“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20
Building a Discipleship Culture
Are you feeling lost or stuck post-Covid? You are not alone!
- Many churches are not sure who is in their congregation.
- Many congregants are questioning their reason for participating in church.
- New people to your church are longing to belong.
- Many pastors and ministry leaders feel stuck and lack clear direction as to the future.
How do we find our way to creating or re-creating a culture in our churches based on discipleship and community?
The Discipleship Culture Team seeks to partner with you to equip leaders to develop discipleship in your church through a groups model. The team is comprised of discipleship, community, and small group experts.
The Discipleship Culture Cohort is for Pastors. This is a monthly space for pastors to cultivate their relationship with Jesus and develop a culture of discipleship in the local church. This is a safe space for pastors to learn, grow, and work out their own sense of pastoral identity and calling with a community of pastors. This is a space of discernment where we regularly meet to prayerfully work out what it means to develop a discipleship culture. Please consider joining this cohort for your own soul and to develop a discipleship culture.
The Discipleship Culture Series is for anyone who is working toward developing a culture of discipleship in the local church – pastors, small group leaders, small group coaches. Participating together as a team of leaders from your church provides an exponential opportunity for growth in the discipleship culture at your church.
Building Discipleship Groups
This series provides training for lay leaders and pastors to start a discipleship-oriented small group ministry in the local church. This group meets monthly on Tuesday evenings starting September 12, 7:30 pm-9:00 pm.
Who Should Attend
- Anyone who wants to start a small group ministry in their church.
- Churches who may have small groups or bible studies but want to move toward an intentional discipleship focus.
- Churches that have a discipleship focus, and even a good groups system, but feel stuck
- Young Adult ministries, Family Ministries, Adult Ministries desiring a focus on discipleship
- Pastors, lay leaders, current and potential small group leaders
If your church or ministry is starting from zero, this is a launch point.
If you currently have a small group ministry, this will help you take a next step toward growth and multiplication of leaders and groups.
If you desire to get to the heart of discipleship, and move the needle forward, you are welcome!
What to Expect
Expect to grow in discipleship. Expect deep reflection, conversation, and embodied practices around cultivating a culture of discipleship. Don’t expect easy answers or things to copy in your own context. The series will be theological and practical in nature.
Cost: $80 each | $50 each if you bring a team
How to Participate
- Register here
- Invite at least 1-2 other leaders to participate
- Commit to participating in all sessions
Schedule
7:30 – 9:00 pm
| Sep 12 | Information Session: Defining Discipleship, Getting to Know the Discipleship Culture Team and the direction of this project. |
| Oct 10 | Community – The Context for Discipleship, Spiritual Formation, and Mission |
| Nov 14 | Community & Hospitality |
| Dec 12 | Community & Group Dynamics |
| Jan 9 | Responsibility |
| Feb 13 | Multiplication |
| Mar 5 | Shaping People in Groups – Spiritual Practices |
| Apr 9 | Shaping People in Groups – Spiritual Practices |
| May 7 | Shaping People in Groups – Missional Practices |
| Jun 4 | Year in Review |
Discipleship Culture Cohort
This is a monthly cohort experience for pastors. It is for your personal spirituality and leadership as a pastor. Our vision is to cultivate a culture of discipleship in the local church.
For You
Leadership can be lonely. Pastors need friends who can talk about their intimacy with Jesus. They also need a safe space to work out their own approach to ministry. These online conversations are for you as pastors who desire friendship, mutual support, and growth.
Your Leadership
In order to lead, we need to be led. We are seeking to grow God’s people but we need safe spaces to work out our own practical theology. We may find ourselves discipling a few individuals at our churches. While this is good, it is not enough. Discipleship must work its way through the whole church, and it must start with us. This is not easy. We need to dismantle and challenge some of our old ways in ministry in order to plant new ways.
Peter Scazzero said that defining culture is difficult, “because culture consists primarily of unspoken rules about the way that we do things around here.” We are going to put into words the different realities of our churches and seek to discern how we can grow in our call to make disciples of all nations.
Conversations from the Soul of Pastors to Ministry of Pastors
- Soul of Pastors – This space will be primarily focused on our relationship with God and our personal well-being out of which healthy ministry arises.
- Ministry of Pastors – This portion will be a mixture of personal reflection, conversation, and teaching, aimed at integrating discipleship into our ministry and developing discipleship in small groups. The focus goes beyond simply discipling individuals to cultivating a discipleship culture.
Commitment
Each Discipleship conversation is a two-hour monthly commitment.
- 10:00 – 11:00 am – Soul of Pastors – Focus on our relationship with God
- 11:00 – 12:00 pm – Ministry of Pastors – Focus on our ministry for and with God.
Meet the Discipleship Team
L-R: Ryan Marthinsen, Dennis Funk, Karen Heppner, Paul Lam, Sheldon Dyck
| Sheldon Dyck is the Pastor of Discipleship and Small Groups at Mississauga City Baptist Church.
Dennis Funk serves as the Director of Ministry Resources and Small Groups Network for The Navigators of Canada. Karen Heppner is an experienced Pastor of Life Groups and Leadership Development serving previously at The Bridge, Markham. |
Paul Lam is the CBOQ Church Life and Leadership Associate, and previously served as Pastor of Discipleship and Small Groups in a local church setting.
Ryan Marthinsen is the Lead Pastor at Priory Park Baptist Church, Guelph. |
