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GROW


A DISCIPLESHIP INITIATIVE 

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GROW


A DISCIPLESHIP INITIATIVE 

“GROW” is a discipleship initiative here at DHBC.

 We try to avoid calling it a program (though we tend to do so sometimes) because it goes much deeper than a program.

What we are really trying to do is help push people into the lifestyle of meeting together with 3-4 people, learning together and applying the gospel to each other. We want people to grow in fighting sin, loving God, living in community and serving the city, and we believe that grow pods are a great context to challenge us to do that. 

 
 
GROW FAQ
Grow Resources
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Frequently Asked Questions


Frequently Asked Questions


What is Grow?


Grow is a discipleship initiative here at DHBC. We purposely try and avoid calling it a program (though we do by accident sometimes) because it goes much deeper than a program. What we are really trying to do is help push people into the lifestyle of meeting together with 3-4 people, learning together and applying the gospel to each other. We want people to grow in fighting sin, loving God, living in community and serving the city and we believe that Grow pods are a great context to challenge us to do that.

What is a pod?

Grow Pods are made up of 3-4 people of the same gender. The members of a pod may differ quite a bit from each other in terms of age, occupation, social class, race and upbringing but they have committed to meeting twice a month to gather together and challenge each other. Our desire is that pods grow in love for each other live out the “one another” commands of the New Testament (like pray for one another, rejoice with one another, carry one another’s burdens).

What do Pods do when they meet?

As we said, Grow is more than a program so we don’t ask Pods to do a course together. But we do desire that Pods learn and apply truth to one another. To help with that, we have provided content for Pods to go through together. This content is provided through Grow Guides.

How do Grow Guides work?

Grow Guides are designed to be tools to help Pods engage in certain topics. Each Guide is comprised of 5 parts.

First you have a seed. The seed is a short introduction to the topic and most will be available in both text and video form. Seeds are an excellent way to check out whether your Pod wants to engage in the guide or choose another one.
Next, guides help root you in the Scriptures. 2-3 texts of Scripture are provided along with some questions and Bible study tips to help you engage the text before gathering together as a Pod.

Third, guides include water from the visionaries. These are articles, blog posts or short chapters from books (and, occasionally, short videos) written by experienced pastors, leaders and visionaries who will challenge you on how the topic of the Guide applies to your growth as a disciple of Christ.

Fourthly, the Guide encourages you to grow through the warmth of community. Whereas the previous elements of the guide are engaged prior to meeting together, the fourth section contains questions centered around creating discussion in your Pod.

Finally Guides end with a push to produce the fruit of application. Here, questions and discussion push you to take concrete steps to apply what you learned in your Guide in everyday life.

What topics do Guides go through?

We believe a disciple of Jesus is one who is transformed by God, loves and is loved by Him, is a committed member of His body, and is engaged on His mission.

Flowing from that, the Grow Guides are structured around the four primary relationships of a disciple: our inner life (sanctification), our relationship with God, our relationship with others (covenant community) and our relationship with the world.

The 'Inner Life' section is centered around the main branch of the Gospel which roots our inner life in the work of Christ. Flowing from that are fruits of the Spirit – holiness (including fighting sin), joy, love and humility.

The 'Relationship with God' section of the tree is centered around Who is God. Flowing out of that are ways we interact with God – faith, listening to God (including studying His word), worship and speaking to God (through prayer).

The 'Relationship with Others' section is centered around what is community. Flowing from that are two types of covenant community (family and church) and two fruits of covenant community (reconciliation and hospitality).

The Rrelationship with the World' section of the tree is centered around what mission is, and flowing from that are issues such as calling (how the give glory to God with our lives), culture (the relationship of Christianity and culture), generosity (what it means to give generously), and incarnation (how to live as the presence of Christ in the world).

Click on the Discipleship Tree below to see the different topics that will be discussed in GROW.

Do Pods have to follow guides?

As we said before, Grow isn’t a course, it is a intiative to help you engage in the lifestyle of a disciple. A key part of that lifestyle is to gather with other disciples and grow together. It is our hope that Guides help train you to take content and discuss it together Biblically, theologically and applicationally. As your Pod learns to do this with Guides, we hope you feel free to engage other content that will help you grow in the image of Christ – whether this be lectures, sermons, books, videos or articles. Of course, you are also free to continue to study the Guides provided and we may add more in the future.

DHBC also has Home Groups, how do Pods differ from Home Groups?

