Multiplying disciples


At the Ridge Church, our mission is simple: We want to help others follow Jesus. But here is what we know: If you follow Jesus, you too will help others follow Jesus. This is called fulfilling the Great Commission where Jesus said to "go and make disciples".  And that, is called multiplication. 


We also want you to know what this looks like, so we made this into what we call the multiplication pathway. 


We want every person to KNOW JESUS, FIND THEIR PEOPLE, IMPACT THE COMMUNITY, and MULTIPLY DISCIPLES.


As someone who is following Jesus and growing as a disciple maker, we hope you'll be involved in these 4 areas: 


1- We want you to KNOW JESUS more through weekly worship gatherings as one of our communicators teaches relevant gospel truths from scripture

2- We want you to FIND YOUR PEOPLE in community through one of our CONNECT GROUPS that meets each week to discuss how to live out the scriptures

3- We want you to IMPACT THE COMMUNITY in one of our serving teams, mission groups or through your own personal endeavors to serve those around you

4- We want  the gospel to take root in you as you MULTIPLY DISCIPLES in an D-Group of 3-5 people that meets for 12 - 18 months

make disciples in DISCIPLESHIP groups

Discipleship is vital at the Ridge Church; it’s an important process for every believer as it cultivates a life rooted deeply in God’s Word. Discipleship is a journey we want for every believer and multiplying disciples is something every believer is called to by Jesus. 


Our desire is that every follower of Jesus at the Ridge Church will be able to participate in a yearly Discipleship Group, or also known as a D Group.  An D-Group is a gender specific, closed group of 3-5 believers who meet together weekly for the purpose of accelerated spiritual transformation. A person joins the D-Group by invitation only, with most D-Groups being formed out of relationships in a LifeGroup, within the church, friendships or co-workers from outside the church. A person DOES NOT have to attend the Ridge Church to be in an D-Group. They also DO NOT need to be a believer starting out. They may be spiritually curious or seeking. In fact, these make the best groups when a "spiritually curious" or "seeker" is part of the group. 

discipleship resources

F-260 BIBLE READING PLAN


We recommend the F-260 Bible reading plan, which covers the entire meta-narrative of scripture through 5 weekly readings (with weekends off). You can download a PDF of the plan here.


You can also follow along the F-260 in Youversion's Bible App


WHAT IS A H.EA.R. JOURNAL? 


The H.E.A.R. journaling method promotes reading the Bible with a life-transforming purpose. No longer will your focus be on checking off the boxes on your daily reading schedule; your purpose will instead be to read in order to understand and respond to God’s Word.


The acronym H.E.A.R. stands for Highlight, Explain, Apply, and Respond. Each of these four steps contributes to creating an atmosphere to hear God speak. After settling on a reading plan and establishing a time for studying God’s Word, you will be ready to H.E.A.R. from God.


For an illustration, let’s assume that you begin your quiet time in the book of 2 Timothy, and today’s reading is the first chapter of the book. Before reading the text, pause to sincerely ask God to speak to you. It may seem trite, but it is absolutely imperative that we seek God’s guidance in order to understand His Word(1 Corinthians 2:12-14). Every time we open our Bibles, we should pray the simple prayer that David prayed: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law (Word)” (Psalm 119:18).


After praying for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, open your notebook or journal, and at the top left-hand corner, write the letter H. This exercise will remind you to read with a purpose. In the course of your reading, one or two verses will usually stand out and speak to you. After reading the passage of Scripture, Highlight each verse that speaks to you by copying it under the letter “H”. Write out the following:

  • The name of the book
  • The passage of Scripture
  • The chapter and verse numbers that especially speak to you
  • A title to describe the passage

This practice will make it easier to find the passage when you want to revisit it in the future.


After you have highlighted the passage, write the letter “E” under the previous entry. At this stage you will EXPLAIN what the text means. By asking some simple questions, with the help of God’s Spirit, you can understand the meaning of a passage or verse. The next chapter will teach you in detail how to understand the meaning of a passage. Until then, here are a few questions to get you started:


Why was this written? 

To whom was it originally written?

How does it fit with the verses before and after it?

Why did the Holy Spirit include this passage in the book? 

What is He intending to communicate through this text? 


At this point, you are beginning the process of discovering the specific and personal word that God has for you from His Word. What is important is that you are engaging the text and wrestling with its meaning.


After writing a short summary of what you think the text means, write the letter “A” below the letter “E”. Under the “A”, write the word Apply. This application is the heart of the process. Everything you have done so far culminates under this heading. As you have done before, answer a series of questions to uncover the significance of these verses to you personally, questions like:


How can this help me?       

What does this mean today? 

What would the application of this verse look like in my life? 

What does this mean to me? 

What is God saying to me? 


These questions bridge the gap between the ancient world and your world today. They provide a way for God to speak to you from the specific passage or verse. Answer these questions under the “A”. Challenge yourself to write between two and five sentences about how the text applies to your life.


Finally, below the first three entries, write the letter “R” for Respond. Your response to the passage may take on many forms. You may write a call to action. You may describe how you will be different because of what God has said to you through His Word. You may indicate what you are going to do because of what you have learned. You may respond by writing out a prayer to God. For example, you may ask God to help you to be more loving, or to give you a desire to be more generous in your giving. Keep in mind that this is your response to what you have just read.


