Discipleship & Culture with Brian Daniel

SUMMARY: In this episode, Brian and Chris speak with Michael Kelley about current trends of discipleship and how to implement a strong discipleship program into a church culture. Michael discusses why the concept of discipleship is such a timely and God-given directive for this point in history, and he shares about how the most common inhibitors to church discipleship—lack of intentionality and lack of motivation—can be overcome with programs and resources that match the existing culture in the church. Michael also discusses the discipleship resources Disciples Path and smallgroup.com and how they can meet churches’ needs in different ways.

The Groups Matter Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in Lifeway’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at Lifeway and author of Small Groups For The Rest Of Us.

GUEST: Michael Kelley lives in Nashville, TN, with his wife, Jana, and three children: Joshua (10), Andi (7), and Christian (5). He serves as Director of Groups Ministry for Lifeway Christian Resources. As a communicator, Michael speaks across the country at churches, conferences, and retreats and is the author of Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal: A Boy, Cancer, and God; Transformational Discipleship; and Boring: Finding an Extraordinary God in an Ordinary Life. Find him on Twitter: @_MichaelKelley.

RESOURCES: If you have a question you’d like discussed on our Groups Matter Podcast, please tweet your question to @BcDaniel or @ChrisSurratt.

SUMMARY: In this episode, Brian interviews Allan Taylor, the Director of Christian Education at Lifeway, about Lifeway’s national Sunday School conference On Track, scheduled for March 17-18, 2017, in Hendersonville, TN. Allan shares how the conference originated from a conversation about how Sunday school ministries often seem to be “off track,” and so he and other Sunday school leaders have created an experience where churches can bring their Sunday school teachers, ministers of education, and small groups pastors to participate in a unifying experience of training and vision-casting. Allan identifies some of the speakers, topics, and training sessions that the conference will feature and discusses the blessings that can occur when church leaders attend a conference training event together and build a unified vision to grow the church’s small groups ministry as a team.

In addition, Brian and Allan discuss a new project entitled Sunday School Matters, a video-driven training series releasing in January 2017 that focuses on developing 12 aspects of Sunday school ministry in churches.

The Groups Matter Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in Lifeway’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at Lifeway and author of Small Groups For The Rest Of Us.

GUEST: Allan Taylor is the Director of Christian Education for Lifeway Christian Resources. Before coming to Lifeway, he most recently served as Minister of Education at First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Georgia, for 20 years. He also served London Bridge Baptist Church, Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Beaver Dam Baptist Church, Knoxville, Tennessee.

Before entering the ministry, he was a high school football coach and Sunday School director at his church. He has been married to Linda for 37 years. They have three married children and three grandchildren.

EPISODE SPONSOR: This week’s episode is sponsored by SmallGroup.com. SmallGroup.com is an online subscription service that allows churches and group leaders to create customizable, sermon-based group bible studies. Visit the Groups Ministry blog for a quick how-to tutorial, or visit SmallGroup.com to begin your free 2-week preview.

RESOURCES: If you have a question you’d like discussed on our Groups Matter Podcast, please tweet your question to @BcDaniel or @ChrisSurratt.

 

SUMMARY: In this episode, Brian and Chris speak with Andrew Mason, the Small Groups Pastor of Real Life Church in northern California, about starting a small groups ministry in a church context where discipleship communities apart from traditional Sunday School may be unfamiliar. Andrew explains that churches must adopt the belief that followers of Christ benefit from fellowship and discipleship in biblical community as a core value in order for a small groups program to succeed. Adopting a small groups ministry as an expression of this core value will ensure that the program will be set up as a second setting parallel to worship with the express purpose of discipleship. Andrew also discusses how small groups are often advertised as simply communities for fellowship but could be more effectively presented as a form of spiritual growth with strong biblical content.

The Groups Matter Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in Lifeway’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at Lifeway and author of Small Groups For The Rest Of Us.

