I love to study the Bible but recently my Bible study led me to a surprising conclusion: We should quit telling people to study the Bible, and start telling them to meditate on and delight in it. This is what happened. I was teaching a class on how to study the Bible and in preparation […]
Archive | Discipleship
What Do You Study in a Discovery Group?
How do we make disciples who make disciples who make disciples? Recently an exciting new method of doing this is sweeping around the world. It’s called the Disciple-Making Movement. At its heart are Discovery Groups focused on discipleship—obeying everything Jesus commanded. (Matthew 28:18-20) In an earlier post I wrote about how a discovery group works, […]
A Curriculum for Christlikeness?
By Jim Egli on October 19, 2014 in Curriculum, Discipleship, Small Group Leader Resources, Small Group Meetings, Small Groups
My favorite curriculum for small groups and smaller discipleship groups are the three books by James Bryan Smith entitled The Good & Beautiful God, The Good & Beautiful Life, and The Good & Beautiful Community. I have gone through the first book with five small groups and the entire series of all three books with […]
Why I Quit Doing 1-on-1 Discipleship
For years I was a strong proponent and practitioner of one-on-one discipleship. I loved working with new believers and emerging leaders in this way, watching their lives change in this powerful context. I was not only a practitioner of one-on-one discipleship, I also taught others how to do it and I co-authored a best-selling and […]
The 4 Levels of Relationship in Jesus’ Ministry & Yours
Jesus’ ministered to people at four relational levels. Understanding these levels is pivotal to having the same impact that he had. The four levels can be illustrated by concentric circles. The Four Levels of Relationship In the widest circle, Jesus’ ministered to the crowds—preaching, teaching, healing, casting out demons, contending with opponents, etc. Within that […]
Four Reasons Why Seminaries are Ineffective (And What We Can Do About It)
Today’s seminaries are largely ineffective. We know this objectively and subjectively, but it’s hard to put our fingers on why they are ineffective. What do I mean when I say that we know this objectively and subjectively? Objectively, we can see that there is a significant negative correlation between seminary education and both church health […]
3 Reasons Why You Should Stop Doing 1-On-1 Discipleship
I’ve quit doing one-on-one discipleship and so should you. Let me tell you why. First, let me explain that I used to love doing one-on-one discipleship and I did it for years. I’ve taught on how to do it across the United States and in other countries. I even co-authored a great one-on-one discipleship book […]
The Best Small Group Curriculum
By Jim Egli on February 22, 2013 in Discipleship, Pray, Small Group Leader Resources, Small Group Meetings, Small Group Pastor
Over the past 35 years I have used lots of great books and curriculum in leading small groups and discipleship groups—some of them written by me. Thinking of all of the good material I have used, my favorite small group curriculum now is The Good & Beautiful God, by James Bryan Smith. My friend small group […]
Three Reasons Your Church Should Go Multisite
Why do multisite church? Why should your church spend the time, effort and expense to launch new campuses in new locations? I want to share three key reasons, based on our church’s experience, why you should seriously consider using a multisite strategy. We began our multisite journey motivated by two facts. First, we learned that […]
My Favorite Small Group Curriculum
By Jim Egli on September 22, 2012 in Discipleship, Pray, Small Group Leader Resources, Small Group Meetings, Small Groups
My favorite small group curriculum right now, the one I find myself recommending over and over to small group leaders, is Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton. I love it. It’s a six-session DVD curriculum on how to connect with God through simple spiritual disciplines. There are two reasons I love it so much. First, the […]