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Helping Small Groups Make Disciplines Stick

Many of us spend the six weeks of Lent seeking focus, renewal, practicing confession and repentance and developing new spiritual disciplines. We may struggle with focus and intentionality, experience breakthroughs or even learn new things in our personal relationship with the Lord.

Then Easter comes and goes and what do we do with all this fruit of the Lenten season?

The hope would be that some of these practices or revelations would lead to new disciplines or growth leading to greater maturity.

Very few churches have an organized or systematic way for believers to corporately share what they experienced spiritually during Lent. Most of us never have the chance to truly “unpack” what we have learned and experienced during Lent.

Wouldn’t the season directly after Easter be a pivotal time to seize the momentum from Lent and lead our congregations into some intentional growth opportunities?

When a believer experiences a victory through discipline or a time of personal revelation, sharing this with a small group for accountability greatly increases the likelihood of this growth being maintained and continued.

This would be an ideal time to provide your small group leaders with tools to help them facilitate sharing within their group. Accountability can be powerful to the believer seeking to move from 40 days of consistent Bible reading to making it a lifestyle practice.

Truths learned during the 40 days of disciplined practice can become cemented into a believer’s spiritual foundation once they are verbalized out loud to the community of their small group.

What a powerful time for growing believers to choose transparency and accountability after a personal journey.

Not everyone experiences marked growth or great victory every Lent, but sharing in the experience of fellow sojourners can bring encouragement and a new perspective.

We can be positively challenged by someone else’s growth.

This also provides a unique opportunity for staff members and leaders to share alongside their congregation in celebration and even vulnerability as they seek accountability and encouragement. There is great power found in leadership exposing their struggles and joys in a more personal small group setting versus from the stage or pulpit. This kind of leadership requires great humility and honesty but deep connections, greater respect and deeper understanding can be the result.

How can you help your congregation “unpack” what they have learned during Lent?

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