Part 3: Disciple Making and Care Groups

 

(From my letter to my congregation sent out on 15 April 2026)

Since life at Heritage is about truth, worship, and Christian love to equip us in making disciples who will belong and believe with us as we grow in truth, worship, and Christian love, then we are rightly concerned about being disciple makers. In the words of Kevin DeYoung, “If you walk with God and walk with people, you’ll reach the next generation” (“The (Not-So-Secret) Secret to Reaching the Next Generation,” pg. 4). Simply put, disciple-making is not a program or project, but a person-to-person lifestyle, and our Lord Jesus has placed it in our hands with a powerful promise (Matthew 28:19-20). 

Besides one-on-one fellowship (Part 2) and parents raising their children (Part 1), another venue where disciple-making naturally happens is in our Care Groups [Some congregations call them Life Group, Community Groups, or Small Groups]. The time we spend together eating, fellowshipping, applying Scripture to our day-in-day-out lives, praying with and for each other, is all there. 

Last night at our monthly Session meeting, one of our elders handed us an article by Steve Midgley from the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation. The title of the article tells readers a lot: “Something Worth Meeting For – A Biblical Vision for Small Groups.” The Session [our board of elders] spent almost two hours discussing the paper and its applications for our Care Groups. In the article Midgley concludes with two aims of Care Groups:


“First, we are restoring sanctification as a central ambition for these groups. When this happens, God’s great ambition for our lives and our churches is put in its proper place. God is glorified and his kingdom advances when we grow into his likeness and his church assumes the stature of the fullness of Jesus himself. Once we get that right, all the other things we seek in our small groups will begin to be realized, too.

 

Second, we are improving our ability to connect the truths of Scripture with the business of life. When these things happen, our groups become increasingly compelling places to be. We sense that God is speaking richly into our lives and we find that those around us are helping us to listen well. Turning up at our small group stops being a chore we feel obliged to fulfil and starts being a delight we can’t afford to miss.” 

That’s it! Since our Care Groups are an integral part of life at Heritage, then they are all about truth, worship, and Christian love to equip us in making disciples who will belong and believe with us as we grow in truth, worship, and Christian love. Care Groups are disciple-making groups! 

Questions to ask yourself: 

  • Am I part of a Care Group, and growing as a disciple of Jesus?
  • As part of a Care Group, how is it helping me to mature in Christ (sanctification) and apply God’s Word to my life?
  • As part of a Care Group, how am I helping others mature in Christ and apply his word to life?
  • Have I recognized that my Care Group is part of life at Heritage? That my Care Group is about truth, worship, and Christian love to equip us in making disciples who will belong and believe with us as we grow in truth, worship, and Christian love?

 

Pastor Mike


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