We encourage those who attend DHBC to be part of both a Home Group and a Grow pod. If you recall our Life-cycle of a Fully-Devoted Disciple (connect, belong, grow, scatter) you will remember that Home Groups are an expression of the “belong” section and Pods help you fulfill the “grow” mandate. We believe that these two sizes of groups are structured differently and help you grow in discipleship in different and complementary ways.

Home Groups are the first step of getting into community at DHBC. They are structured in a way that makes them an ideal place to send newcomers to DHBC – including new and not-yet Christians. The slightly bigger size allows newcomers to integrate at a more comfortable pace and the intimacy level is appropriate to welcome in newcomers.

Grow Pods, on the other hand, are designed to be more static in their membership. Whereas home groups are large enough that a new person does not change the dynamic too much, a new person in a Pod changes the dynamic significantly. The positive side of this for the pod is that the same people can develop a greater degree of intimacy during the year and go deeper in their interaction.

Pods are also more intentional on the topics that they study. Whereas Home Groups provide “daily bread” (by working the previous week’s sermon together), Pods are designed to focus on key areas and grow together in those. This is particularly noticeable as they are challenged to actively apply what they learn in those certain areas.

Finally, Home Groups are (and will continue to be) the primary loci of community and care at DHBC. Particularly when it comes to practical care (such as the providing of meals or babysitting when needed) the larger size of the Home Group can provide care that a smaller Pod cannot. Sociologically speaking, the care we receive from a group of 10-12 is much different than the care provided by a group of 3-4. Additionally, for married couples and families, Home Groups provide an opportunity to join in that community together as opposed to Pods in which individual members of a family would engage in different communities.

Of course, it is our desire to see those who attend DHBC experiencing both sizes of community. It is also our recommendation (although not a requirement) that you form your Pod from within your Home Group so that you are engaging deeper with the same group.

Who leads Pods?


Pods do not have leaders, rather they have facilitators. Facilitators help Pods stay on track and continue meeting together. Facilitators will also help to spur the discussion if it winds down. Additionally, do to the copyright nature of some of the guide material, facilitators will inform the Grow Coordinator (Pastor Kajle) of what guide their Pod is going through.

Further LINKS

The Discipleship Tree

Sign Up For GROW


Sign Up For GROW


Exploring Jesus


Exploring Jesus


Exploring Jesus

“Am I a Disciple?”

 
 

I’m curious about Jesus and drawn to the people and community around Him, but I’m not ready to fully commit yet. I still have questions I’m wrestling with quietly: “What will this cost me?” “Do I really believe this?” “Can I trust this enough to lean into it?” I’m searching, observing, and trying to make sense of what faith in Jesus actually looks like in real life.

 
 

- Possible Next steps -

    • This is the starting point for everyone: not learning a set of religious rules or trying to “do better” it’s about considering the claims Jesus made about who He is and why He came.  Sunday gatherings are a great way to begin learning about this on a weekly basis. Monthly Next steps classes are also a great way to begin learning.  Talking with a pastor/trusted Christian friend is ideal but if you’re wanting to explore without committing too much just yet, a study bible which helps answer basic questions is a great option + the “exploring faith?” page on our website.  Begin here and ask God to show you if any of this is true/real. 

    • We’ve all experienced communities (religious or otherwise) where questions are discouraged or even forbidden. At DHBC we’ve worked to create an environment where asking questions is normal and expected out of the belief that if something can’t sustain being questioned it’s not worth believing.  That’s not to say we believe every question we have about God is answerable but we hope you’ll find your questions are welcomed and taken seriously as we’re all on a journey to learn more about who God is and what He desires for us together. (Youth Alpha.)

    • Community is one of the best places to learn more about the Christian faith as other people’s experiences often mirror our own.  Sunday gatherings are a great place to begin experiencing that community but we’ve got lots of other places to do that as well.  Weekly home groups are a great place to explore faith in a smaller gathering. We’ve also got weekly youth group (if you’re in Gr. 6-12) or young adults group if you’re between the ages of 18-30). There’s also lots of opportunities to serve around the church from week to week which is a great way to experience more of this community as well.

    • God’s word says plainly “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.” (Rom. 10:9) There’s a lifetime of knowledge and experience that follows after, but that really is the heart of what it means to know forgiveness and new life in Jesus. You can always talk with a pastor/church staff/trusted Christian friend if you have more questions, but if you can say “I believe Jesus is God’s Son. I believe He died for my sins and was raised to life and I want the new life He came to offer” then your faith story as a follower of Jesus has already begun.  The only thing left to do is to let someone know and begin enjoying your new place in the family of God.

