R3 QUESTIONS

It is a gender-specific discipleship group of 4-6 people who meet every other week with the primary goal of spiritual transformation. In an R3 Group, men or women challenge and encourage one another to live out the Word of God in response to the grace of Jesus Christ. R3 revolves around risk. In each meeting, the group will discuss how they can group in 1 of 3 different relationships: God, believers, and the lost (R3 = 3 Relationships). At the end of every meeting every member walks out with a specific action step (or risk) to take before returning to the next meeting. At the next meeting, the group will follow up on that risk. In this way, R3 challenges its members to grow in the Character of Christ. R3 also trains it members in the Competencies of Christ. There were specific competencies Christ had to teach his disciples for them to succeed in walking with God. In the same way, R3 Groups will train people how to study God’s Word, pray, serve, and share their faith. The final goal of an R3 Group is to multiply. This happens after a group completes all 24 meetings. They pair off and become the leaders of new R3 Groups, welcoming new disciples to be challenged to grow in the Character of Christ and trained in the Competencies of Christ.

We are better together. Groups are necessary for any Christian endeavor. We learn God’s Word better together. We worship better together. And we also train better together. R3 Groups provide a secure environment and biblical accountability that empower and catalyze spiritual growth through the help of the Holy Spirit. Those who commit to the process walk out Christ-centered, realizing that the purpose of their life is to bring glory to God in all they do. R3 also equips its members to run the race well through the teaching and practicing of the Competencies of Christ.

An R3 Meeting has the following structure:

1. Pray
2. Follow Up on Risk (from last meeting)
3. Prepare to Risk
4. Pledge to Risk
5. Pray

R3 Groups meet every two weeks.  There are 24 meetings, and thus only 48 weeks’ worth of material.  Yet groups can take up to 18 months to complete the meetings (taking off summer, holidays, etc).

Bible Fellowship is about information. God’s Word must be taught before it can be applied. R3 is about transformation. Once God’s Word is taught, we must implement it into our lives. R3 provides the accountability structure to make us successful in this endeavor.

There is an R3 Workbook that serves as the standard curriculum.  It focuses on growing in the three relationship categories that encompass all of our relationships: God, believers, and the lost (3 Relationships à R3).  Groups will also learn how to study God’s Word, pray, serve, and share their faith.  Yet learning in R3 is more than comprehension.  The group allows for practice and reflection that really allows us to learn well.  We realize that people, not curriculum, make disciples.  So, anyone wanting to use a different curriculum is welcome, but they need to discuss this move with the Discipleship Pastor before they can be considered an R3 Group.

The expectations are simple. Be honest. Discipleship requires honesty over self-protection. We put masks on because we are prideful, keeping us in the dark. Life change requires the light that comes from humility. Such humility invites others to tell us our faults. Be honest with God, your group, and yourself. Be committed. Be committed to show up on time, to actively participate as a group member, to obey God’s Word through your risks, and to share the benefit of R3 with others by becoming a leader of a new R3 Group once your group ends.

All believers who are spiritually healthy enough to run the race. If recent circumstances have brought you immense grief or you are currently overwhelmed by a sin addiction, R3 is not currently for you. Instead, we have Care Ministries for those enduring grief or needing recovery. Think of these groups like the spiritual hospital. Their goal is to restore you back to spiritual health so that you can run the race in an R3 Group. Find out more about our Care Ministries here.

There are 3 ways to join an R3 Group:

1. You are invited by someone in an R3 Group that is about to multiply.
2. You talk with your Bible Fellowship director about joining/starting an R3 Group with other members in your class.
3. You email the Discipleship Pastor.