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Cultivation Groups
A disciple is someone who listens to and lives like Jesus. A Denition for Discipleship

We want to share something with you; its something a few of us at Trinity have been thinking about. Wed like to hear your reaction. The other day, a couple of us got together and asked the question, What, really, is a church community supposed to do? How do we make sure were doing it? (Its a question we ask ourselves to focus ourselves in the right direction.) We thought, A church community is supposed to be about making disciples of all nations, like Jesus told us to in the end of Matthews Gospel. And a disciple is?... A disciple is someone who listens to and lives like Jesus. Great. We agree. Now, how do we go about making sure were making disciples - you know, people who

really intend to listen to and be like Jesus. Weve all seen folks who show up for church but arent really that interested in being a disciple of Jesus. How do we nurture discipleship? Thats when we came up with this idea. As we looked at Scripture and our own lives, we saw that discipleship really only took root when we were with others. Having others to journey with, to eld questions from, to just be ourselves with seemed to make all the difference. Jesus had his disciples; the disciples started forming church communities in Acts, and on it goes till it gets to you and me. Its a long thread of people getting together to listen to and live like Jesus. So, we discerned that if we were going to be intent on helping people be disciples, then we needed to gure out how to help people be with one another in a way that helps the things

we hear and see from Jesus really take root. Thats how we imagined Cultivation Groups. Cultivation Groups, then, will be an experience that nurtures being a disciple of Jesus with others. (It will last six weeks at the start of April 15; we'll evaluate our next steps together after that). They are an opportunity to listen to and live like Jesus with others. To pull this off, we see groups getting together on Sunday morning for a time of larger group Bible study. Thatll break off to smaller group conversation (those will be the actual Cultivation Groups that will break out). The Cultivation Groups will then gure out a time to get together in one anothers homes; theyll share a meal, conversation and stories, and a time for prayer and devotion. Groups will meet in homes at least once in six weeks. Finally, we hope to encourage

these groups to listen for a way to express their faith in an active way together (and to invite others along for that part of the journey). Starting April 15, wed like to take a few people down the road of being a Cultivation Group to practice the rhythms I mentioned earlier. We'll gather at 9:45am each Sunday. In six weeks time, wed like to see where these groups could be. And, come Autumn, wed like to learn with those involved how we could establish groups like this (and groups that are already listening to and living like Jesus together) into a full-on rhythm of life together. To join in on this adventure: come to the Lounge (Mission Campus) or Worship Center (Shawnee Campus) on April 15 at 9:45a. Well go from there!

Trinity Lutheran Church