Frequently Asked Questions

Joining a D-Group:

  • Visit our Meetings and Expectations page for all the details!

  • Visit our “Join a D-Group” page. It includes a map of where our current physical D-Groups are located, as well as a list of our Online D-Groups. Find a D-Group that works with your schedule and reach out to that D-Group’s Leader, letting them know you’re interested. They’ll send you info on joining their D-Group!

  • You can contact us about starting/leading one! We have an online process to walk you through our 6-Step Leadership Training. This process will equip you with everything you need to know to start and lead a D-Group!

  • Gospel-centered community is a Biblical concept, and without it we can't adequately grow into healthy believers. Any time someone has aimed to undertake D-Group on their own, they've quickly grown discouraged. For that reason, we encourage people to find even just one other person to do D-Group with. We recognize there are circumstances (specifically outside the US) where it may be difficult to find even one other local committed Christian to study God's Word with; if you find yourself in that situation, please consider joining an Online D-Group. If all else fails, contact us.

  • D-Group meets weekly in the home of someone in the D-Group (not necessarily the Leader), though some church partnership D-Groups may meet in the church. Meetings last 2 hours, and we keep a tight schedule. We ask members to show up 5 minutes before the meeting starts so D-Group can begin on time. Each D-Group chooses one member to be responsible for keeping things running on time and making sure D-Group ends on time, so the host isn't inconvenienced.

  • We close our sessions in order to promote unity and prevent confusion. Many of the functions of the session are built on the 6-week commitment of that specific group of people, and those would be thrown off if new members were introduced or if current members dropped out. That's why we ask each member to weigh the commitment before joining. This also creates anticipation for the next session.

  • No. Even though some D-Group experience an attendance drop from their members, they often retain members or even gain new members (because many church home groups take a break and their members are looking for places to plug in). Previously, when D-Groups have disbanded for the summer, people have neglected their walks with the Lord, gotten slack in Scripture reading, and as a result often have fallen into a pattern of sin and apathy that they have to climb out of when September rolls around. For this reason, it’s important to keep meeting throughout the summer. Our relationship with God knows no “breaks”, so our regular pursuit of it shouldn't either.

  • Since D-Group has been called “the CrossFit of Bible studies” (deeper and more rigorous than most), it's not a productive environment for someone who hasn't yet surrendered their life to follow Christ. It tends to produce either frustration (on everyone's part) or a false understanding of what a relationship with Christ looks like. Those of us who know Christ want to know Him more and obey Him, but for someone who doesn't know Him, the study and memorization we do as part of our weekly homework might reinforce a false mindset of works-based salvation. Our “Expectations” page offers suggestions on what to do for those who are curious about Christianity.

Leading a D-Group:

  • First, we encourage you to join a D-Group if there's one in your area (see our “Join a D-Group” page for more info). This will help you adjust to the structure and the expectations before launching out to lead your own D-Group. If there's not a D-Group in your area, you can contact us about starting one! We have a 6-Step online process for New Leader Training to equip you with everything you need to know to start and lead a D-Group!

  • Leaders must meet the requirements of being a D-Group member, and must walk through New Leader Training before they begin leading. The process should be completed during the session (6 weeks) prior to the launch date for their new D-Group. New Leader Training and Launch dates are listed on the “Calendar” page. New Leader Training includes videos, a brief summary of your testimony, a referral, a signed Doctrinal Statement, and a video or phone call with a D-Group Team member.

  • At least one, in addition to yourself, but no more than 12. We cap our D-Groups at 12 members plus the leader (for a total of 13). A great size to start out with is 4-6 people total.

General:

  • No. We are a para-church organization, which means we are not sourced by the church, but we aim for the upbuilding of the local church. We love to partner with local churches and come alongside them in their efforts to establish a thriving groups ministry. For more information on our church partnerships, click here.

  • We do! Check out our Beliefs page for more info.

  • We understand that certain circumstances occasionally prevent people from being church members for a short time, and we want to respect the time it may take to locate the right church for you when you're in a new area. In trusting this season will be short for you, it's fine for you to join D-Group before joining a church. Sometimes other D-Group members can even help you in your search! In this instance, please be forthcoming and honest about your search, and keep in touch with your Leader (if you're a member) or with us (if you're a Leader) about how this process is unfolding for you.

  • We use the term “Shares” to refer to the $25 registration fee all returning members pay for each 6-week session. We’ve borrowed this terminology from the investment world, where people invest and see a return on that investment; we believe the same will be true for you here!

    Shares are waived for all first-time members during their first session. Shares are submitted securely during the Registration process in our web store.

    Shares cover the curriculum for each session and the expense of running D-Group, including the paid team and dozens of volunteer Fellows, whose Shares are waived.

  • D-Group is mostly gender-specific. There are a few reasons behind that decision, three of which are:

    A) Splitting genders helps guard against a “meat market” mentality, where people join only to find prospects for dating/marriage (instead of to learn more about God). It also helps us avoid the awkwardness or division that can erupt if a breakup or other relational difficulty occurs in a co-ed study.

    B) Our topics and discussions are typically deeper than the average home group conversation, and they have the capacity (and intention) to create deep relationships quickly. Because of that, a co-ed group has the potential to create a variety of distractions and challenges that make focusing on God's Word difficult.

    C) In many settings (and particularly religious or theological ones), one gender tends to drive the conversation. Either the women dominate the conversation and the men sit by passively, or the men talk and the women don't speak up. Dividing the genders helps us avoid that potential problem and gives everyone a place to speak up and speak freely.

    In light of the above, we’ve prayerfully decided to begin offering Co-Ed Married D-Groups for our Church Partner affiliated D-Groups. We want to provide an opportunity for husbands and wives to participate side-by-side in the same studies offered for same gendered D-Groups. We believe our Church Partner D-Groups will provide the careful shepherding required within co-ed settings. Please visit our Church Partnership Page for more information.

  • All our D-Groups do the same study, memorize the same verses, and see the same weekly video content (delivered by a woman for the Women's D-Groups and by a man for the Men's D-Groups), and have the same weekly application steps.

    Because D-Group holds to a complementarian viewpoint, we want to affirm our position on the role of D-Group's leadership: the curriculum (including the weekly video and any podcasts or study materials) are simply tools administered by the Leaders. D-Group is not affiliated with a specific church, and our leadership team has no spiritual authority over our members.