How to Start and Lead a Gathering

Summary Flow

Pray → Partner with Pastor → Form a Team → Study Core Docs → Connect to Coaching → Serve and Seek Receptive People → Host Gatherings → Multiply Leaders and Churches

I. Pray and Clarify Your Calling

  1. Seek God’s Direction
    Begin with Word, Prayer, and Fasting—the living heartbeat of disciple-making. Ask God for clarity about why he is stirring you to start a gathering, whom he is calling you to reach, and how he wants to use your home. Pray for humility, boldness, wisdom, and unity.

  2. Discern Your Motives and Vision
    Review Our Approach to Making Disciples to remember the rhythm of Serve, Seek, Invite, Gather, and Coach, all flowing from dependence on Word, Prayer, and Fasting. Reflect on Scriptures like Matt 28:18–20; Matt 22:37–40; 2 Cor 5:14–20. Write a one-sentence purpose statement, such as: “We want to gather people in our home so that Christ is known, disciples grow, and leaders multiply.”

  3. Involve Your Pastor Early
    Before beginning, share your sense of calling with your pastor or elder team. Invite them to pray with you and confirm the timing and purpose. Your pastor provides spiritual covering, doctrinal guidance, and accountability. Keep them informed as your plans develop, and invite them to visit occasionally to strengthen your group.

  4. Form a Prayer Team
    Gather a few trusted believers—your spouse, close friends, or an elder—to intercede for your group. Pray specifically for unity, wisdom, open doors, and the Spirit’s empowerment to align your work with God’s will.

II. Build Your Core Team

  1. Identify Ministry Partners
    Invite two to four believers who share your vision for evangelism and discipleship. Seek your pastor’s guidance to ensure the team is spiritually mature, teachable, and unified.

  2. Clarify Shared Commitments
    Agree together on the rhythms of Word, Prayer, and Fasting. Define clear roles—hospitality, teaching, worship, prayer, and child care. Commit to regular communication with your pastor and to bi-monthly coaching for mutual accountability and encouragement.

  3. Study the Core Documents Together
    As a team, read and discuss:

    • Our Approach to Making Disciples

    • Vision

    • Mission

    • Core Values & Purposes

    • Implementation

    • Gathering in Homes

    The Discipleship Series functions as a discussion-based catechism, designed to establish believers in the foundational truths of the faith. Its flexible structure allows it to be used in families, one-on-one mentoring, house churches, or even larger Sunday settings. As believers grow in understanding and obedience, they gain clarity, conviction, and confidence in both sharing and living the gospel.

  4. Connect Every Team Member to Coaching
    Each person must participate in both individual and group coaching:

    • Individual Coaching and Prayer: One-on-one conversations for accountability, encouragement, and prayer. Coaching relationships help believers apply the principles of evangelism, discipleship, and leadership in daily life—whether between spouses, friends, or mentors.

    • Group Coaching and Prayer: Gather with other men or women for training, encouragement, and prayer. Celebrate God’s work, seek his perspective, and strengthen one another for the mission of multiplying disciples and churches.

    These coaching rhythms are the lifeblood of multiplication—they keep teams healthy, humble, and aligned with God’s Word.

III. Serve and Seek Receptive People

We serve because Jesus served. We seek because God works through relationships. Every step flows from Word, Prayer, and Fasting.

  1. Serve to Meet Practical Needs
    Follow the B.L.E.S.S. rhythm: (1) Begin with Prayer, (2) Listen, (3) Eat, (4) Serve, (5) Story. These practices open relational doors, embody love, and create trust.

  2. Seek to Find Receptive People
    Look for people who are receptive first to you, then to the Word, and ultimately to sharing the gospel with others.

    Biblical examples include:

    • The Samaritan woman whose story reached her town (John 4:39–42).

    • Cornelius who gathered his household to hear the gospel (Acts 10:24–48).

    • Lydia whose home became a hub for believers (Acts 16:14–15, 40).

    To identify receptive people: (1) pray daily for open, relationally connected individuals; (2) notice who is spiritually curious or influential; (3) engage sincerely—listen, serve, and pray with them; (4) invite them to read Scripture; (5) encourage them to include others in their network.

    Keep your pastor and coach informed of progress and pray together for wisdom in nurturing these relationships.

IV. Invite to Discover the Christian Message

We use The Path to God, a simple guide that mirrors the apostles’ pattern of sharing the gospel—helping people understand who God is, what sin is, what Christ has done, and how to respond in faith and repentance.

Evangelistic Presentations:
Sometimes this happens one-on-one—print The Path to God and ask, “Would you meet with me for about an hour to study the basic truths of the Christian faith?” Other times it happens in small groups: (1) pray for guidance; (2) invite family, friends, or neighbors; (3) set a consistent meeting time, often around a meal; (4) read Scripture together and discuss what it reveals about God and humanity; (5) continue afterward with The Discipleship Series for growth.

Coordinate with your pastor regarding baptisms, doctrinal questions, and the use of approved materials.

V. Gather to Grow in Biblical Community

When people come to faith, they gather to grow together in fellowship, worship, and obedience (Acts 2:42–47). Each house church functions as a spiritual family marked by grace, accountability, and mission.

Our gatherings aim (1) to enjoy fellowship with God and one another through Christ and the Spirit; (2) to take the Lord’s Supper in the context of a meal, with the bread and cup bookending our time; (3) to explain and apply God’s Word personally; (4) to pray for one another’s ministries and needs; (5) to minister through spiritual gifts and Scripture; (6) to share the gospel with non-Christians who attend; and (7) to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs together.

Include children through age-appropriate discipleship and ensure a safe, welcoming environment. Invite your pastor or coach to visit occasionally to provide encouragement and alignment.

VI. Lead for Multiplication

  1. Evaluate Regularly
    Use the Ministry Coaching Framework twice a month to review spiritual health, relationships, evangelism, and coaching activities. Share insights with your pastor and coach for guidance.

  2. Develop New Leaders
    Identify believers who demonstrate (1) faithfulness, (2) teachability, (3) sound doctrine consistent with core documents, (4) relational health, and (5) active coaching participation. Apprentice them by sharing leadership responsibilities and connecting them to coaching.

  3. Multiply Gatherings
    When your group reaches around 20–25 people, discuss multiplication with your pastor and coaching team. With their blessing, send a new core team to begin another gathering, maintaining relational ties and shared learning.

  4. Stay Connected to the Larger Network
    Participate in quarterly or regional gatherings for prayer, training, and celebration. Rejoice in how God is multiplying disciples and churches across the network.

VII. Pray and Celebrate

Give thanks continually for answered prayers, new believers, and transformed lives. Keep your pastor and coach informed and invite them to share in testimonies and celebration. Pray regularly for:

  1. unity and love within your gathering;

  2. the salvation of those hearing the gospel;

  3. and the multiplication of disciples, leaders, and gatherings.