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…
My previous two posts, Turn Sermons into Discipleship Experiences and Turn Lessons into Discipleship Experiences made me think of Deuteronomy 6: 4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with…
In my previous post, Turn Sermons into Discipleship Experiences, I shared 11 actions you can take to grow as a disciple through worship, particularly sermons. In this post, I want to take the same approach and apply it to Sunday School lessons (or small group time). Consider these 14 simple…
Would you like to worship, be motivated, AND be discipled from sermons? Consider these simple ideas this Sunday: Be on time: Avoid rushing and missing preparation (see below). Enter worship with prayer: If you expect to encounter God in worship, you will be less likely miss to Him. Choose the…
Pray. Gather a team with passion for disciple-making. Work through these questions. Don’t be afraid to launch disciple-making actions while working through strategy development. But keep things fluid so adjustments can be made. Consider these questions as starters: EVALUATE: What is the current state of disciple-making (strengths and needs)? What…
A new year is an appropriate time to reflect on what God has done in your life during the previous year. It is good to pause and reflect on strengths and weaknesses, progress and challenges, new goals and adjustments needed. Often a consistent set of questions or review categories are…
What if every church ministry and program… was required to advance individual and/or corporate discipleship and disciple-making? was required to show how it will do so before it could be calendared? was required to show (measure and report) how participants acted, ministered to others, or invited/shared Jesus differently as a…
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.