DLCs Are Not Meetings

Less Meetings. More Life Together.

By Dave Garda

For years I’ve had people ask me about DLCs.

“How often do you meet?”

“What’s the agenda?”

“How long is the meeting?”

I understand the questions.

But increasingly I find myself answering:

A DLC isn’t primarily a meeting.

It’s people following Jesus together.

In fact, the only meeting I’m really interested in is a MEATing.

You know.

The kind where somebody is flipping steaks on the grill.

People are smiling.

Stories are being shared.

Life is happening.

Somewhere along the way the conversation turns toward God.

Someone asks a question.

Someone shares a struggle.

Someone talks about what they read in Scripture this week.

Someone asks for prayer.

Nobody planned a formal meeting.

Yet disciplemaking is happening.

That’s much closer to what I see in the Gospels.

Less meetings.

More life together.

Most People Assume a DLC Is a Meeting

It’s a reasonable misunderstanding.

After all, we live in a world full of meetings.

Church meetings.

Leadership meetings.

Committee meetings.

Staff meetings.

Planning meetings.

Bible study meetings.

We have become so accustomed to meetings that we sometimes assume spiritual growth happens because people sit in the same room at the same time.

But that’s not what made Jesus’ ministry so powerful.

A meeting is something you attend.

A DLC is something you become part of.

A meeting starts at a scheduled time and ends an hour later.

A DLC continues when the chairs are put away.

A meeting can happen without relationships.

A DLC cannot.

That’s because the goal of a Disciplemaking Learning Community has never been to create another meeting.

The goal is to help people follow Jesus together.

Jesus Didn’t Create Meetings

When Jesus invited people to follow Him, He wasn’t inviting them to a weekly event.

He was inviting them into a shared journey.

They walked together.

Ate together.

Prayed together.

Asked questions together.

Served together.

Learned together.

Lived together.

Jesus’ invitation was surprisingly simple:

“Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” (Matthew 4:19, NLT)

Before there was a movement, there was an invitation.

Before there was multiplication, there was relationship.

Jesus didn’t hand His disciples a curriculum.

He invited them to walk with Him.

The disciples didn’t merely learn from Jesus’ lessons.

They learned from His life.

And they learned while sharing life with one another.

That sounds a lot more like a community than a meeting.

The Real Product of a DLC

Many people think the product of a DLC is Bible knowledge.

Others think it’s accountability.

Others think it’s multiplication.

Those things matter.

But I don’t think they’re the primary product.

The primary product is disciplemaking friendships.

Friends who help one another follow Jesus.

Friends who open God’s Word together.

Friends who pray together.

Friends who love one another.

Friends who share everyday life together.

In other words, friends who help one another stay pointed toward God.

What Happens in a Healthy DLC?

Healthy DLCs usually spend time in four arenas.

Word

Friends open God’s Word together.

Not merely to gain information.

But to know God better and help one another follow Him.

Prayerfulness

Friends pray together.

They encourage one another to remain dependent upon God.

Love

Friends serve one another.

Encourage one another.

Care for one another.

Love becomes visible through action.

Life

Friends share everyday life together.

Meals.

Conversations.

Celebrations.

Challenges.

Ordinary moments become opportunities for growth.

None of these are complicated.

Yet together they create space for remarkable transformation.

Not because a program is working.

Because God is working.

An Indicator You’re Part of a DLC

Years ago weI wrote about indicators that you’re part of a Disciplemaking Learning Community.

Today I would probably simplify the entire list.

Here’s the biggest indicator:

You are helping someone follow Jesus.

And someone is helping you follow Jesus.

That’s it.

If those relationships are growing around God’s Word, prayerfulness, love, and everyday life, you’re already experiencing the heart of a DLC.

Whether you call it that or not.

Why This Matters

Churches don’t need more meetings.

People don’t need fuller calendars.

Many people are already overwhelmed.

What many people need are a few friendships where following Jesus becomes normal conversation.

The Apostle Paul described it this way:

“We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.” (1 Thessalonians 2:8, NLT)

That’s disciplemaking in a sentence.

The Gospel shared.

Life shared.

Friends helping friends follow Jesus.

That’s what Jesus created.

That’s what the early church experienced.

And that’s still what changes lives today.

A DLC is not a meeting.

It’s a community of people helping one another follow Jesus.

One friendship.

One conversation.

One meal.

One shared journey at a time.

And honestly?

That’s the kind of MEATing I never want to miss.

P.S. Before I hear from my vegetarian disciplemaking friends—or the non-coffee drinkers—I should probably clarify:

You do not need steak or espresso to follow Jesus.

Friendship is the essential ingredient.

The rest are just menu options.