CHURCH ON THE SOUND, 6718 TWIN HILLS DRIVE WEST

UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA 98467

606-305-8703

CHURCHONTHESOUND@GMAIL.COM

Benefits of the LTG System

A Life Transformation Group is a simple way to release the most essential elements of a vital spiritual walk to people who need Jesus to change their lives from the inside out. It incorporates the values of relational discipleship and produces the following benefits.

• Community. It is easier to get open and honest in a very small group.
• Accountability. A group of two or three has a greater degree of strength in accountability
• Confidentiality. Since confessing of sin is necessary for cleansing and preparing ones self for a life of service, a safe place for it is essential.
• Communication. It is easier to communicate with fewer people.
• Flexibility. Ever try to coordinate the calendars of half a dozen people for a meeting? Meeting with two or three is much easier. Groups can meet anytime, anywhere.
• Reproducibility. By building reproducibility at this base level, we lay the foundation for the reproduction of small groups and churches.

Here's how a LTG works:

1. They meet once a week for approximately one hour. They can meet almost anywhere. Many meet in restaurants for breakfast before work, or during the lunch hour. One hour is certainly enough time for the process, although they can go longer if the group desires.
2. They are groups of only two or three. A fourth person is the beginning of the next group and multiplication is imminent.
3. The groups are NOT co-ed. The need for honesty and transparency during the confession of sin requires that groups not be co-ed.
4. There is no curriculum! The system is not dependent upon any curriculum. By design the LTG's force the participants to discover the Word of God by themselves, with only the Holy Spirit and one another to guide them.
5. There is no leader as such—only a facilitator. Usually the one who first initiates the group facilitates it; however, that is not necessary. The system is so simple by design that it is not leader dependent. The most that a facilitator is called upon to do is choose the next book of the Bible to read.
6. They read the Scripture repeatedly. The group picks a book of the Bible to read during the week. If it is a short book such as Ephesians or Jonah, they read it approximately numerous times during the week. In all they read about 7-10 chapters per week. It is good to stretch the group with the reading. No one is a failure if the reading isn't completed in a week. There is an advantage to having to read the passage more than once. When they get together after a week they ask each other if they finished the reading. If any one of them was unable to complete all the assigned reading, they all read the same Scripture again for the next week. They continue doing so until they all arrive on the same week having finished the reading. They then choose another book and start again. This keeps them reading enough Scripture to stretch them so that they keep reading it a few times. For many, this will be the first time they have really read much Scripture at all and they will be surprised at how easy it is to understand, especially when they read an entire book all the way through several times.
7. When together, the men or women ask one another accountability questions. In an atmosphere of confidentiality, honesty and mutual accountability, they use these accountability questions to confess any sin they have committed in the past week. The accountability questions may be read by the facilitator of the group (although it is recommended that this task be rotated).
8. They pray for lost people within their sphere of influence. Each in the LTG is to identify two or three whom they feel led to pray for their salvation. List the names of all those identified in the group on a card so that all of you pray for each of the lost souls weekly.

What is a Life Transformation Group?
A life transformation group is a simple but powerful concept. It is a group of two or three that agrees to read a selection of scripture, and meet weekly for

• Confession of sin
• Accountability around scripture reading
• Prayer for the lost

Upon becoming a Christian you gave your life to Jesus and your identity is now found in him. This means that you should be constantly striving to be transformed into someone who lives according to the example that Jesus Christ set for us during his time on earth.

  We can’t reiterate enough that there is no formula for it.  However, as we have pondered the way Jesus made disciples and the way Paul and others lived out the Great Commission in the New Testament, we are convinced that a good way to start emulating all they show us about making disciples is through what we call a Life Transformation Group.  Neil Cole did a great job of helping us think about discipleship and see a tangible context to start applying the disciples lessons we learn from Jesus.  Life Transformation Groups (LTG’s) are simple, reproducible, and put the focus on becoming a disciple of Jesus–not a human leader.  Anyone can do it.  You don’t need special training.  You don’t need a workbook.  You only need a Bible and few people willing to journey together with Jesus!

But how can we put these principles into action? 

Make no mistake, there is no formula or ten step process for making disciples.  However, when Jesus told the disciples to “go and make disciples of all the nations,” I have a strong feeling they knew how to do what he was talking about.  After all, they had been discipled by Jesus and observed first-hand “the way” Jesus turned them into one of His disciples! 

So how do I make a disciple?   

In Jesus' Great Commission he told us to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations." We believe that we are not simply called to hope that people come to church one day and get saved from their sin. We believe that we are each tasked with the words of the great commission to Go and Make Disciples. We believe that every Christian is a missionary to their co-workers, neighbors, and community.  

Are you transforming? 

How might we practically start making disciples?

 Who can make disciples?