Discipleship & Culture with Brian Daniel

What is making discipleship harder in today’s culture?

In this episode, Brian Daniel talks with Scott McConnell of Lifeway Research about the cultural shifts shaping the way people live, connect, and grow in their faith. From secularization and tribalism to isolation and an overwhelming amount of content, today’s culture presents new challenges for the church.

Scott explores how these trends impact discipleship and why churches need to think intentionally about how they help people follow Jesus in a fast-paced, content-saturated world.

Discover how understanding the culture around us can help the church develop more effective, relational, and faithful approaches to making disciples.

SHOW LINKS:

Bowling Alone

The Trellis and The Vine

State of Discipleship

How can we engage culture faithfully without allowing culture to shape our discipleship?

In this episode, Brian Daniel talks with Dr. D.A. Horton about the importance of intercultural studies and understanding how culture influences the way we follow Jesus. They explore the tension that comes with spiritual growth, community, and navigating cultural differences.

D.A. also shares how humility helps us engage people and cultures well, offering practical wisdom for navigating the cultural and spiritual challenges facing the church today.

Discover how understanding culture can help us become more faithful disciples and build stronger, more Christ-centered communities.

SHOW LINKS:

Every Square Inch

What if the culture around us is shaping us more than we realize?

In this episode, Brian Daniel talks with Elizabeth Woodson about the cultural narratives that influence the way we think, live, and understand the world. They explore how Christians can recognize these influences and resist them through gospel-centered practices.

Elizabeth also unpacks familiar words like peace, identity, and love, helping us see them through a biblical lens rather than allowing culture to define them for us.

Discover how understanding culture through the lens of Scripture can help us live faithfully and become more intentional disciples of Jesus.

SHOW LINKS: 

Habits of Resistance: Seven Ways You’re Being Formed by Culture and Gospel Practices to Help You Push Back 

Shalomies Podcast

State of Discipleship

How do we make disciples in a world competing for everyone’s attention?

In this episode, Brian Daniel talks with Scott Sullivan about rebuilding discipleship around relationships rather than programs. They explore how churches can respond to cultural shifts, create environments where trust can grow, and develop discipleship strategies that actually lead to spiritual transformation.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why relationship-driven discipleship matters
• How churches can move beyond program-heavy ministry
• Ways to adapt discipleship to cultural change
• How to measure whether discipleship is actually working
• Why trust is essential to spiritual formation

Discover how churches can build a discipleship culture that is relational, intentional, and rooted in the way Jesus made disciples.

SHOW LINKS:

Disciples Path

Deep Discipleship

Explore the Bible

Bible Studies For Life

The Gospel Project

What does our worship reveal about what we believe?

In this episode, Brian Daniel talks with Lifeway's Director of Worship, Kirk Kirkland, about the relationship between worship and culture and how the way we worship can both reflect and influence the world around us.

They explore the importance of honesty in worship and look at how church music and theology have shifted over the past three decades. Kirk offers perspective for church leaders seeking to understand these changes while keeping worship centered on God and rooted in truth.

Discover how a deeper understanding of worship can shape the way we lead, disciple, and engage our culture.

SHOW LINKS:

How does the culture around us shape the way we worship, think, and follow Jesus?

In this episode, Brian Daniel sits down with Dr. Joe Crider to explore the powerful influence of art, culture, media, and physical spaces on the church and its approach to discipleship.

From changing communication eras to the spaces where we gather, what surrounds us can shape how we engage with God and one another. Dr. Crider helps church leaders think more intentionally about these influences and how they can use them to deepen faith and strengthen discipleship.

Discover how understanding culture and communication can help the church make disciples who are more deeply rooted in their faith and better equipped to engage the world around them.

SHOW LINKS:

What does it take to plant and grow a healthy church in a rapidly changing culture?

Recorded live at the SBC, Brian Daniel sits down with Will Browning to talk about church planting in California, building a strong discipleship culture, and navigating ministry in an increasingly digital world.

Will shares practical insights for reaching people in urban contexts, growing small groups, and using technology like AI responsibly without losing the relational heart of ministry.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Lessons from church planting in California
• Practical strategies for developing disciples
• How to foster healthy small group growth
• Challenges and opportunities in urban ministry
• Ways AI can serve the church when used wisely

Tune in as Will and Brian explore what it looks like to faithfully make disciples while navigating the realities of ministry today.

SHOW LINKS:

Deep Discipleship 

Logos Bible Software

Ministry Safe

What does faithful discipleship look like in a rapidly changing culture?

In this special episode, Brian Daniel introduces the next chapter of the podcast as Group Answers becomes the Discipleship and Culture Podcast.

Culture is shifting, and the questions facing the church are getting deeper. How do we disciple people in a post-Christian world? How do we engage culture without compromising truth? And how do we form resilient followers of Jesus?

The Discipleship and Culture Podcast will explore spiritual formation, theology, leadership, church community, generational differences, identity, technology, AI, and the cultural issues shaping everyday life.

Brian also introduces some of the incredible voices joining the podcast this season, including Elizabeth Woodson, D.A. Horton, Scott Sullivan, Kirk Kirkland, Jana Magruder, and Scott McConnell.

While the podcast is changing, previous Group Answers episodes will remain available in this feed.

Our mission is simple: to equip leaders to make disciples who are grounded in Scripture, shaped by community, and prepared to engage today's culture with wisdom and confidence.

Join Brian Daniel next week for the first episode of the Discipleship and Culture Podcast.

They're the first generation to never know a world without smartphones, streaming, and AI. Is your ministry ready for Generation Alpha?

Generation Alpha is growing up in a world unlike any previous generation. Their understanding of relationships, identity, learning, and even truth is being shaped by technology from their earliest years. For parents and ministry leaders, that presents both incredible opportunities and significant challenges.

In this episode of Group Answers, we take a closer look at the emerging characteristics of Generation Alpha and what they mean for the future of discipleship. Together, we explore how digital culture is influencing children's worldview, emotional health, and spiritual formation—and how the church can respond with wisdom, intentionality, and hope.

As culture continues to change, the mission of making disciples remains the same. This conversation will encourage pastors, small group leaders, parents, and discipleship leaders to think intentionally about how they can help Generation Alpha develop a faith that is rooted in Scripture, strengthened through community, and prepared to navigate the complexities of today's culture.

Know a ministry leader or parent who needs this conversation? Share this episode with them!

SHOW LINKS: 

Reaching Generation Alpha

A discipleship system can look like it’s “working” and still miss the point. Brian Daniel sits down with Robbie Gallaty, pastor of Long Hollow Baptist Church, to tell the honest story behind a season where groups multiplied fast, then had to be audited, pruned, and rebuilt because disciple making had quietly drifted into something else.

In this conversation we zoom out to what many leaders wonder about but few experience firsthand: spiritual renewal and revival. Robbie shares the waves of baptisms that followed, and why he believes readiness matters. We walk through the Movement Ready Church framework of disciple making conviction, organizational clarity, and spiritual renewal, plus what Replicate is learning from training thousands of churches, including renewed hunger for Scripture and the importance of a realistic Bible reading plan.

If you lead discipleship, small groups, or a local church, listen closely, share this with a fellow leader, and then subscribe and leave a review so more pastors and group leaders can find it.