How to see Ordinary Movement become a disciple-making movement in your church:
Scenario A
Some men or women have already created a group and begun OMVT in your church. This is amazing and shows readiness for a grassroots discipleship movement! In this case, scroll down to the tips section below.
Scenario B
There are no OMVT groups in your church. In that case, we’d suggest the following: Handpick and ask 6 high-capacity leaders (3 women and 3 men) to lead their own groups. They will utilize our app and go through our standard process to launch their groups. Once they have been invited to lead groups and launch, follow the tips section below.
For both scenarios mentioned above, here’s how to champion this movement in your church:
We suggest mentioning your OM and OW groups on a monthly basis, weaving them into your talks and messages. More importantly, you should celebrate discipleship and disciple-making publicly. To be clear, this isn't about OMVT; we’re simply a tool being leveraged. Teaching discipleship and highlighting the disciple-making that is happening in your congregation is extremely important in casting vision and motivating your congregation. Advocate for disciples becoming disciple-makers by making it a main theme within your church and by championing those that are actively engaged.
When groups end, have a meeting or dinner to hear about their experience. During this time together, ask them who will lead next and let them know you are behind their vision and will be praying for them as they step out in obedience to make disciples. Let them know that you plan to have them share with the church on a Sunday morning.
In the next few weeks have the members share about their experience and the impact of the time together. Here’s an example of this from River Club Church. Set aside a morning to have them all share as a group, passing the mic around, and then invite your church to engage in leading a group or joining an upcoming one. Make sure to celebrate the effort of the leader who made this experience possible, and share the vision for new leaders and how anyone, with any experience level, can lead a group.
The idea here is to weave Ordinary Men’s and Women’s groups naturally into the structure of your church as a core discipleship pathway. Your church needs to understand that this is a grassroots movement which you are celebrating.
A high-level discipleship pathway consideration: In an ideal world, a church may have the following three types of groups running concurrently:
Alpha (for unbelievers and new believers),
Freedom (for new believers and intermediate-level believers), and
Ordinary Movement (for all levels of believers, including those with 30+ years of experience, from a church-goer mindset to a disciple-maker mindset).
Wash, rinse, repeat.
Bring up mentorship and celebrate it. Bring up new group launches and celebrate them each time. Have your groups share with the church each time they conclude and cast vision for a disciple-making movement in your church.
Our Warning (What Not To Do)
Groups are meant to be pastor-championed, not pastor-led. Here’s what we mean: it’s not your responsibility to grow groups, get sign-ups, show up at groups, or manage any other burdens. Celebrate the momentum, highlight what God is doing, and share the opportunity. By championing OMVT groups you are letting your congregation know that when they are leading these groups they are aligning with your vision for the church. This keeps groups connected with the church rather than becoming separate entities, providing them more encouragement and greater purpose.
Avoid the following:
Creating a church culture where group leaders expect church announcements to be the primary funnel for sign-ups. Instead, empower leaders to invite others into their groups. Invitation is the start of discipleship.
Micromanaging the process. You simply need to cast vision and champion those engaged. We (Ordinary Movement) have the rest covered, allowing your time to remain focused on what only you can do.
Adding additional layers of friction that prevent ordinary people from stepping up to lead.
Forcing groups into classrooms and confining them to the church building.
Step into the role as a mentor and strive to keep this grassroots. This will allow it to grow from the vision and passion of your church members and not as a forced program. When you feel the pressure to lead and make this work for others, that’s when you need to hit pause and help others take genuine ownership and get personal vision for what God is doing.
Tips and Considerations
Group Composition: We think the majority of groups should be men’s or women’s, but a small percentage of coed groups is acceptable. Gender specific groups generally achieve the best success at a deeper level of impact. However, we are not suggesting you control this outcome; we support low control and high accountability.
Group Size: We’d say that 6 to 10 people in each group is ideal. However, even a group of 1 to 2 people is a success when we consider that the leader is being obedient in making disciples. Also, note that smaller group sizes of 4 to 6 will be easier for a new leader to facilitate.
Group Duration: Generally, the best group outcomes are achieved by those who commit to 12 months, as they have more focused time to invest in the intentional relationships quadrant.
Launch Timing: Any time is a great time to start an OMVT group, however, we often suggest launching the 1st week of September or the 1st week of February. We advise against launching in the summer.
