We are making a shift!
We are thrilled to announce some changes to our luncheon strategy for the 2025-2026 season to help make things more practical and better foster accountability, support, and application outside of the luncheon.
This season, we will cover key practices of intentional, relational disciplemaking in our “Disciplemaking Essentials” series. Previous seasons featured talks which were strictly a la carte. While each 2025-2026 talk will be self-contained and have value on its own, the greater value will lie in participating in the entire series.
NEW! For those who want to go deeper in developing and sharpening their disciplemaking skills, we will also be offering a brown-bag learning cohort! Whether you want to get started as a disciplemaker or you are a seasoned practitioner who understands the value of continuous learning, this cohort will have something to offer you.
Preliminary Schedule
Lunch Date (3rd Thurs) | Topic | Speaker | Potential Cohort Date (1st Thurs) |
|---|---|---|---|
August 21, 2025 | Introduction + Why Relational Disciplemaking? | Rachel Smith | September 4, 2025 |
September 18, 2025 | Barriers & Fears + Who to Disciple? | Doug Franck | October 2, 2025 |
October 16, 2025 | Goals in Disciplemaking | Jenna Dascenzo | November 6, 2025 |
November 20, 2025 | Introduction to the Flexible Framework + Prayer in Disciplemaking | Shawna Shepherd | December 4, 2025 |
December 18, 2025 | The Word in Disciplemaking | Christopher Ledezma (or special guest) | January 8, 2026*
(2nd Thursday) |
January 15, 2026 | The Intersection of Counseling and Disciplemaking | Lee Davis | February 5, 2026 |
February 19, 2026 | Ministry Coaching | Aaron Starr | March 5, 2026 |
March 19, 2026 | Putting It All Together | Anne Durell | April 2, 2026 |
April 16, 2026 | Key Skills: Listening & Asking Questions | Dane Alexander | May 7, 2026 |
May 21, 2026 | Key Skills: Modeling & Challenging | Emily Smith | June 4, 2026 |
Brown-Bag Cohort FAQ
Who is the cohort for?
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If you long for deeper application, community, shared troubleshooting, and commitment to action in disciplemaking, this cohort is for you.
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We will practice and role-play disciplemaking skills, foster deeper discussion and relationships, pray together, and offer a forum for genuine accountability.
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Individuals with and without personal disciplemaking ministries are welcome.​
What is the commitment level?
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We ask that cohort participants commit to joining for every lunch and cohort meeting. Missed lunches can be listened to online before the cohort session.
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This cohort will stretch participants to act on their commitments. A desire to act on information and being held accountable is key.
How many participants can join the cohort?
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We aim to keep the cohorts around eight people each. We hope to accommodate as many cohorts as feasible.
When & where will the cohort meet?
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The cohorts will meet over lunch two weeks after the lunch meeting on the first Thursday of each month for about an hour, tentatively. (This may be altered by needs of cohort members.)
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Meeting places may vary around town and will depend on participants.
Who will lead the cohort?
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Leaders will be determined once the number of cohort participants is made clear, but will likely be comprised of CDN leaders & advisors.
What will the cohort do/what structure can I expect?
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Each cohort meeting will recap and discuss the previous CDN lunch talk. The bulk of the time will be spent in an exercise and debrief related to the previous talk. Participants will be given space each session to hear from God, to make a commitment to action before the next meeting, and to pray together.
Is there a cost to attend? Will the cohort provide lunch?
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While there is no cost to attend, participants will need to BYO lunch.
Can I attend the lunches without being part of a cohort?
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Yes! Our free monthly lunches remain unchanged.