GUEST: Andrew Mason is the Small Groups Pastor of Real Life Church, a family of churches in the Northern California region. He oversees Small Groups and Assimilation. He is Founder of SmallGroupChurches.com, an online community of leaders dedicated to growing churches one small group at a time. Andrew resides in Sacramento, CA, with his wife Camille and their son. His personal blog is AndrewSMason.com.

EPISODE SPONSOR: This week’s episode is sponsored by SmallGroup.com. SmallGroup.com is an online subscription service that allows churches and group leaders to create customizable, sermon-based group bible studies. Visit the Groups Ministry blog for a quick how-to tutorial, or visit SmallGroup.com to begin your free 2-week preview.

RESOURCES: If you have a question you’d like discussed on our Groups Matter Podcast, please tweet your question to @BcDaniel or @ChrisSurratt.

 

SUMMARY: In this episode, Brian and Rick speak with Steve Gladen and Jay Kranda, pastors at Saddleback Church, one of the most influential churches in the country, about the often controversial practice of online small groups. Steve and Jay discuss how increasing globalization has led to the opportunity to contact and engage with thousands of people through an online platform. Jay shares how establishing contact with individuals who perhaps feel more comfortable meeting Jesus and the gospel online can lead them to eventually begin meeting regularly with a physical small group in their area and how clusters of these small groups in localized places can even eventually lead to a new church plant. Steve and Jay also offer some practical advice and inexpensive resources for groups pastors who are considering trying out online small groups in their church.

The Groups Matter Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study expert from the Lifeway Groups Ministry Team, and Rick Howerton, the discipleship and small group specialist at Lifeway and author of Countdown: Launching and Leading Transformational Groups.

GUEST: Steve Gladen has been Global Pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback Church since 1998. He is the founder of the Small Group Network and oversees the strategic launch and development of over 7,000 adult small groups on multiple campuses. He has authored Small Groups With Purpose and Leading Small Groups With Purpose. He frequently speaks at conferences and consults with church leaders both in the United States and around the world. He has a driving passion to see each church attendee connected to a qualified shepherd and become an integral part of their church body, living purposefully for Christ. He earned a Masters of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1985, and a B.A. in Biblical Studies, with minors in Greek and Philosophy in 1982, from Evangel University. Steve and Lisa have been married since 1989 and have two children, Erika and Ethan. Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveGladen.

Jay Kranda is the Online Campus Pastor at Saddleback Church. He blogs regularly about online church at jaykranda.com and co-hosts the Social Media Podcast.

EPISODE SPONSOR: This week’s episode is sponsored by SmallGroup.com. SmallGroup.com is an online subscription service that allows churches and group leaders to create customizable, sermon-based group bible studies. Visit the Groups Ministry blog for a quick how-to tutorial, or visit SmallGroup.com to begin your free 2-week preview.

RESOURCES: If you have a question you’d like discussed on our Groups Matter Podcast, please tweet your question to @BcDaniel or @RickHowerton.

 

SUMMARY: In this episode, Brian and Rick speak with Jeff Vanderstelt, the lead teaching pastor at Doxa Church in Bellevue, Washington, about the varying forms that discipleship can take. Jeff explains that the best idea of discipleship isn’t necessarily just one person discipling another but rather a variety of different people, situations, environments and relationships that lead to more effective discipleship. Jeff shares his biblical basis for “all of life” discipleship and discusses what it looks like in the context of group life in his church.

The Groups Matter Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study expert from the Lifeway Groups Ministry Team, and Rick Howerton, the discipleship and small group specialist at Lifeway and author ofGUEST: As the visionary leader of the Soma Family of Churches, Saturate, and the lead teaching pastor at Doxa Church in Bellevue, Washington, Jeff Vanderstelt travels around the U.S. and the world doing what he loves—training disciples of Jesus to make more disciples of Jesus and equipping the Church in the gospel and missional living. Jeff is the author of Saturate, Saturate Field Guide, and coming in spring of 2017, Gospel Fluency. He and Jayne, his wife of twenty-three years, have three children: Haylee, Caleb, and Maggie. Connect with Jeff at his website (jeffvanderstelt.com) or on Twitter: @JeffVanderstelt.

