About The Grove

 

 

The Vision

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“We will reach the world for Jesus Christ… one person at a time.”

 

The Mission

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“We will create biblical disciples in relational environments.”

 

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19)

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Definition of a Disciple:

 

  -  One who is committed to following Jesus

  -  One who is committed to being changed by Jesus

  -  One who is committed to joining the mission of Jesus

 

The Process:

  -  A pathway toward spiritual maturity

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"We will make disciples who make disciples of Jesus."

 

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"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:42-47 (NIV84)

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7 Habits of a Disciple-making Church

(the grove's "rings")

 

Ring 1: Abide in Christ.

 

Maintain a relationship with Jesus Christ that transforms the way we live in the church, our home, and our community.

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This is the foundation for every disciple and disciple maker. We must have an abiding, daily relationship with Christ in order to have anything to give or share with others. We are called to make disciples of Jesus – unless we are abiding in Him there is a chance we may just end up replicating ourselves in others. We must recognize that we need Jesus and humble ourselves to His authority on a daily basis. Our relationship with him needs to be intimate and close, not superficial. We should apply to our lives the spiritual disciplines of reading His Word and constant prayer. Our lives will then reflect the fruit of abiding in him, and we will become an example to the people we are discipling.

 

Ring 2: Reach the lost.

 

Actively seek to share our faith with those who do not know Jesus.

 

You would think this habit wouldn’t even need to be mentioned because it is obvious. Unfortunately, many people look at the lost as potential converts only, not taking into consideration the part they may need to play in their growth and spiritual maturity. We must have the same heart for the lost that Jesus has. This requires an outward focus that continually seeks to understand and to reach the lost not just from within the walls of the church building, but throughout every area of our lives. It means constantly looking for opportunities to share our faith – in our home, with extended family, at our jobs, on the bus, on the plane…and also share our lives with others wherever we go. Our relationship with Jesus should be the natural overflow of sharing who we are, and our desire should be that every person eventually come to a saving relationship with Jesus as we walk beside them in their journey as a disciple. Connect the Unconnected

 

Ring 3: Chase the Strays.

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Pursuing The People Who Stray If any person you are connected with strays from Christ, you will do your part to be sure they are noticed, valued, and pursued. Take note of people you are in or have been in relationship with that you see straying from Jesus and the body of Christ. If you see someone that seems to be disconnecting, reach out to them and find out what is going on. It may be that they are going through a struggle somewhere in their life and you will have an opportunity to serve them in some way. It may just be that they are not feeling valued, and having someone notice their absence could make all the difference to their frame of mind. Whatever is going on, remind them that we were created to be in relationship with God and with others. It can be hard and humbling to admit we need help, but that humility and transparency is what can help us grow deeper in relationship with each other, and gain deeper maturity in Christ. In John 21:17 Jesus tells Peter “If you love me feed my sheep”. This command applies to us a disciples also – and in order to ‘feed’ or care for His sheep – we need to know where they are.

 

Ring 4: Connect believers to God’s body.

 

Determine to help every person you are discipling be connected to Jesus in relationship and connected to His body of believers as we consistently worship together weekly.

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First, we need to recognize the importance of relationship to God, and set a pattern of relationship in our own lives. Then we must encourage others to do the same, and help them get connected into meaningful, Christ-centered relationship with other believers and with their local church.

 

Nature shows us many examples of animals who stray from the pack or the group and become vulnerable to predators. It is no different when it comes to being a believer. Studies show that the attrition rate of leaving the faith is higher in themembers who only attend church occasionally. It is hard to continue to do something new if you have no connection to it – when you have relationships you know someone will notice if you are gone for a week. Having said that, as a disciple you need to be sure you are connecting with the body yourself on a weekly basis. But in addition to being there for your own connection needs, you should be looking for those people you are discipling every week too. Falling behind in church attendance is often an early warning sign that a problem exists. And as a disciple maker it is your responsibility to be aware of that. This is addressed in the next habit.

 

Ring 5: Shepherd toward maturity.

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This is where the caring for and feeding the sheep really enters in. We should be caring for them in a way that enables them to be all they were created and saved to be. Our goal as a disciple maker is to intentionally disciple others towards maturity. This means we will help our people understand right doctrine and be able to pass it on to those they disciple. This also means that they are learning to follow Christ as their Lord. God has given every disciple His Holy Spirit, His Word, and His people, so that we can know and do His will.

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We intentionally help the people we are discipling learn to feed themselves, then they can learn to feed those they disciple until those reach maturity. Because no two people are the same, each person will need something a little bit different to grow. That is why the relational aspect of discipleship is so important. As we spend time and do life together with those we are discipling we are more in tune with where they are in their spiritual walk. Each person learns in different ways and has different gifting and experiences. Each person needs to learn how to be all God created them to be by using their gifts and experiences for God’s glory, his good, and the good of the body.

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Ring 6: Identify and equip leaders.

 

Always move toward the goal of releasing spiritually mature disciples of Jesus, who will then go on to make disciples of Jesus.

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Our end goal as a disciple maker will be that we fulfill the command in Ephesians 4:12 -13 and equip all God’s people for service and release them to be who God created them to be. We believe that every person is saved for a reason. Our role as disciple makers is to help them figure out what gifts God has given them to use in the church and to help them start to use it effectively.

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A spiritually mature person is one who has been serving and ministering and is now thinking in terms of reproducing. They recruit people not only to be a part of completing a task but are interested in intentionally helping people grow spiritually in every sphere of their lives. Spiritual parents are characterized by HUMILITY and INTENTIONALITY. They contribute but also allow people to contribute to them. They share the life of a believer with others in relationship and they intentionally help others do the same.

 

Ring 7: Work together as a team.

 

Well, there you have it – 7 habits of an effective disciple and disciple-making church. We like to say discipleship is "simple" – it's just not "easy".

 

Adjusting our lives to fit around God’s mission and values requires an inward heart change by the Holy Spirit that causes us to re-evaluate our thinking about what we value and pursue.

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For an in-depth look at our Core Beliefs, click the link below.