    • ESV Study bible or NIV Study bible

    • Read “Mere Christianity” by C S Lewis or “Reason for God” by Tim Keller

    • YouVersion Bible app 

    • Consider participating in an Alpha course either at DHBC when available or go to Alpha website to find a local offering either in person or online.

    • Watch teaching on community https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9SQ_xZap_U 

    • Read “Life Together” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer or “Made for friendship” by Drew Hunter

Beginning to Follow Jesus


Beginning to Follow Jesus


Beginning to Follow Jesus

“I’m a new disciple, where do I begin?”

 
 

I’ve decided to follow Jesus and now I want to grow and learn what it looks like to follow him more closely. The questions I have centre around my identity and practice as a follower of Jesus: “What changed when I became a follower of Jesus?” “How can I learn how to read/understand my Bible?” “What is prayer and how does it work?” I’m looking for supportive community and guidance on how to bring faith into every aspect of my life.

 
 

- Possible next steps -

    • The Gospel is the good news of what Jesus has done for us. When you put your faith in Jesus everything changes and you take on an entirely new identity as a child of God. One of the best places to learn more about who Jesus is, what He has done for you, and what it means to belong to Him is to read about His life on earth in one of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), attend next steps class, or meet with pastor/church staff/trusted Christian friend who can help you explore the basics of the Christian faith.

    • If Jesus is God’s perfect revelation of what He’s like (Col. 1:15), then the bible is God’s written revelation of the same thing. The Bible helps us know God, understand the story of Jesus in its fuller context, and learn how to follow Him in everyday life. Consider reading the Gospel of Mark or John a few times each week to begin and, as you read, use study methods like S.O.A.P. (read the Scripture, write down your Observations from the passage, consider how what you read Applies to your everyday life, Pray and ask God to help you understand and apply what you’ve ead) to help guide your time in God’s Word.

    • Conversation with another person is one of the most natural ways we grow in our relationships, and prayer is how we converse with God; learning to be with God, speak honestly with Him, ask our questions, as well as listen for how He answers. Don’t focus too much at the beginning on how long or how often you talk with God, just begin small and work for consistency in talking with Him. Find a quiet place with no distractions, begin by thanking God for something He’s done or something you learned about Him from His word, then honestly talk with Him about what you’re carrying. The teaching Jesus gave His disciples on prayer in Matt. 6:5-15 is also a great place to begin learning. 

    • Baptism is a physical sign that points to a spiritual reality of something that has already taken place in our life. It is our public witness or testimony to the world of Jesus’ grace and a visible expression of your decision to trust and follow Him. If you’ve decided to follow Jesus, ask to speak with a Pastor or ministry leader about baptism as this is your next step in following Him. 

    • The decision to follow Jesus is personal, but the Christian life was never meant to be lived alone. We’ve been saved into a family and we grow through worship, prayer, learning, meals, service, and authentic relationships with other Christians. Consider joining a home group, attend a church event, serve on a team, or ask to be connected with others who can walk alongside you.

    • Serving can feel daunting (like maybe this is only for mature believers) or challenging (my time is my own) and yet serving both helps us to love others as we participate in God’s work, as well as to discover how He may have gifted us. Try a lower-pressure serving opportunity to begin in an area that interests you, and then reflect afterward on what gave you joy, where you noticed fruit, and what you might want to try next.

    • Deeply Formed Life - Rich Volodas

    • Practicing The Way - John Mark Comer

    • Celebration of Discipline - Richard Foster

    • Lectio 365, Lectio for Families

    • DHBC Baptism Handout

    • Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Growing and Multiplying


Growing and Multiplying


Growing and Multiplying Disciple of Jesus

“I’m a disciple, how do I keep growing?”

 
 

I love Jesus and genuinely want my whole life to reflect Him. I’m hungry to keep growing, to help others grow, and to use my gifts in ways that bear fruit for God’s Kingdom, but I also find myself asking: “What is God calling me to next?” “What more can I be doing?” and “How do I serve passionately without burning out?” I’m looking for deeper community, encouragement, and opportunities to live out my faith with greater intentionality.

 
 

- Possible next steps -

    • Our culture often praises the “next new thing” but sometimes consistently maintaining the spiritual practices that got you to this place of maturity in the first place is exactly what you need to be doing.  That doesn’t mean there’s not still room to explore/experiment but guarding the basics (regular time in God’s word, prayer, gathering, and service) will always be necessary for ongoing growth.

