by Amanda Horne
MasterLife, BetterMan, Delight — the names themselves usher in feelings of wonder, challenge and excitement.
OBU students and leaders have fostered many relationships through these groups in an effort to produce spiritual growth and life transformation.
“I think by going through MasterLife, by going through BetterMan, by going through Delight, it changes the way you live, [and] how you act,” said Clayton Freeman, coordinator for student ministry, leadership and engagement.
Change can happen when someone simply resolves to do better, but for many, that is not the case. Often, people find inspiration through one another’s stories, experiences and lessons learned along the way.
Discipleship groups offer a time and place for students to learn from one another in their various walks of life.
“I’ve gone through MasterLife each year that we’ve done it, and I always walk away encouraged,” Freeman said.
“There’s things I learn, but also there are things that people say or people experience who are in the group that are really impactful to see and to witness.”
Facing life together in such an honest way paves the path toward intentionality in relationships. Students move from being acquaintances to developing lasting friendships with one another.
“It’s just space to do the work for relationship because relationships do take work,” said Chloe Roberson, team director for Delight.
“Seeing each other in the GC, I go talk to people that I probably wouldn’t have crossed paths with otherwise because we’re in group together,” she said.
“It’s very meaningful, and I’ve watched a lot of girls kind of come out of their shell.”
However, discipleship groups are not just a place for discovering close friendships within vulnerable circles.
Through reading, training and practical tools, students are equipped to seek out intentional relationships wherever they go in life.
“I think relationships are just the goal … fostering meaningful relationships where it does go beneath the surface, and you can actually be vulnerable,” she said.
“But also that [it] would continue to grow to where spiritual maturity shifts from a solely intrinsic perspective to extrinsic and thinking about other people,” Roberson said.
One of the hopes for Delight, according to Roberson, is to create a ministry that is “reproducible.”
Young women who want to lead a small group after graduation can meet with others in their own communities, creating a ripple effect that impacts even more lives.
“The purpose of these disciple-making groups is clearly and most obviously from the Great Commission in Matthew 28 where Jesus says, ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,’” Freeman said.
“It’s always two-facing, inwardly growing together and being intentional … and then outwardly, how can we multiply and grow and point others to Jesus?”
When asked whether students’ views of relationships and the people around them changed after participating in discipleship groups, Freeman said yes. He described two shifts:
First, students learn to simply abide in God.
For some, discussing deep topics of faith is fun, encouraging and helpful. Yet believers should never neglect the simplicity of knowing and loving God — a message echoed in Revelation 2:2-4.
Second, students learn to treat the world around them differently.
In BetterMan, young men are challenged to view life through four questions, known as “the Four W’s”: “How can we study God’s Word?” “How can we serve God’s woman?” “How can we care for God’s world?” and “How can we do God’s work?”
“Because of the experience I had [and] the relationships I was able to form, my prayer and my hope is that I’m able to help other students have those same experiences,” Freeman said.
“So, my promise to anyone who joins would be, you’ll be pushed. … If you put in the work, you will grow and you will become more like Jesus, and you will make lifelong friends, brothers and sisters in Christ who can hold you accountable, who can love on you, who can be honest with you, and who will help you grow spiritually,” Freeman said.