RESOURCES: If you have a question you’d like discussed on our Groups Matter Podcast, please tweet your question to @BcDaniel or @RickHowerton.

 

SUMMARY: In this episode, Brian and Rick speak with Tim Smith, a state missionary of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, about the trend of building a ministry of smaller groups of three to five individuals, in addition to the typical Sunday school class, for the purpose of intentional discipleship. Tim shares his insight about how discipleship happens more often (and more effectively) not from the pulpit but in small group settings, and he discusses how these “smaller small groups” can be a good way for church members to experience closer fellowship, more in-depth Bible study, and more detailed accountability.

The Groups Matter Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study expert from the Lifeway Groups Ministry Team, and Rick Howerton, the discipleship and small group specialist at Lifeway and author ofGUEST: Tim Smith serves as the leader of the Groups & Faith Development team. Tim has been with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board since 1999. Prior to coming to the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, he served churches in Georgia and North Carolina. Tim has earned degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky; Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina; University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Georgia; and Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Georgia. Tim is a native of Georgia. He has been married to his wife Cathy since December 17, 1983 and they have two grown children and one grandchild.  Tim love baseball, camping, fishing and reading.

RESOURCES: If you have a question you’d like discussed on our Groups Matter Podcast, please tweet your question to @BcDaniel or @RickHowerton.

 

SUMMARY: In this episode, Brian and Rick speak with Kris Dolberry, a leader of men’s ministry at Lifeway, about how to engaging men in ministry and Bible study. Kris discusses the specific principles for ministering to men, including how to find creative and savvy ways to disciple men who lead very busy lives. Kris shares several resources with rich, in-depth content aimed at ministering to men, as well as several upcoming events (such as The Main Event) for men’s ministry.

In addition, Brian and Rick discuss a blog post by Ben Reed titled 9 Truths Nobody Told You About Small Groups.

The Groups Matter Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study expert from the Lifeway Groups Ministry Team, and Rick Howerton, the discipleship and small group specialist at Lifeway and author ofGUEST: Kris Dolberry is a pastor, Bible teacher, writer, and church consultant. After serving 16 years in pastoral leadership, Kris now leads Ministry to Men at Lifeway and serves as Executive Editor of Stand Firm, a daily devotional magazine for men. He is passionate about serving churches in their mission of making disciples. Kris is husband to Vanessa and Dad to Konnor, Emma, and Brady. They live outside Nashville, Tennessee. Learn more about Kris’s upcoming speaking engagements and read his blog at krisdolberry.com.

RESOURCES: If you have a question you’d like discussed on our Groups Matter Podcast, please tweet your question to @BcDaniel or @RickHowerton.

 

SUMMARY: In this episode, Brian and guest host Joel Polk speak with Robby Gallaty, Senior Pastor of Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee, about the three spaces of disciple-making in a church culture. Robby shares Long Hollow’s practice of promoting three different kinds of group experiences for its members: the large worship gathering, the small group Bible study, and a smaller group of 3-5 individuals who gather with the express purpose of learning discipleship. Robby discusses how church leadership must emulate the practice of disciple-making for their congregations, and he shares from his own experience about the blessings of a ministry devoted to in-depth spiritual growth.

In addition, Brian and Joel discuss a blog post by Chris Surratt titled 5 Ways to Keep Leaders from Burnout, as well as a post from Rick Howerton listing 7 Reasons a Small Group Should Be 12 or Less People.

The Groups Matter Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study expert from the Lifeway Groups Ministry Team, and Rick Howerton, the discipleship and small group specialist at Lifeway and author ofGUEST: Robby has served as Long Hollow’s Senior Pastor since October of 2015. His radical salvation in 2002 and a powerful journey since has led him to a passionate calling of “making disciples who make disciples.”

Robby holds a Ph.D., has written several books, and also provides a wealth of discipleship resources through Replicate Ministries. When he’s not serving the church, you can find Robby working out at the gym, relaxing with his family, or watching UFC and college football. He and his wife, Kandi, have two precious young sons, Rig and Ryder.