    • A ceiling for further growth in many people is they’ve never learned about how they’ve been uniquely gifted by God. A Spiritual Gifts Assessment is a great starting place to begin exploring this + prayer and discussion in community.

    • Alternatively, maybe you already know how you’re uniquely gifted but don’t know where to apply it.  Talk with a pastor/church staff to help connect your unique gifting with opportunities for serving in the church + surrounding community.

    • One of the very best opportunities for further growth in the life of a mature disciple is to begin discipling someone else.  This could look like 1x1 Mentoring of a new disciple, learning to share your faith with others, or joining our in-service prayer team.  Talk with a pastor/church staff if you need help discerning where to start or just dive in where you feel God is leading you.

    • Being a maturing disciple isn’t acquiring more and more knowledge about God and His word alone, it’s about putting that knowledge into practice/living it out in real-time. There are numerous opportunities for serving in our church and, as we engage our community more and more in acts of service, we need committed disciples willing to help make those initiatives happen. Additionally, maybe cross-cultural missions is something God is putting on your heart. Talk with a pastor/church staff/missions team if you need help exploring this calling to join God in His mission.

    • Sometimes people simply don’t know where to begin when it comes to serving, connecting gifting with opportunities, etc. Other times, in our enthusiasm to “be on mission” we can easily over extend ourselves and end up helping no one. Talk with a pastor/church staff if you need further direction in this essential element of ongoing growth.

    • The Christian life was never intended to be lived alone and an essential “tool” for ongoing growth is connecting with others and deepening in Christian community.  This could look like joining a home group, seeking out an older disciple who can help you navigate your current life stage, or even just inviting 2-3 others to meet up once a month to meet over dinner/coffee where you can talk openly/vulnerably about the struggles + wins in your faith. 

Re-engaging with Jesus


Re-engaging with Jesus


Re-engaging with Jesus

“Am I still a disciple?”

 
 

I often look around and wonder what the fuss is about. I’ve been a follower of Jesus for many years, but it seems as though Christianity means life to others and more a habit for me. I go to church on Sundays because it’s what I’ve always done. I don’t really serve in church ministry and I don’t know many people in the community. When I initially made the choice to follow Jesus, I thought that made me a disciple, but it seems as though almost nothing in my life has changed since then. The question I’m struggling with most is: “What makes someone a disciple and why don’t I see that in my own life?”

 
 

- Possible next steps -

    • The very first step we take toward change is honestly naming where we truly are and (if we know) what has brought us to that place.  Continuing to maintain familiar patterns (attend church, prayer before meals, etc.) is relatively easy, but if you sense that your desire to really plug in and connect is lacking, it’s worth taking note as this doesn’t come from nowhere. Often the first step toward change is simply honest self-reflection coupled with vulnerability to share what you discover with others in order; to invite someone else to walk with on the path to re-connection. Whether you know what the initial disconnecting factor was or are still confused about it, naming that you’re not where you want to be can be the first step towards discovering something different.

    • While it may be intimidating or daunting to be vulnerable with others, there are opportunities within our community to start from the ground up, through homegroups as well as serving opportunities in the church. A foundational part of Christian life is that it’s lived alongside others, therefore finding ways to reconnect back into community are another vital step towards change. There are also opportunities to speak with others one-on-one to encourage openness and community building (e.g. mentorship, meet with a pastor/church staff)

    • While some reasons for disconnecting aren’t easily identifiable (we remain genuinely confused), in other cases, you could easily recall the very moment/circumstance where the disconnect took place. Whether because of hurt, grief, abuse, or a deep sense of exhaustion, these moments require processing along with continuous healing, something that cannot be done on you own. Seeing a counsellor, talking with a pastor/church staff/trusted Christian friend is another vital first step toward change.

    • If you’re feeling stalled in your discipleship i.e. there’s been a commitment made to Christ and Christian living in the past, but what’s true today is we’d rather retreat then connect, then what could be needed is a recovering or renewing of why you began this journey to begin with. 

    • Additionally, in many cases where Christian life has turned into habitual rhythms, a clear vision of life with Christ is lost or muddied. If you’re in that place, maybe doubts or questions that have never been answered begin to emerge. Press into those questions! Talk with a church leader or a mature Christian friend who may be able to walk beside you and help you to renew a vision of what life with Christ could look like. 

    • One of the small ways that healing begins is taking one small step forward by engaging in community. Stay behind after service and meet someone new, attend a homegroup, come to a church event, or serve in an area around church.  

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