Frequently Asked Questions

On this blog, I've been addressing some of the frequently asked questions that get emailed to us or asked at conferences about how we do discipleship and small groups at NCC. I've compiled a complete list of the questions that have been tackled to date. They cover our discipleship philosophy, the design and content of our discipleship map, our semester system and leadership structure, our training and communication, and how we recruit.

If there's something you would like me to address, please let me know.

Discipleship Philosophy

How do you do discipleship in rented facilities?

Why do you do small groups?

What is the "free market" small group system?

We want to start small groups in our church. How do we begin?

What if the church has a bad taste in its mouth because small groups were tried and failed in the past?

Are you a church "of" small groups or a church "with" small groups?

What is the difference between a "small group" and a "ministry?"

I've seen the "Be One, Make One, For One" slogan. What does it mean?

What is Seeker, Learner, Influencer, Investor?

Does "Seeker, Learner, Influencer, Investor" represent a linear growth process?

Semester System

Why do operate on a semester system?

What are the dates of your semesters?

Do Sunday morning ministries operate on the semester system?

What is May Term?

Discipleship Map

What is the Discipleship Map?

The 2007 Updated Discipleship Map

What's the deal with non-linear discipleship?

What are the components of the discipleship map?

Is the discipleship map implemented and followed by groups or individuals?

Can people take a non-linear path through the discipleship map?

Do you focus the entire church around one aspect of discipleship at a time?

What is Alpha?

What is Journey?

What is The Story?

What is Inward Bound?

What is Crown?

What is "Spiritual Experiments?"

What is Holy Spirit Encounter?

What is Old Testament Survey?

What is Bible Study Methods?

Leadership Structure

How do you structure your leadership?

What are the requirements and expectations for zone leaders?

What are the requirements and expectations for team leaders?

How many of your leaders are in full-time paid staff positions?

Leadership Training

What's the process for becoming a leader?

How do you train leaders?

How often do you meet with your leaders?

What is the annual leadership retreat?

Practically speaking, what does a typical annual leadership retreat look like?

What is the leadership summit?

What are zone meetings?

What is Leadership 101?

How do you recruit leaders?

Communication

How do you communicate with your leaders?

What is a win sheet?

What is zonegathering.com?

What is the First Friday Podcast?

Group Recruitment

What is the Discipleship Atlas?

How do you connect newcomers to a small group?

Can someone join a group mid-semester?

Miscellaneous

Why are people only at NCC for two years?