dna

DNA groups are the primary vehicle for discipleship at Living Faith. A DNA group starts with just two people of the same gender and never grows past 4. The groups are intentionally small so that everyone can be heard, and no one can hide.

The three things a DNA group does are:

1. Discover – sharing what we are learning from the Bible,
2. Nurture – asking one another accountability questions to keep our hearts sensitive to the Lord,
3. Act – praying for those in our community who are not in right relationship with the Lord.

As a group forms and gets to know each other they will likely develop a particular set of accountability questions that work for them. To facilitate a group getting started we provide a set of questions as a starting point in our DNA group brochure. They are as follows:

1. How has your anger or fear or anxiety or addiction shown up this week? How does that reveal what you’re trusting in besides God?
2. How have you wasted time?
3. How have you felt yourself resisting obeying God this week: in your mission to the lost? In your sacrificial love for the community?
4. In light of God’s love toward you, do you need to reconcile with somebody? Are you subconsciously holding a grudge?
5. How have you battled sexual or intimacy temptation and how are you preparing to deal with it next week?
6. How has the Holy Spirit been testing and growing you this week? Did you respond in faith or grumbling?
7. Is anything (school, work, technology, etc.) isolating you from important relationships?
8. __________________________ (Your personalized question)

You may notice that each of the above questions is open-ended. Most of them begin with the word, “how.” This can be a great starting point for most people. We have found that some of us need more direct questions to get our hearts engaged. Here is a list of accountability questions that are more direct:

1. Have you been a testimony this week to the greatness of Jesus Christ with both your words and actions?
2. Have you been exposed to sexually alluring material or allowed your mind to entertain inappropriate sexual thoughts about another person this week?
3. Have you lacked any integrity in your financial dealings this week, or coveted something that does not belong to you?
4. Have you been honoring, understanding, and generous in your important relationships this past week?
5. Have you damaged another person by your words, either behind his/her back or face-to-face?
6. Have you given in to an addictive behavior this week? Explain.
7. Have you continued to remain angry toward another?
8. Have you secretly wished for another’s misfortune so that you might excel?
9. Did you finish your reading this week and hear from the Lord? What are you going to do about it?
10. Have you been completely honest with me?

Whichever list you use, remember that the goal is transparency, purity, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. We are not on a fault-finding mission. We are simply wanting to help one another walk uprightly with the Lord, sensitive to His Spirit, and powerfully engaged in His mission.

I have been to some really big events. I’ve been to stadiums filled with thousands of people singing along with the latest worship band. I’ve been to churches that could seat more people than the entire population of some towns I’ve lived in.  These large events can help us capture a glimpse of God’s greatness that small gatherings cannot.

Big events and large gatherings are very useful for the large impact they can have. For some reason, there seem to be things that get through to us in a stadium that fail to register with us around a small table. At the same time, there are things a get together of 2 or 3 people can accomplish that a crowd of 2 or 3 thousand, or even 2 or 3 hundred, never will.

For too long Christians have relied solely on the large group meetings to accomplish God’s mission to make disciples. Disciples need to be able to ask questions, confess sins, receive personal encouragement, and pray with and for others. There is simply no way for all of this to happen in a crowd. A group of three people is the perfect size for growing healthy disciples.

This is where DNA groups come in at Living Faith Christian Church. A DNA group is two or three people of the same gender who meet together once a week for about an hour. Together the group will Discover the truths of the Bible, Nurture gospel accountability, and Act on their faith by praying for the lost. Starting a DNA group requires no special training and no curriculum other than the Bible. You can learn more about DNA groups by downloading the free brochure. The link is at the bottom of this post.

You can learn more about DNA groups by downloading the free brochure. The link is at the bottom of this post. The DNA format is a simple tool you can put to use immediately that will help you grow as an individual, it will help you grow as a disciple maker, and it will help you grow as a leader in ways a large group gathering never could. Download this free brochure, recruit a friend to join you, and see what God can do

DNA Group Brochure PDF