Notice that all of the words in the H.E.A.R. formula are action words: Highlight, Explain, Apply, and Respond. God does not want us to sit back and wait for Him to drop some truth into our laps. Instead of waiting passively, God desires that we actively pursue Him. Jesus said,

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7).


Think of the miracle of the Bible. Over centuries of time, God supernaturally moved upon a number of men in an unusual way that resulted in them writing the exact words of God. God led His people to recognize these divine writings, and to distinguish them from everything else that has ever been written. Then God’s people brought these sixty-six books together. The preservation and survival of the Bible is as miraculous as its writing. Then God gave men, beginning with Gutenberg’s printing press, technological knowledge to copy and transmit the Bible so that all people could have it. All because God has something to say to you.


by robby gallaty

frequently asked questions

Below we have answered many questions you might have about X-Groups. If you find that you still need an answer to a question and it's not listed below, please send email to Bobby Williams to get all your questions answered.


WHAT IS AN D-GROUP? 


An D-Group is gender-specific closed group of 3 to 5 believers (including the leader) who meet together weekly for the purpose of accelerated spiritual transformation. A person joins the D-Group by invitation only.


A D-Group consists of people who desire a deeper walk with Jesus.  The fruit of  D-Group will multiply as it makes disciples who will then go on to make more disciples, just like Jesus called us to. 


The format of a D-Group is not one of a teacher-student, but based around shared discussion. In their book The Invested Life, Joel Rosenberg and T.E. Koshy state,  "A teacher shares information, while a discipler shares life; a teacher aims for the head, while a discipler aims for the heart; a teacher measures knowledge, while a discipler measures faith; a teacher is an authority, while a discipler is a servant; and a teacher says, ‘Listen to me,’ while a discipler says, ‘Follow me.’ "


HOW DO I FIND AN D-GROUP? 


One of the best ways to find a D-Group is by being part of a serving team, a Lifegroup or through your existing friendships. For example, serving teams and Lifegroups are great "fishing ponds" to meet people that are seeking to grow in following Jesus with others at an accelerated pace. 


Another way to find a D-Group is to form a new D-Group that you help lead. If you're interested in starting a new D-Group or would like help in finding an D-Group, email Bobby Williams


HOW DO I LEAD AN D-GROUP? 


To lead a D-Group, first and foremost, you must be a Christ follower yourself.  You do not need to be a great teacher or have all of the answers; in fact, it's not about having all the answers. It's about seeking out the answers together. The transparency to say, "I don't know the answer to that but let's find it out" can be powerful. 


As a D-Group leader, you set the tone for the group’s atmosphere. You are not lecturing students; you are cultivating an intimate, accountable relationship with a few close friends. 


HOW DO I CHOOSE GROUP PARTICIPANTS? 


1- Begin by praying and asking God to show you people who are ready to follow Jesus or to follow Him at a deeper level

2- Look for people that seem to be hungry for wanting more of Christ in their lives; the Holy Spirit seems to be working in them, they're asking questions about spiritual things or they have had events happen in their lives that have brought them to seek out God. 

3- Look for people that are teachable and coachable and not tied up in the traditions of religion

4- Look for available people. Super busy people can tend to make excuses about setting out the the time to be discipled and to disciple others

5- Don't ask people if you can disciple them. Instead, ask them if they would like to study the bible, pray together and follow Jesus on a deeper level in a smaller group


HOW MANY PEOPLE SHOULD BE IN A GROUP? 


At the very least, it should be 2 but an ideal group is 3-5. 6 can be ok, but any more than 6 can make it difficult


HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU MEET?


A group should meet no less than every other week. Ideally, it can work best when you meet each week for 1 hour to 1.5 hours. 


WHAT DO WE DO IN A D-GROUP?


Here are some elements that your weekly meetings can include:

-Open with prayer. Ask each participant to present one prayer request at the start of each meeting. Assign a person to pray over the requests, and ask the Lord to sharpen each of you through your relationship.

-Have a time of intentional conversation by briefly sharing the highs and lows of the week. You can also share celebrations and praises.

-Quote your Scripture memory verses for the week.

-Study the Word of God together. A great way to do this is to share HEAR journals from the week. The goal of studying the Bible is to apply the Word of God. Remember, knowledge without application is useless information.


Here are some good application questions to utilize:

  • What are you hearing from God, and what are you doing about it?
  • What is God teaching you, and how is it affecting your life?
  • Is there a promise to claim?
  • Is there an action or attitude to avoid?
  • Is there a principle to apply?

-Spend a few moments asking questions and keeping each other accountable. All accountability should be saturated with grace, not legalism. You can’t expect what you don’t inspect.

-Share prayer requests and close with prayer.


Don't be afraid to talk about other things that are not part of that week's scripture. Things that a person is going through in their life can be used to help shape them. 


WHEN DO WE SEND THEM OUT TO MAKE DISCIPLES? 


This is the most exciting part of a D-Group! When a person starts to meet, befriend and begin relationships with others that also want to pursue Jesus in a deeper, more accelerated way, it's all part of the multiplication process. 


So in your group, begin with the end in mind. Your group should meet for 12 to 18 months, and they should expect that final date from the very beginning. Remember, the goal is for the men and the women of the group to multiply  their lives into someone else.


Consistently encourage members of your D-Group to start new D-Groups where they live, work and play. Groups are not meant to grow larger and larger. They are meant to multiply and make new groups.