SUMMARY: In this episode,  Brian and Rick discuss how church leaders can empower church members to identify where they are in their spiritual journey and take the next steps in discipleship. Guest host Brian Phipps, the Next Steps Pastor at Westside Family Church in Kansas City, shares insight he has gained from his Next Steps ministry, which enables members to grow in their faith by focusing on two  areas of development: character and calling. He also discusses some practical tips for how churches can implement this type of ministry into the ethos of their church culture. Finally, Rick shares a list of ways to avoid a “night of shared ignorance,” or false teaching, at weekly group meetings.

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: Brian Phipps is the Next Steps pastor at Westside Family Church in Lenexa, Kansas, bringing strong leadership and investments in championing the spiritual growth of that congregation. Brian is experienced as a church planter, senior pastor, and discipleship and small groups pastor. He received his B.A. in religion from the University of South Carolina, and a Masters of Divinity and M.A. in Counseling from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando. Brian and Carol have been married since 1994 and have three amazing kids, Hannah, Sam, and Caleb. Brian loves to hang out with his family and friends, play golf, fish, and play Texas Hold-Em’, and he enjoys classic rock. Brian’s passion is to empower every Christ-follower to discover, develop, and optimize their character and calling so that they make their God-sized IMPACT on the world for Christ.

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.