Game Changer: If you haven’t done so recently, we recommend a sermon series focused on discipleship and disciple-making. Emphasize inviting your church to pray about God’s leading and grace for a disciple-making movement. If you need ideas for this sermon series, we would be honored to schedule a call and map this out with you.
Leadership Suggestion: We suggest that all your small group leaders, elders, deacons, and ministry leaders lead an OM or OW group within the next 3 years. Drop hints, ask them to pray about it, and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.
Qualities for New Leaders: If starting from scratch, consider inviting individuals with the following qualities to lead the first groups:
Experience in Leading Others to Jesus: Have they successfully led individuals to a relationship with Christ?
Ability to Form and Facilitate Groups: Can they form groups and facilitate meaningful conversations?
Active in Discipling Others: Are they actively discipling others in their current roles?
Track Record of Raising Disciple-Makers: Have they developed disciples who are now making disciples themselves?
Potential to Mentor New Leaders: Could they serve as senior mentors to new leaders in your church?
Cast Vision:
Meeting with Leaders: Host a personal dinner with all your upcoming leaders to cast the big vision for how your church will become a disciple-making movement.
Mentorship Expectation: Make it clear that you expect them to become mentors to leaders emerging from their groups and to encourage their participants to lead their own groups when the time comes.
Monthly Encouragement: Text your leaders monthly to encourage and pray for them.
Potential Impact:
Year 1: 1 Mentor (You), 6 New Leaders, 60 New Participants
Year 2: 7 Mentors, 60 New Leaders, 600 New Participants
Year 3: 67 Mentors, 600 New Leaders, 6,000 New Participants
Year 4: Dream Big. This is the exponential growth of a disciple-making movement.
After Groups:
Monthly Ordinary Community (OC) Groups: One helpful tool for groups that are no longer meeting is to shift into monthly Ordinary Community (OC) Groups. This addresses growth challenges and continues their journey as disciples, allowing original groups to maintain community while focusing on multiplication goals.
Set Up a Coaching or Q&A Call
Questions About Integrating OMVT Groups into your Church or Small Group’s Ministry?
Discipleship Track Options
Three Variations of Groups | 26-Sessions (26 Weeks)
Groups can operate in the following ways within church systems:
Three-semester small group systems
Continuous weekly or bi-weekly meet-ups
Any other frequency and calendar goal you have
Note: Groups are designed for a long duration/high commitment environment. This means that for the best outcomes, it is advisable for the group that starts together to remain together until the conclusion. Changes to this design weaken the development of the core values that these groups foster.
Need support? Our team has launched small groups all over the United States, and we have a deep knowledge of the most common small group systems for churches. We offer coaching throughout the entire launch process and assist in integrating OM/OW tracks into your small group ministry.
Pick Your Group Option
What Pastors Have To Say
“Ordinary Movement has done an amazing job making disciples who make disciples. This ministry has not only impacted my life but the lives of many others that I know. I’m so grateful for this ministry!”
-Jeremy Duggins, Revive Church
“In my 34 years of professional ministry, I have never come across a better designed help for discipleship!”
-Paul Hammontree, Mountain Life Calvary Chapel
“This past year was a great time of building relationships as well as reminding me of our need to continue to reproduce ourselves through discipling one another. The lessons were on point and the reading material was not so heavy that it made it a chore to complete the assignments each week. The fellowship times encouraged between the mornings we met to cover a lesson were a bonus to our camaraderie as well!”
-Randy Huckabee, Discover Fellowship Church
“Ordinary Men has been an ongoing part of our discipleship program at Whittington Church for over 3 years. Our groups of men not only go deeper in their faith in Jesus, but also deeper in their relationships with each other. The 'graduates' of the groups have become foundational in the positive transformation of our church men from 'casual followers' of Jesus to motivated leaders-- actively recruiting others and daily preparing for the spiritual battles of life, family and culture.”
-Mark Minor, Whittington Church
“One of the best discipleship-making experiences I have seen in my 43 years of ministry. This is truly a Movement that I believe will impact the world for Christ.”
-John Richey, Southpoint
Testimonials & Stories
Are you a pastor or church leader that wants more intentional discipleship in your church?
If so, check out the interviews below where we have candid conversations with other pastors about how we can bring disciple-making back into our current church models.