A vital part of growing as a disciple is putting yourself in a position to be held accountable. This is best done with a small group of fellow disciples. It is before these people that we share our weekly, monthly, or life-long goals. It is this group of people who will ask us for a progress report week after week. It is to this group that we share our victories and our failures. This is the group that will help us to grow in holiness.
It doesn't matter if it is called a Huddle, or an Incubator, or an Accountability Group, or an Emmaus Reunion Group, or a Disciple Bible Study, or any other small group gathering of Christian disciples. If the group members aren't being equipped, empowered, supported, and held accountable for continuing the process of making disciples, then it is not an effective or fruitful disciple-making ministry. Consider this simple tool for evaluating your disciple-making ministry group.
1. Are people being taught to see how God is at work in their lives? We live in a society that has separated God from the ordinary events of life. People of faith need to be taught, once again, how to see the hand of the Creator in creation and the expression of God's grace in our lives. An important part of disciple making work is helping people recognize God in their lives.
2. Are people able to (and encouraged to) articulate (witness to) how God is at work in their lives? Once we learn to see God at work in our lives and in the lives of those around us, we need to be able to give witness to it. One of the membership vows we take is to serve as God's witness. We pledge to support the work of the church (the Body of Christ) with our witness. We learn to do this in our lives and in our speech.
3. Are people learning and living holy habits (e.g., praying for others and serving others; attending weekly worship)? So often we approach church like consumers. We are looking for a place that provides services to meet our needs. An essential part of discipleship is learning to take care of each other. We look after each other's physical needs, and we learn how to support each other in our prayers -- out loud and immediate. We live out our faith in acts of piety (our expressions of our love of God) and in acts of mercy (our expressions of our love of neighbor).
4. Finally, are people being equipped, empowered, supported, and held accountable for continuing the process by forming new groups and leading them while maintaining their connection with the existing (mother) group? This is where the process too often breaks down. To be a disciple you must make a disciple: disciples make disciples. The weekly process is to see to it that disciples are equipped to make disciples. They are then empowered to do it (why do you need to get somebody's permission?). The process is there to support you as you venture out to start a disciple making group. You never 'graduate' from your initial group. It is still there to help you walk through the issues you will face leading another group. Finally, you must be held accountable to the process. Knowing that we must give an account helps us stay focused and on target for our mission.
So, what are some ways you are involved in a weekly disciple-making process?
Grace and Peace,
Alan
