You might agree with our goals; you might like our curriculum; you might be excited to imagine such a transformative process. But you might not be ready for DC—at least, not yet.
Why? You may already have a handful of people—or even a large group of people—who would be ready to jump into DC. If so, let’s go! But you may be in a setting where people have not built up sufficient discipline to do DC—or, more likely, you’re not in a position to easily discern who’s ready and who’s not.
We frequently talk with ministers at churches where discipleship looks like a monthly breakfast and a quarterly service project. Or they offer Bible studies, but the participants are passive. Or they offer studies of Christian books, but the reading is light and/or optional. In those cases, making the leap to DC—with its expectations of 5 hours of “homework”—will be difficult.
What to do? If you find yourself in that position, we’d recommend offering some meatier short-term studies—for many reasons. First, it will whet the appetite of some people. Second, it will give you a better idea about who’s ready. Third, it will give them a better idea about whether they’re ready. With that in hand, then you’re ready to give DC a good shot.
The larger issue is not DC, per se. The most important thing is to follow the disciple-making model of Jesus– pouring intentionally into a small group of disciples who can become disciple-makers.
For example, you might try Getting Equipped instead. It is not nearly as long or deep as DC. It only requires about two hours per week over 36 weeks (vs. five hours of study per week over 21 months). The format is quite similar– Bible memory, reading, and study. And the topics are ideal for developing a coherent biblical worldview– all in one book.
