Sometimes growth takes a while, but patience can pay off. That’s been the experience at Valley View Mennonite Church in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania. In the latest episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, Lucas Johnson and Robb Esh, pastoral team members at Valley View Mennonite, talk about the growth of Missional Discipleship Groups in their area of Pennsylvania. The groups now include people from many different churches in the area.

Lucas Johnson, who describes himself as the “number one fanboy” of the Ohio Conference Cast podcast, is the host for this episode of the podcast, the first in a series. Later in the episode, Lucas talks with Dave Schwabenbauer and Robert Cummings, two men who participate in Missional Discipleship Groups.

Reflecting on how the groups have developed over the past few years, Lucas says, “We’ve got quite an explosion happening here with the [Missional Discipleship] Initiative in the Spartansburg-Corry area.” But that “explosion” didn’t happen right away. In fact, Robb has some advice for people interested in starting Missional Discipleship Groups in their own areas. “I would just say to be patient…. If it mirrors my experience in any way, it’s going to take a little while [for the movement to begin growing].”

Listen to this episode to hear why Lucas and Robb find Missional Discipleship Groups to be so helpful in growing new disciples of Jesus.

For more information about Missional Discipleship Groups, see these articles: