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3Thirds
3Thirds A Simple and Effective Tool for Discipleship
What was started by two faithful men five years ago in a small room at Southeast Christian Church has grown to encompass 329 groups—70 at Southeast—with more than 1,447 members worldwide in attendance weekly.
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What is 3Thirds?
3Thirds is a discipleship approach marked by prayer and obedience. The 3Thirds vision is to create a Disciple Making Movement (DMM) that is not dependent on people, but on the movement of the Holy Spirit. In obedience to the calling Christ gave in His final moment on earth, the mission statement is “To make disciples who make disciples who make disciples and thus to see God raise up a disciplemaking movement that will bless this church, this city, this state, this nation, to the ends of the earth.”
The simple, replicable approach allows for personal, Christ-like growth and a deep dive into the Word. You can step into any 3Thirds group and find the same three-portion format being used. Each portion is opened by prayer— asking the Holy Spirit to be present and to
speak to each individual. In fact, the study depends completely on the work of the Spirit in and through the lives of each participant.
1. The first third, the Look Back, focuses on the previous week. Each individual is asked about their personal relationship with God, how they obeyed what they learned the previous week, as well as who they shared and trained with.
2. The second third is the Look Up, in which members read and discuss a passage of Scripture.
3. The final third is the Look Forward, when members make commitments for the coming week in obedience to the passage read and to the Gospel.
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By studying God’s Word and holding one another accountable, members are able to experience abundant life and the fullness of joy, as it is recognized this comes through obedience to God’s Word.
3Thirds in Brazil
In the Spring of 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders from Louisville’s 3Thirds team were able to go to Brazil and train leaders in the Amazon to reach the unreached tribes as Christ commanded, as well as to train local pastors and churches in the DMM process.
While there, they cast a vision of a multiplying movement that would spread from Brazil to the ends of the earth. Just weeks after their visit, the pandemic hit and international travel was halted. Brazil quickly became one of the hardest impacted countries. People were thrown into turmoil, and churches were failing due to strict lockdown restrictions.
Through Zoom and international calls, the Brazilian branch stayed in contact with the Louisville DMM base and praised God for His timing in aligning their community with the 3Thirds movement. The lockdown was so strict that, had the church there not had the training and the small group option available, they would have had to close their doors like many of their neighboring churches.
By employing the 3Thirds model and tenants, the leaders in Brazil saw growth and renewed hope. One church formed groups out to the third generation in a matter of mere months. For them, living the Word out and bearing fruit through 3Thirds has been a life-changing reminder that the Gospel still stands—even when the world seems to be falling apart.
A Movement Fueled by Prayer
Every week, the Louisville DMM leadership team prays and fasts for the continued blessing of the Lord over every group and every member. It is because of this dedication to prayer that the movement has been blessed with such exponential growth.
The Louisville DMM has branched out to 12 countries and has groups out to the eighth generation. It is a replicable model, as evidenced by the rapid growth, and welcomes both new believers and mature Christians.
3Thirds at a Glance
329 groups
Over 1,447members trained to multiply disciples 12 local churches
43 international churches
3Thirds Discipleship groups encourage community with others and communion with the body of Christ. We strive to build one another up, to walk alongside one another in the journey to growing closer to Christ, and to fulfill His final command to make disciples of all the nations.
Learn More
If you are interested in joining the 3Thirds Disciple Making Movement, text CONNECT to 733733 or find us on southeastchristian.org/groups.
Prayer Requests
• Praise God for the abundant harvest already created through 3Thirds!
• Ask the Holy Spirit to use 3Thirds to multiply disciples who multiply disciples in our communities, cities, nation, and throughout the world.
• Pray that God would raise up obedient and faithful followers who will be transformed through the study of His Word.
Because Brazilian church leaders were trained in 3Thirds, the Gospel continues to spread during the pandemic shutdown.
More than 217 baptisms
12 countries
