Encouraging people to live out their faith in everyday life
'Discipleship is loving and obeying God with your head, your heart, and your hands' Cris Rogers - author, podcaster and Rector of All Hallows’, Bow
Small groups that focus on equipping us to be Christs ambassadors help to grow whole life, faith-filled, mission-focused disciples. We are nurtured and given confidence to live out our faith in our families, at work, and in our communities. Small groups help us to engage our head, our heart and our hands.
How could your church develop small groups that encourage people to grow as whole life disciples?
Small Group Essentials - training small group leaders for parishes
Small groups are at the heart of many growing churches. Good, well supported leadership is vital for healthy small groups. With the demands of parish life it can be hard to train and equip small group leaders. It's designed to equip people to lead effective small groups. The training involves five in person sessions and the option of an ongoing learning community using Zoom. We approach the training through three lenses: community, mission and discipleship. We work with parishes to encourage people to think about how small groups can foster the culture and vision of their local church.
Who is it for?
- those who want to lead or could become small group leaders
- those who have been leading but have never had any training
- those who have been leading for a long time and want a refresher
To find out more email: Chris Dobson
Making Disciples Tool
Making Disciples is an assessment tool to be used by any church, small group or individual interested in elevating the conversation around discipleship and spiritual formation.
London Instititute for Contemporary Christianity
LICC is committed to encouraging a culture of whole life discipleship within our churches:
- providing excellent resources to help encourage Christians to live out their faith in their daily work
- equipping churches and leaders to support Christians wherever God has placed them
LICC - Fruitfulness on the Frontline
Holy Habits
Holy Habits explores 10 core practices that encourage churches to grow disciples. It has been used effectively by the West Swindon Partnership and in the rural benefice of Marshfield.
Holy Habits - Missional discipleship as a way of life
Contact Chris Dobson for more information on how the resources have been used within our diocese.
Other Resources and ideas
- DOB Resources and Ideas Sheet
- How to... Create effective small groups
- How to... Explore whole-life discipleship in small groups
- Disciplekit
- Small Group Central
- Bible Society: Lyfe
- Bristol Cursillo
Living Faith
Living Faith is a series of resources from the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich designed to develop confident Christian faith. It includes material for individuals and small groups, written in a variety of styles and suitable for different settings. Some of the resources are designed for those who are new to the faith, whilst others are suitable for different stages of the faith journey.