Choosing a GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) for any category of sports is sure to invite opposition and healthy debate. Is it Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant…or what about LeBron? Who was better: Joe Montana or Tom Brady? Choosing a GOAT team is even harder. The Bad Boy Pistons or three-peat Bulls? Historically, is it the Dodgers or the Yankees? Buckeyes or Wolverines anyone?
Conversations like this are sure to be highly debated. One thing that is not debatable is the fact that the greatest teams of all time all have one thing in common. They aren’t taking the field or court and making it up as they go. They run a playbook—a tested, repeatable set of plays designed to move the ball forward and put points on the scoreboard.
The Rooted experience (often just called "Rooted") is a playbook for intentional discipleship. Rooted is a church-wide, ten-week small-group experience that helps your church build an Acts 2 discipleship culture—connecting people with God, the church, and their purpose.
Rooted is not meant to be a one-time Bible study, class or curriculum that churches try and then leave behind. Rooted is a key part of our discipleship pathway. The 10-week Rooted experience establishes rhythms—patterns of life with God, with one another, with people in our communities—that continue long after the season ends.
Rooted not only grows individuals, but is designed to be the strategy for churches to use to launch new small groups and small group leaders.
The Playbook: a Week-by-Week Breakdown
Week 1: What Is Rooted?
This is our vision night and kickoff gathering. We want to host a fun, well-planned event that creates a warm and inviting atmosphere.This is designed to introduce people to their group, meet their Rooted facilitator, help people understand the commitment they’ve made, and invite participants to grow while investing in connection with their group. The first half is done as large-group teaching; the second half in Rooted groups. The groups will hear their facilitators faith story, and commit to being present and creating a safe environment throughout the Rooted experience.
Week 2: Who Is God?
During week 2 our groups will identify and articulate false beliefs they’ve held, and new truths they’ve learned about the character of God. Throughout the daily devotions leading up to this week, participants will process the story of creation, the fall, and God’s plan for redemption while encouraging vulnerable and honest sharing.
Week 3: How Does God Speak to Us?
This week sets the stage for an intimate, relational, and transformational prayer experience by creating space for honest discussion about each individual’s journey with prayer. The prayer experience will take place some time after the week 3 Rooted group meeting time. This is one of the most impactful aspects of Rooted!
Week 4: Where Is God in the Midst of Our Suffering?
This week’s goal is to create space for people to share vulnerability about the pain in their stories, and discuss the trust that it takes to surrender to God and His perfect plans. Being present and listening with compassion—not trying to fix—is key. This week helps individuals recognize personal suffering, and will help them better engage with the topic of strongholds next week.
Week 5: There Is an Enemy
This week is all about addressing the sins that grow into something beyond our control and give the enemy opportunity to twist a weakness into a binding knot where the enemy has control. These strongholds are not something we can overcome on our own and they keep us from accepting and living in the Truth. Week 5 includes a repentance experience intended to give participants space to identify and share their stronghold, to receive God’s forgiveness, and ultimately to replace the lies they’ve believed about the stronghold with the truth of Scripture.
Week 6: How Can I Make the Most of My Life? (Part 1)
Week 6 prepares groups both practically and spiritually for the serve experience. During this week we celebrate the freedom from strongholds the group members are experiencing, and nurture a heart of service by helping everyone connect and live into their greater purpose. One of the goals week 6 accomplishes is challenging every person to begin volunteering at the church if they are not already doing so.
Week 7: How Can I Make the Most of My Life? (Part 2)
Affirm individuals and empower your group to explore their spiritual gifts, discover how they fit into God’s plan of expanding His Kingdom, and take action in their community and throughout the world. Also, at some point during week 6 or 7, each group will participate in a service experience out in the community. Details for this, and every experience, are found in the Rooted Facilitator Guide
Week 8: How Does God View Money?
Week 8 is our next large group gathering. This week is designed to help people understand the importance of sacrificial generosity and to take a next step in their faith through generosity. The first half happens as a large-group teaching; the second half as Rooted groups.
Week 9: Why and How Should I Tell Others?
This week is all about growing in the discipleship of sharing our faith story with others. The share your story experience is designed to help people share what God has done through their Rooted experience. Don’t confuse this experience with the 5-minute stories each person shared throughout the initial weeks of the Rooted experience. This share your story experience is also used for Cardboard Testimonies that take place during the Celebration Gathering and/or in a weekend worship service.
Week 10: Why Is Church Important?
During this week we grow in our understanding of the symbolism and practice of baptism and communion. Participants will pray boldly and specifically over each person in the group, and encourage them to courageously live out their purpose. We solidify the value of belonging to the Church body and the importance of remaining in community—by establishing or joining a small group—to continue living and growing in the transformation that started in Rooted.
Week 11: The Celebration Gathering
This is a celebration, and we want to throw a party! This week is designed to celebrate the growth that has happened throughout the Rooted experience, as well as cast vision for what it looks like to transition from a Rooted group into a small group that continues living out the 7 Rhythms of Discipleship. The celebration takes place as a large-group gathering only; without designated Rooted group time. This can include a meal, worship, cardboard testimonies and other fun and memorable elements.
One Final Thought
Discipleship is too important to not have an intentional plan for. We can’t take the field without a tested and proven winning playbook. Rooted is that playbook.
