Discipleship Groups
Registration for Fall 2025 Discipleship-Groups will open soon in the coming weeks!
What is a Discipleship-Group (D-Group)?
A Discipleship-Group is made up of 3-5 men or women who meet weekly for a set amount of time to help one another grow in Christ.
Five Central Components of a D-Group:
Word-Centered: We want the Word to be central to everything we do as a church. So at the core of every D-Group is a particular book of the Bible and/ or a spiritually beneficial book.
Multi-Generational: D-Groups seek to facilitate multi-generational discipleship.
Gender-Specific: D-Groups lean into developing rich, same-sex friendships for mutual encouragement.
Short-Term: D-Groups meet for anywhere between 8-15 weeks.
Reproducible: D-Groups are simple and easy to multiply. We do this with each other so we can do this with others.
How are D-Groups different from Small Groups?
** Because Small Groups are a 9-month commitment, they are typically best suited for members, or those in the process of becoming members.
How can I join a D-Group?
There will be up to four opportunities per year to join a D-Group: January, March, June, September.
The available D-Groups will be announced along with the following information:
1) Group leader, 2) day/time, 3) location, 4) duration, and 5) curriculum for study
During a sign-up window, you will let us know which D-Group you are interested in joining based on the above information. Once a group has up to five total members it will be considered full.
What will a typical D-Group meeting look like?
The structure of the meeting will vary from group to group at the discretion of the leader, but below is what a sample schedule might look like for a 1.5 hour meeting:
(5 mins) Catch up/ shoot the breeze
(15 mins) Life updates
How are you doing spiritually? Are there any sins you’d like to confess? How can we pray for you (sin, burdens, seeking wisdom, etc)?
(5 mins) Pray
* Pray for the person to your left
(30 mins) Bible Study: Philippians 2:1-11
Someone will read assigned passage out loud
Suggested questions (each participant should come prepared with reflections to share):
What is the big idea of the passage?
What is a question I have about the passage?
What is an insight I gained from the passage?
What is an application for me to make from the passage?
(30 mins) Book Discussion: The Pleasures of God by John Piper (Ch. 3-4)
What was your biggest takeaway?
What’s a question you have from the reading?
How did the reading stir your affections for Jesus?
What was your primary application from the reading?
(5 mins) Close in prayer
Should I join a D-Group or a co-ed Small Group?
You don’t have to choose one or the other!
If you have the capacity in your schedule to be a consistent and engaged participant in both, praise God! Because of their length and design, Small Groups will typically be better suited for developing deeper connections and community with other members at Edgefield over a longer period of time. Over 90% of our church members participated in small groups this past year, and we anticipate them continuing to be a regular anchor for one-another ministry at Edgefield.
However, if any of the below points resonate with you, you might consider a Discipleship Group as an alternative or additional option for building meaningful relationships at Edgefield:
You’re not available on Wednesday evenings for small groups.
A shorter-term commitment is simply more realistic and feasible for your schedule right now.
You have young children and the traditional small group time/ format has been challenging to navigate consistently. D-Groups would allow your spouse to stay home with the kids while you focus on the Word.
You’re interested in the content (biblical book/ Christian book) that a particular D-Group will be working through together.
There’s a particular D-Group Leader that you’d like to spend time with and learn from.
You’re eager to develop new friendships with folks at Edgefield outside of just your Small Group.
You’re a recent visitor and you’d like to get to know the church better before committing to membership or joining a small group.
I’m interested in LEADING a D-Group. How does that work?
To lead an official Edgefield Discipleship Group, you need to 1) be a member of Edgefield Church, 2) participate in a D-Group, 3) be recommended by your D-Group Leader, and 4) be approved by Edgefield’s leadership. If you have interest in potentially leading a group in the future please go ahead and let us know! We look for a few things in potential new Leaders:
Character: You’re a godly example worthy of imitation (1 Cor. 4:16)
Conviction: You hold fast to what is good (1 Thes. 5:21)
Competency: You’re an able leader and teacher (1 Tim. 3:3; Titus 2:3-5)
Consistency: You honor commitments and regularly attend the gatherings of the church (Matt 5:37; Heb. 10:24-25)
Capacity: You make yourself available to spiritually invest in others (Matt 28:18-20; 2 Tim. 2:2)
Once you’re approved by the elders to serve as a D-Group Leader, you’ll need to determine your group’s:
Day/Time
Location
Duration (8-15 weeks)
Curriculum (books outside of the Bible must be approved by the elders in advance)
After you’ve decided on the above, you can start recruiting! You’re highly encouraged to personally invite any folks that you think may be interested. A few factors to consider when inviting folks:
Is there anyone who isn’t already well-connected at our church?
Is there anyone you’ve connected with already that you’d like to spend more time with?
Is there anyone who makes sense geographically based on your meeting location?
Is there anyone younger who is in need of intentional discipleship?
Is there anyone who has shown future leadership potential?
In the event that you still have any open spots after your own invitations, we will plan to announce your D-Group at the upcoming window: January, March, June, or September.
What curriculum should my D-Group study?
You can study a book of the Bible, a spiritually beneficial Christian book, or both!
You can never go wrong studying a book of the Bible. If you go this route, you’ll want to pick a book that:
You have a fairly confident grasp of
Is suitable for the kind of discussions you hope to lead
Is digestible in the number of weeks you’re aiming for
Good Christian books can also be spiritually beneficial for your D-Group to study:
Any book that you find in our Edgefield bookstall is already approved.
We’re also happy to provide an additional list of recommended resources organized by topic that you’re welcome to reference. Please email us if you’d like to receive it.
As mentioned, any books outside of these two lists must be approved by the elders in advance.
Pastor Matt Ecton oversees our groups ministries, please reach out to us with with any questions!