August 5, 2021 by

You’re a freshman at Cedarville University. If you’re anything like me, you attended the Involvement Fair and immediately felt overwhelmed by the plethora of opportunities to serve and socialize in different orgs. It can seem like a culture shock, especially considering that there are so many new faces, new groups, and new beginnings in front of you. 

Don’t worry, this is totally normal! One of the biggest blessings from my Cedarville experience so far is having the chance to meet new people, and I owe that largely to Discipleship Ministries. Aaron Cook, Director of Discipleship for over seven years, has faithfully served Cedarville University through organizing groups of students to gather and grow in their relationships with Jesus Christ. I hope that after reading this post you will consider getting involved in discipleship so that you will ultimately be blessed by this ministry.

 

Discipleship group

Discipleship groups, aka d-groups, are a wonderful way to get involved with students from all different majors, years, and walks with the Lord. D-groups are split into groups of guys and girls. Each d-group is composed of five to ten students who meet once a week to study either a book of the Bible or a Christian book. During my freshman year, I was a part of a d-group that covered Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper. Not only did we discuss the book together, but we also prayed for one another and grew in our friendships. Every other week during your d-group meeting time, your group has a community night that usually involves ice-cream, movies, games, outings, or whatever your group chooses to do! You can sign up to be a part of a d-group starting the third week of the fall semester.

 

Discipleship Leader group

Once you’ve been involved in a d-group, you get the option of applying to be a Discipleship Leader for the upcoming year. Discipleship Leaders serve Cedarville by leading their own d-group. Leaders meet once a week with their Discipleship Leader group (DL group for short) and once a week with their d-group. DL groups consist of meeting with seven-eight students who are leading d-groups covering the same books. I served as a Discipleship Leader this past year, and it was a huge blessing to my life. My DL group consisted of girls with so many insights from Scripture and from personal experiences. Through reading The Gospel for Real Life by Jerry Bridges, we learned what the Gospel is and what it means to continually repeat Gospel truths to yourself as well as to others. We laughed and cried together, and it was by God’s grace that we built lifelong friendships along the way. 

 

Discipleship Council

After serving a year as a Discipleship Leader, you can apply to become a member of the Discipleship Council. Each student on the Discipleship Council leads a DL group. The DC application process consists of an online application as well as an in-person interview with Aaron Cook, and sometimes past DC members. The Discipleship Council, a tight-knit group of 14 students or so, meets once a week at Aaron’s house for three hours of fellowship, time in the Word, prayer, and discussing DL groups. DC seeks to encourage one another by sharing what they’ve been learning in their personal quiet time, and they even work through a book as a council. Not only do they grow closer to Christ together through studies, but they also take trips throughout the school year to serve in the community and to take time to rest and study Scripture. I personally have not been a part of the Discipleship Council, but I know many who have been a part of this amazing group and have been under Aaron Cook’s wonderful leadership. My sister, who served on the 2020-2021 Discipleship Council, is seen with her DC group above.

 

Discipleship is a big part of Cedarville University, and there’s a good reason for it. Psalm 1:1-2 says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” As believers, we should hold one another accountable to continue to mature in Christ and to bring Him glory in our obedience to His law. I encourage you to get plugged into a d-group and see how the Lord grows you closer to others and, most importantly, closer to Him.

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