A gender-specific closed group of 2-7 believers (including the leader) who meet together weekly to equip believers with the Word of God through accountable relationships empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to fulfill our church's vision:

Make Disciples of Jesus Christ who Make Disciples of Others

So that you can understand better what a D-Group is,

let's define all the different kinds of groups that we have at Crossroads.

We have 4 different types of groups, each with a specific purpose.

Our goal is to involve every member of our church in our Worship Service,

in a Life Group, and eventually in a D-Group.

We also offer Bible Studies specifically for those who desire to understand

more about what the Bible teaches on a specific topic.

Our D-Groups are closed groups. Meaning that once a group comes together and begins, no one else will join the group. The reason is that each group goes through a process of discipleship and it would be very difficult for someone to come into the group in the middle of the process.

Out of the 12 disciples Jesus chose, He chose 3 (Peter, James, John) to be even closer to Him, to reveal even more of Himself to them. These 3 did everything with Him. They went with Jesus to pray when He pulled away from the masses. Jesus revealed things to the 3 that He didn't reveal to anyone else. They even saw Jesus transfigured and meeting with Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. This is the model we want to follow for our D-Groups.

Most of our D-Groups are Gender-Specific groups. An important aspect of our D-Groups is confession. Though we allow married couples to go through a D-Group together, we encourage gender-specific groups. Confession tends to be more honest and open when men meet with men and women meet with women.

We initially ask a D-Group to commit to meet together for 24 weeks. For most who want to continue, the Discipleship process will take up to a year to complete, and beyond that if needed.

Each member will sign a Group Covenant at the first meeting of your D-Group. Each member will commit to the following:

• Acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord of my life each day
• Attend all group sessions unless providentially hindered
• Spend from 20 to 30 minutes a day (5 days per week) as needed to complete all assignments
• Have a daily quiet time
• Keep a Journal about the way God speaks to me and I speak to Him
• Be faithful to my church in attendance and stewardship
• Love and encourage each group member
• Share my faith with others
• Keep in confidence anything that others share in the group sessions
• Submit myself to others willingly in accountability
• Become a discipler of others as God gives opportunities
• Support my church financially by practicing Biblical giving
• Pray daily for group members

The leader is a major element. Discipleship is about relationship. It is not something you do by yourself. You need human models, instruction, and accountability to become what Christ intends for you to be. That is why Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples (Matt 28:19-20). We all need someone who has followed Christ long enough to challenge us. To become a better disciple, you need a leader to whom you can relate personally and regularly - someone who can teach you, model behaviors, and hold you accountable.

A D-Group's underlying purpose is evangelism. It is not evangelistic in its form or function, but in its fruit: It makes disciples of Jesus Christ who make disciples of others.

A leader must either be a current participant of a D-Group, or must have

already completed a D-Group at Crossroads before leading

• Pray about whom God would have you ask to be in your D-Group
• Approach those individuals and invite them into your D-Group
• Covenant with them to be committed and accountable to each other
• Invest your life into your D-Group participants for as long as it takes to help them become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
• Contact Edward at 404-456-9063, to let us know you would like to start a D-Group