. Making disciples changes you because you become a part of them.

How to start a discipleship group

You have probably 3-12 people you are working with right now. They are hungry for the Lord and you have been teaching them. Pray about which ones the Lord would have you pull together into a discipleship group.
The purpose of this discipleship group is for them to learn Jesus in the context of other believers’ lives. They will share what Jesus is doing in their lives and how they are growing. Their rough edges will smooth each other down, as you see with James and John arguing for positions (this is part of discipleship in the Bible).
This will be different than what they can get at a church building because they will be interacting with one another and with Jesus, not just listening to a sermon. When learning how to start a discipleship group, remember that just by teaching a class you will not make disciples. Disciples share life together.
Your first few times together you will have to train them on what the focus is. Ask questions like this: “What has Jesus been speaking to you about?” and “What has the Lord taught you through the Scriptures recently?” Their answers will give you a sense of where they are growing and show you areas they may need to be taught.
As these disciples grow, put a little more growth pressure on them by asking, “Who have you been telling about Jesus? How is that going?” The goal here is to keep disciples aware of our two dynamics: loving God and loving people. Our love relationship with Jesus will cause us to hear from Him, to change our desires and interests because of Him. Our love for others will drive us to listen to the hurting, tell them what Jesus has done for them, and help them find Him, too.

Jesus at the center of it all

You must decrease. John turned His disciples over to Jesus. Make sure you are not making disciples of yourself. If my discipleship group waits to always hear from me, gets all their insights from my teaching, and asks me for advice and direction on everything, then I have disciples of me, not Him. They have to learn to hear from Him directly. The discipleship group must follow Him.
The key thing that has to happen in these disciple-making meetings is that Jesus has to be in the room. This is His body we are building, not a course you are teaching for a community college. Christ must be formed in them for them to be true disciples.
We have talked a lot about praying for our disciples. We have talked about speaking to and listening to the lost. But we must be sure we are not just trying to elevate by education. What I say or ask in that room with my team of disciples is not as important as what Jesus does there.
In that body of new believers, we learn to serve and adapt to one another in the presence of Jesus. This is His body. We are organs and members of His body, ministering to one another. This is why one-on-one ministry does not make disciples. Disciples have to be formed in the very volatile environment of being with other disciples in the presence of Jesus.
Yes, it might feel different than anything you have done before. That’s okay. We are still getting back to what Jesus intended for His church. He pulled His disciples away from everything so they could grow together. When they were strong and mature, He sent them to change the world.

Do you have questions about how to start a discipleship group? What have you learned that you can share with others? Please comment below!