What is the most important spiritual discipline? What is the one thing that is paramount when it comes to maturing as a follower of Christ? I believe the Bible is the key. As a follower of Christ, I have discovered that my intimacy with Christ rises and falls in connection…
Is a person who teaches a Bible study class on Sunday morning a Sunday School Teacher or a Disciple Maker? I believe they are both! I commend men and women who faithfully teach the Bible every week in our churches. After preparation during the busy week, they share information from…
Dr. Chuck Lawless, Dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth as well as Director of Professional Doctoral Studies is a person I highly respect. He is thorough, consistent, relevant, and approachable. I have been privileged to have him speak in one of the churches where…
As a young pastor, I read several books that impacted my life and gave focus to my ministry. One particular book that impacted me the most was The Disciple-Making Pastor by Bill Hull. In his book, Hull challenges and encourages the pastor to adopt disciple making as his primary assignment…
I cannot overemphasize the importance of starting a good membership class. A membership class can be a place where relationships are developed, doctrine is taught, vision is shared, expectations are expounded, and the Gospel is presented. A membership class can play a key role in both assimilation and discipleship. On his…
On May 22, 2008, we will host Dr. Gary L. McIntosh at the Kentucky Baptist Convention building for a one-day conference that will focus on assimilation. The event will be the final stop of the 2008 Assimilation Tour that we will conduct across the state. In his book, Beyond the First Visit, Gary…
How can we know when a person is properly assimilated into a church? How does an assimilated person look? How does he act? What does he do? Charles and Win Arn provide the following helpful list called, Nine Marks of an Assimilated Person: Identifies with the goals of the church.…
The importance of helping members develop friendships within a church cannot be overemphasized. Relationships are the glue that keep people connected to a church. Naturally, friendships are important in obtaining new members, but they are the key to retaining them. One pastor took a survey in his church. When he…
Through the years, LifeWay Christian Resources has been on the leading edge in producing great discipleship materials. In addition to helpful materials, LifeWay developed several planning and assessment tools that provide help to discipleship programs of any size. I have copies of each of these tools and will provide them…
In my post, Top 5 Reasons to Disciple 1-2-1, I talked about several merits of 1-2-1 Discipleship. Here are 5 things to consider as you get started: Pray that God will lead you to the person He wants you to disciple. I cannot overemphasize the importance of prayer in this whole process,…
Two encounters are critical. First, the leader encounters God in His Word and is changed. Second, the leader guides the group to have a life-changing encounter.
In John 13:34-35, three times Jesus said, “Love one another.” Your group is the ideal place to practice and launch the kind of love for one another that shows the world that we are His disciples.