There are several hundred people at our church going through Greg Ogden’s Discipleship Essentials.  We have found that the best approach is to have groups consist of no more than four individuals.  The reason is simply that the three factors below (also from Greg Ogden) are most effectively achieved in a smaller group.

1. Relational Transparency: Our willingness to become self-revealing with other believers on the journey toward maturity in Christ (horizontal) is the critical sign that we truly want the Lord (vertical) to remake us into His image.
2. Truth in Community: If we want the Scripture to become more than compartmentalized information, we must study, meditate and memorize the Word in a relationally interactive setting.
3. Life-Change Accountability: We need partners on the journey that will not only witness that we have filled in the blanks of our discipleship manual, but know the struggles we fight to overcome and loving stand with us as we live into a new reality.