Catholic Discipleship Sample Group Process

Sample Group Process

Call a meeting of the group to review the report.

1. Begin with some kind of ice breaker depending on how the members of the group interact.  Such ice breakers might include a significant incident from the past week, favorite foods or shows, or even initial reaction to taking the CDP.

2. Lead the group in prayer. Here’s a prayer for discipleship which the group can use:

Lord, God, through baptism you have made us disciples, followers of Jesus who attend to his Word, pray and worship in his Spirit, experience love in his community of the Church, and are sent to serve by helping others as he did. Lead us, Father, more fully into your Kingdom, which Jesus came to begin and fulfill. Help us, through his Spirit, to adhere to him and bring his Good News to all we encounter. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

3. Emphasize in your own words the following points:

• • The CDP is not a test and should not be treated as such for any reason.

• • There is no one way to be a disciple. Discipleship is as varied as the personalities of different people. The Holy Spirit works uniquely in the lives of believers. While values are clear and universal (e.g., it is better to pray than not to pray), how those values are embodied needs a wide berth for interpretation. The discipleship lived by a priest, for example, is different from that lived by a laborer, a teacher, a married person, or a lawyer.

• • All tendencies to be judgmental should be carefully guarded. The purpose of the CDP is to allow people to see how they behave as disciples and to get insight into what this might be saying in their lives. Each member of our group can appreciate the individuality each participant will show.

4. Review the initial thrust of the report given in the first five pages. See if there are any reactions from the group members.

5. Look at each of the five expressions of the report and use the following discussion process:

Encountering God

1. 1. Each group member reflects on this question: “What is your most meaningful experience of encountering God?” During the meeting the group leader invites one or two group members to share their experience, followed by group discussion as time allows.

1. 2. When we look at the highest and lowest ranked statements in this area, what does this say to our group?

1. 3. What conclusions can we draw about our group’s general practice of discipleship in this area?

1. 4. What are some aspects of “Encountering God” in which our group would like to grow?

Integrating Faith and Life

1. 1. Each group member reflects on this question: “What is your most meaningful experience of integrating faith into your life?” During the meeting the group leader invites one or two group members to share their experience, followed by group discussion as time allows.

1. 2. When we look at the highest and lowest ranked statements in this area, what does this say to our group?

1. 3. What conclusions can we draw about our group’s general practice of discipleship in this area?

1. 4. What are some aspects of “Integrating Faith and Life” in which our group would like to grow?

Accompanying and Being Accompanied

1. 1. Each group member reflects on this question: “What is your most meaningful experience of accompanying and being accompanied in your faith journey?” During the meeting the group leader invites one or two group members to share their experience, followed by group discussion as time allows.

1. 2. When we look at the highest and lowest ranked statements in this area, what does this say to our group?

1. 3. What conclusions can we draw about our group’s general practice of discipleship in this area?

1. 4. What are some aspects of “Accompanying and Being Accompanied” in which our group would like to grow?

Serving Others

1. 1. Each group member reflects on this question: “What is your most meaningful experience of serving others?” During the meeting the group leader invites one or two group members to share their experience, followed by group discussion as time allows.

1. 2. When we look at the highest and lowest ranked statements in this area, what does this say to our group?

1. 3. What conclusions can we draw about our group’s general practice of discipleship in this area?

1. 4. What are some aspects of “Serving Others” in which our group would like to grow?

Living as a Catholic

1. 1. Each group member reflects on this question: “What is your most meaningful experience of living as a Catholic?” During the meeting the group leader invites one or two group members to share their experience, followed by group discussion as time allows.

1. 2. When we look at the highest and lowest ranked statements in this area, what does this say to our group?

1. 3. What conclusions can we draw about our group’s general practice of discipleship in this area?

1. 4. What are some aspects of “Living as a Catholic” in which our group would like to grow?

6. Invite your group to summarize its insights. Here are some questions that will help with that:

What results from the Catholic Discipleship Profile speak most powerfully about what our group is trying to accomplish.

In view of our group’s responses, how can we become an even stronger resource for our parish community?

Are there any immediate directions that our group should think about undertaking?

How has this experience helped us grow in our awareness of being Catholic missionary disciples?

Be sure to capture agreed-upon points for future directions the group might take.

7. Close the meeting with a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, a greeting of peace, and perhaps a hymn people already know.

Consider the possibility of additional meetings

The consensus may be that the group wants to meet two or more times to discuss and reflect more in depth on each of the five CDP expressions. If so, you can use the questions in number 5 above for each of the expressions during the additional meetings.