At the start of ministry season every year, we always find ourselves encountering both familiar and unfamiliar people with different needs within our context. As we settle into the rhythm and routine of school or work, this is also a great time to kickstart accountability relationships with our LCG (Life Change Groups) and help each other grow in spiritual maturity. These discipleship relationships are rooted in care, commitment, and challenge and form the building blocks of our greater church community.
According to the DMF (Discipleship Making Framework), every one of us is at different stages of discipleship and we should all make it our goal to disciple others who can then disciple the next generation. Just as we have been discipled and invested in by those before us, we can utilize what we have learned to bless someone younger and empower them to do the same. If you find yourself feeling anxious regarding how to best facilitate an LCG accountability relationship, below is a range of resources to help you kickstart your LCG and navigate this lifelong journey of discipleship.
Here are the basic expectations of LCG: https://bit.ly/LCGsheet
Here are some additional resources that may help you in your LCG journey. Doing an activity together could be a helpful way to introduce new habits (e.g., reading, reflecting, journaling) into both of your lives, especially with the aid of weekly accountability.
Reading a book together
Want to delve deeper into some of these topics and be encouraged by powerful testimonies or gain theological insights? Here are also some book recommendations that approach the gospel, Christian life and ministry from different perspectives:
- The Purpose Driven Life – Rick Warren
‘The Purpose Driven Life’ shares some of the most sought and fundamental questions we are all seeking answers to, “why am I alive now?”, “why am I where I am?”, “what is my life purpose?” The book helps you to understand deeper God’s purpose for creating you, and how understanding this will help you navigate your life, and most importantly, prepare you for the eternity He has in store for you!
Reading this together with your LCG will supplement you with Biblical truth as you journey together and point each other back to Christ!
- Prayer – Timothy Keller
Prayer is how we connect and experience God. This book helps you to understand the theological foundation for prayer and digging deeper how you can grow your intimacy with God through prayer. Read this together with your LCG and build accountability in your prayer lives!
- The Prodigal God – Timothy Keller
This book digs deep into the prodigal son story, portraying there is more than one way to defy God, whether its through moralistic or irreligious sins. Yet, God is the same and constant Father who will always extend His grace and love to us. Read this together with your LCG to understand and go back again to the basics and heart of Christian faith!
- Questioning Evangelism – Randy Newman
Have you ever blanked out on how to respond to hard questions from people? This book can give you various practical advice for how to engage with pre-Christians based on engaging questions and caring, instead of trying to prove or having prepared lectures/statements. This helps you and your LCG(s) to go deeper in the Gospel and be equipped in how to live for Christ differently!
- Unseen – Sara Hagerty
Are you interested in finding contentment in God no matter what circumstances? Do you want to go deeper in understanding God’s scandalous love? This book goes deeper in understanding how God orchestrates everything in our lives and truly knows us to put us through the seasons we go through, even those that seem mundane, unnoticed and unappreciated, for us to experience Him! Go deeper in intimacy with God by reading this book with your LCG!
- The Life You’ve Always Wanted – John Ortberg
Do you need a refresher/a nudge to grow in your relationship with God? This book helps to break down spiritual disciplines with a modern perspective and how essentially we can be more Christ-like or as what people these days would say – What would Jesus do? Read this with your LCG if you want to go back to the basics or set a trajectory in committing for spiritual growth!
- The Gospel at Work – Sebastian Traeger and Greg Gilbert
One third of your life is spent at work, is sustaining your life all there is to it? This book unpacks how the Gospel changes the way we see work, especially how we can be different at our work because of what we have experienced through Christ and not society expectations. There are reflective questions after each chapter, helping us to go deeper and reflect on the specific issues at work. Go read this book with your LCG to experience the freedom in knowing God sovereignly place you where you are at for work!
Online tools for self awareness
Care, Commit, and Challenge are all aspects of a healthy LCG relationship. Challenging is often hard, but is an important part of accountability relationships as we each have our blind spots that need to be pointed out with those we are walking with. When entering into discipleship with someone new, it is crucial to communicate expectations and areas in which you want to grow. Here are some interesting online quizzes and resources that provide insights into your tendencies and struggles, they can be great tools in helping you delve into deeper conversation:
- Saboteur test: https://www.positiveintelligence.com/saboteurs/
- Sorting hat fruit to root: https://sortinghatchats.wordpress.com/
- Enneagram spiritual formation plan: https://bit.ly/EnneagramSpiritualFormation