A small group leads to disciple-making when the leader uses group time to model it, identifies a few people ready to grow deeper and then connects people in one-on-one mentoring relationships outside the group. Without that intentional step, a small group can become a smaller version of a big problem: ministry that never personally helps the people who need it most. Small group disciple-making closes that gap.
The Problem Jesus Saw
Jesus looked at the crowds and saw people who needed personal care, and he noticed there weren’t enough people to give it:
Matthew 9:36-38 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
A small group can face the same problem on a smaller scale. One leader with ten or twelve people can’t personally walk everyone through every struggle. Some topics, like marriage problems, addictions or deep doubts, need more time and privacy than a group discussion allows. The answer isn’t a bigger group. It’s more workers.
Model Disciple-Making in Group
Your small group is the simplest place to model disciple-making. Every time you work through a topic together, reading an article or listening to a podcast and then talking it over with good questions, you’re showing people a repeatable method. They’re learning how to have a spiritual conversation with someone else.
Make that explicit. Point out what you’re doing and why. Let group members take turns leading the discussion so they gain confidence. Over time, people realize, “I could do this with a friend.” That’s the moment group members start becoming disciple-makers.
Establish a Few and Make Handoffs
Look for two or three people in your group who are available and teachable. You’re already engaging them in group; now invest in them more personally. Walk them through the essentials of following Jesus outside of group time, using a resource like The Pursuit, so they’re grounded and ready to help others.
Then start making handoffs. When someone in the group needs more personal help, connect them with one of those prepared people for one-on-one mentoring. This is exactly how God designed the church to work:
Ephesians 4:11-13 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Leaders equip; God’s people do the ministry. When your group becomes a place where mentoring relationships are born, the care multiplies far beyond what you could provide on your own. To go deeper, read How Do I Make Disciples?
The Takeaway
Small group disciple-making happens when leaders model the process in group, establish a few people who are ready to grow and hand off one-on-one mentoring relationships, so more people receive personal care.
