Spiritual Growth Helps
Is your discipleship group stuck? Does there seem to be an anchor in leading participants in your group toward greater maturity? The question came to me when reading a blog post by my friend, David Francis, entitled Three Levels of Community in Groups. Is it possible that the level of…
Too frequently I find church leaders complicating the simple. Disciple-making is one place where I see complexity too often. Keep it simple! I want to suggest four simple steps for a disciple-maker to invest in his disciple(s) one-on-one or in D-groups (discipleship groups no larger than 5 including the leader).…
My book, Disciple-Making Encounters: Revolutionary Sunday School, released today. What does a book about Sunday School have to do with discipleship? Sunday School and small groups are a natural part of a church’s discipleship strategy. We should strive to lead our groups to be as effective as possible in making…
After nearly 2000 years, churches still have work to do on their discipleship strategy. Many churches today have no strategy. Or if they have a strategy, it is simply come and choose from what we have to offer. The problem there too often is the lack of intentional development. On…
Sometimes I read books, articles, or posts that need to be shared. Kandi Gallaty (Robby’s wife) wrote a great blog post on LifeWay Women. I want to encourage you to read her entire post at What Is Discipleship? The following five paragraphs launch her post. Let them whet your appetite…
I want to invite you and your team to meet and hear Dann Spader as he talks about his book, 4 Chair Discipling: Growing a Movement of Disciple-Makers. He will be live at the Kentucky Baptist Convention (Louisville, KY) and webcast to Paducah, Lexington, and Bowling Green (see addresses below).…
In Appendix 2 of Dann Spader’s book, 4 Chair Discipling, Dann shares five phases of Jesus’ ministry and their implications for ministry (and discipleship) leadership. The five phases include Phase 1: Preparation Period Phase 2: Ministry Foundations Phase 3: Ministry Training Phase 4: Multiplied Outreach Phase 5: Movement Expansion. In…
I am reading a short book by Will Mancini entitled Innovating Discipleship: Four Paths to Real Discipleship Results. Chapters 1-3 are available here. In chapter two, Mancini shares about three kinds of results and his definitions Input results: focused on the number of people and dollars that come into a…
Gather a team and prayerfully put together a simple plan for discipleship. Choose materials. Set expectations. Determine goals. But don’t wait too long. In all my conversations with leaders, two truths seem to be universal. First, every plan needs adjustment. Second, most wish they had started discipling sooner and adjusted…
ABSENCE OF DISCIPLESHIP. Today, it is common to hear “We no longer have a discipleship ministry in my church.” How can that be possible when our Lord called us to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19)? For years, many churches thought discipleship would be accomplished through worship, Sunday School…
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.