The Christian life is never meant to be lived alone but as a participating member of the body of Christ.
“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27)
Life together is an important means of grace that God intends for blessing and building his Church. Organized discipleship groups are simply a tool to provide opportunities for developing real relationships that lead to Biblical one-anothering. They are a key element in the spiritual care of people at Branson Bible Church.
The Purpose for Our Discipleship Groups:
- To develop authentic relationships
- To make real-life application of Biblical truth
- To hold one another accountable to pursue holiness and faithful ministry
Our goal is to grow in love for Christ, for each other as members of his body, and to encourage one another to love and good works. This happens as we increase in our knowledge of God’s Word and apply it to our hearts. We seek to do this in discipleship groups through Bible study, prayer, service, and fellowship.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:16–17)
List of Groups:
Group 1
Leader: Ronnie Ritchey
Description: Our group meets in the church fellowship hall Sunday evenings at 5:30 pm to discuss the sermon. We are comprised of mostly older folks, but we are desirous that all ages meet with us. We seek to better understand the morning message and to apply it to our daily living. We also enjoy a time fellowship with snacks and light meals.
Location: Church Fellowship Hall
Date & Time: Sundays 5:30 pm
Group 2
Leader: Dustan Ingenthron
Description: We meet once a month in the church fellowship hall after the second Sunday morning service. We hope this meeting time and location will make it easier for new families and those who live far from the church to participate in a discipleship group without making a second trip to Branson. Of course, everyone is welcome to join us! We will share lunch and a time of fellowship, followed by a discussion about applying the morning’s message, and a time of prayer.
Location: Church Fellowship Hall
Date & Time: Third Sunday of the month, after the second service.
Group 3
Leader: Ryan Toliver
Description: Our group consists primarily of families with children (the kids play in the basement during the study), although we do have a range of individuals, from singles to those who have progressed beyond having kids in the home. We enjoy a relaxed atmosphere in which the discussion is the primary means of diving further into the text from the Sunday sermon in order to encourage and spur one another in our spiritual walk. Time is also spent in enjoyment of a shared meal and the sharing of prayer requests and other life concerns for promotion of deepening relationships with both the Lord and each other.
Location: Toliver Home
Date & Time: Sundays 5:30 pm
Group 4
Leader: Paul Griffis
Description: We have middle aged and young families in our group! We meet weekly for a meal and fellowship, then pray together, and encourage one other by applying the truth of God’s Word from the sermon to our daily lives.
Location: Griffis Home
Date & Time: Sundays 5:30 pm
Group 5
Leader: Eric Pallozzi
Description: Our group consists of men and women who desire to grow spiritually and become more Christlike. We discuss the sermon and challenge and encourage one another in areas of spiritual growth and try to foster meaningful Christ-centered relationships. Our group mainly consist of college and career age along with young married couples but we welcome anyone to join us.
Location: Pallozzi Home
Date & Time: Sundays 5:30 pm
Group 6
Leader: Keaton Holland
Description: Our group consists of people who desire to grow closer to the Lord. Primary way of doing this is looking to His word (the sermon passage) and questioning what the text is saying and how to apply it rightly to our lives. Our group mainly consist of people in transition from significant life events with a focus on young people and families. Once we reach our limit we will close participation to keep the small group a small group.
Location: Holland Home
Date & Time: Sundays 5:30 pm
Group 7
Leader: Dwight Piper & Jason Thompson
Description: We plan to have a meal together so bring something to share (the food theme will vary from week to week). We will bereviewing that morning’s sermon and delving deeper into application through a time of study and discussion. Our group is diverse and consists of married couples, singles, empty nesters, and any are welcome to join!
Location: Piper Home
Date & Time: Sundays 5:30pm
Group 8
Leader: Richard Kull
Description: This small group meets at the home of Richard and Starla Kull at 5:30pm on Sunday evenings. We eat a potluck meal together followed by an informal time of study and prayer. This year we will focus on discovering biblical archeology by studying Scripture passages and view videos that relate through modern archeology.
Location: Kull Home
Date & Time: Sundays 5:30 pm
Group 9
Leader: Craig Cogdill
Description: We currently have been meeting every other week. The format for our small group meeting is to start with a meal (potluck) and then a Bible study (discussing the sermon), ending the meeting with prayer (take prayer requests and pray for one another). We have a wide variety of ages and maturity levels; there are currently not any kids.
Location: Location varies, call ahead.
Date & Time: Every Other Sunday 5:30pm
Group 10
Leader: Aaron Boldman
Description: We will be going through parenting information from a biblical perspective. There will be reading assignments as well as discussion on the reading. Each session will include a short accountability time, and end with prayer requests and prayer. We look forward to getting to know many new families! Snacks will be provided- childcare will not (most people get babysitters ahead of time or their kids rest/sleep here during the study).
Location: Boldman Home
Date & Time: Every Other Thursday 7:30pm
Discipleship Group Resources
Click here to see a list of for biblically sound, theologically robust resources to use in a group setting.