EPISODE SPONSOR: This week’s episode is sponsored by SmallGroup.com. SmallGroup.com is an online subscription service that allows churches and group leaders to create customizable, sermon-based group bible studies. Visit the Groups Ministry blog for a quick how-to tutorial, or visit SmallGroup.com to begin your free 2-week preview.

RESOURCES: If you have a question you’d like discussed on our Groups Matter Podcast, please tweet your question to @BcDaniel or @RickHowerton.

 

SUMMARY: In this episode, Brian and guest host Joel Polk speak with Philip Nation, the Director of Content Development at Lifeway, about the fundamentals of church life and how they apply in groups ministry. Philip shares insight on the six fundamentals of spiritual discipline—the practices of stewardship, church discipline, congregational authority, the Lord’s supper and baptism, leadership, and the Great Commission. He discusses the relationship between church leadership, congregational authority, and groups and explains how a basic understanding of spiritual disciplines and knowledge of the fundamental workings of a church can enable individual church members to feel connected and part of the whole of what God is doing for the congregation.

In addition, Brian and Joel discuss the blog post of the week, Undeniable Facts: Why Starting New Groups Isn’t Optional, and Brian shares a list from Rick of 7 Audacious Practices of Those Who Lead Icebreakers Effectively.

The Groups Matter Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study expert from the Lifeway Groups Ministry Team, and Rick Howerton, the discipleship and small group specialist at Lifeway and author ofGUEST: Philip Nation is the Director of Content Development with Lifeway Christian Resources and serves as Teaching Pastor for The Fellowship, a multi-campus church in Nashville. His latest book is Habits for Our Holiness: How the Spiritual Disciplines Grow Us Up, Draw Us Together, and Send Us Out. He is also the coauthor of Compelled: Living the Mission of God and Transformational Discipleship: How People Really Grow. You can visit Philip’s blog at philipnation.net or follow him on Twitter at @philipnation.

EPISODE SPONSOR: This week’s episode is sponsored by Basics, a six-session Bible study focused on helping groups understand the foundations of a healthy church. In addition to the study sessions, Basics includes a video series featuring introductions from leading church practice experts. Find more information at lifeway.com.

RESOURCES: If you have a question you’d like discussed on our Groups Matter Podcast, please tweet your question to @BcDaniel, @RickHowerton, or @joelpolk.

 

SUMMARY: In this episode, Brian and Rick speak with Don Blackmore about the challenges of discipling men in small groups. Don explains that many men who are believers want to be spiritual leaders but don’t know how and don’t often have good examples to follow. Don shares some specific principles and practices for discipling men based on his ministry experience. He also discusses the particular challenges facing men’s discipleship today and how small group leaders can help overcome them.

In addition, Brian and Rick discuss a blog post by Ben Reed titled 9 Truths Nobody Told You About Small Groups, and Rick shares his list of the week, 6 Excuses (and Responses) to Those Who Say They Can’t Lead a Small Group.

The Groups Matter Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study expert from the Lifeway Groups Ministry Team, and Rick Howerton, the discipleship and small group specialist at Lifeway and author ofGUEST: Don Blackmore is the Executive Pastor of Family Ministry and Leadership Development at Central Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Don is passionate about discipleship. He believes life change best happens in the context of biblical community.

Don and his wife of 33 years, Barbara, have four grown daughters who are married, and they are proud grandparents of three grandchildren.  Don is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and also holds a Masters of Christian Education from Southwestern Seminary.

Don’s vocational ministry is at Central Baptist in Jonesboro, but his ministry outside the walls of the church is through serving as a volunteer chaplain with the Jonesboro Police Department.

EPISODE SPONSOR: This week’s episode is sponsored by The Disciples Path series, a 6-session Bible study on systematic discipleship created for smaller groups of 2-8 members. The Disciples Path was created by a group of 14 disciple makers from churches of different sizes and different denominations across the country. Find more information at lifeway.com/disciplespath.

RESOURCES: If you have a question you’d like discussed on our Groups Matter Podcast, please tweet your question to @BcDaniel or @RickHowerton.