Join Learning Community, go through Watershed Principle
The Discipleship team’s mission is to help create healthy disciple-making churches. Our intent is to connect church leaders with the training, resources and support they need to advance the gospel in their churches. Whether it’s bolstering Sunday School or reaching singles, the discipleship team is prepared to empower churches to grow their disciple-making efforts.
One of the most popular resources is the Watershed Booklet. This resource is intended to train leaders to develop a sustainable and healthy church experience. Watersheds can supply entire ecosystems and create vibrant life – as long as the watershed is healthy. In the Watershed Principle, ministries of the church are like the streams that feed the watershed. Intentional ministries are the vibrant streams that can produce a healthy ecosystem or culture within the local church. The goal of the Watershed Principle is to see life change that leads to world-impacting disciple makers.
Since October 2020, the Discipleship team has trained over 3,500 leaders in the Watershed Principle. Over 200 Georgia Baptist leaders meet regularly with GBMB discipleship consultants to understand next steps to becoming a healthy church that makes world-impacting disciple makers. To download “The Watershed Principle” book, visit gabaptist.org/discipleship.
We also encourage church leaders to consider joining a Learning Community. These consistent local gatherings of leaders are the relational pipeline by which the discipleship team celebrates the pastors’ biggest wins, resources their greatest needs, and generally feels the pulse of what’s happening in the field.
It was so refreshing to have an honest and transparent conversation about our church. I look forward to working through the Watershed Principle in a Learning Community to apply best practices for disciple making in our church!
– Matthew Jones, Pastor, Mount Lebanon Baptist Church, Suches
For many, participating in a Learning Community will be a game changer. Consistent engagement with this group will encourage leaders personally and professionally as well as provide an opportunity to hear best practices from across the nation. This is the best next step for you as a local church leader to grow as a disciple of Jesus and create a healthy disciple-making church. There are 40 Learning Communities established throughout the state.
One of the GBMB’s farthest-reaching initiatives is the SPARK Conference, the state’s largest total church-equipping event. Now in its third year, the SPARK Conference is expanding. There will be a digital premiere on Thursday, Aug. 25, where participants can access free training. We’re also excited to offer five in-person events across the state that will take place in August. For more information, visit thesparkconference.com and sign up for early notifications!
Published April 18, 2022