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.