Now that you’ve decided to host a Deep Discipleship Program in your church, here are some next steps and tips for getting started.
ORDERING AND SUPPLIES
Each church hosting Deep Discipleship needs a Group Starter Kit. The Group Starter Kit includes:
1 copy of Deep Discipleship by J.T. English
5 Deep Discipleship Journals with digital access to 3 eBooks
You Are a Theologian by Jen Wilkin and J.T. English
Formed for Fellowship by Kyle Worley
Remember and Rehearse by J.T. English
Access to weekly 60-90 minutes of video teaching content with J.T. English, Jen Wilkin, and Kyle Worley · Digital Program Guide for the leader
Quick Start Guide
Even if you have multiple small groups going through the program, you only need one Group Starter Kit for your church. Each participant going through the program will need a Deep Discipleship Journal, including the leader. If you have more than five group members, additional journals beyond what is included in the Group Starter Kit are available with bulk pricing.
Each journal includes eBook access to the three books referenced in the program homework assignments. If participants want physical copies of the books, the 3-book bundle can be purchased for $45 using the code “DD45” at checkout on Lifeway.com. Bulk pricing is also available on the three books.
FORMING YOUR GROUP
When it comes time to form your group, we encourage you to keep these tips in mind:
Group meetings are designed to last between 1.5-2 hours.
The ideal table group size is 6-10 people. Discussion is a large part of this program, and a smaller group size encourages the active learning environment modeled in the study.
Because of the length and depth of the course, we encourage you to charge participants tuition or a fee to create personal investment in completing the program.
Here are some questions to help you brainstorm who to invite into the program:
Who is hungry for spiritual growth?
Who has leadership potential but may lack biblical literacy?
Who has expressed interest in wanting more than your typical programming offers?
Depending on the number of participants who are interested, it may be wise to consider breaking up your cohort into small groups of 6-10 people. Though your church could have hundreds of people going through the program together, dividing the participants into small discussion groups with a leader is essential for success.
PLAN YOUR FIRST MEETING
After you’ve invited participants and they’ve committed to the program, it’s time to get started!
Order your materials. Each participant needs one journal.
Schedule your first meeting. Remember group time is designed to last between 1.5-2 hours.
Pray for your participants and group leaders.
Each Group Starter Kit includes ten video licenses. Because the videos are intended to be watched together during group meeting time, each participant does not need video access. We recommend that video access be granted to group leaders throughout the program and to absent group participants on an as-needed basis.
For more information about managing video access, watch this quick step-by-step video.
Have more questions? Contact Lifeway’s customer service by emailing customerservice@lifeway.com or calling 866.627.8553.