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Becoming A Disciple Making Church
- 1. BECOMING A DISCIPLEMAKING CHURCH PRESENTED BY THE SOUTH CAROLINA CONFERENCE CEM DEPARTMENT
- 2. What is adisciple? Write a simple definition as a group. 3 minutes Be ready to share feedback
- 3. Discipleship It isnot a program It is not a ministry It is a lifelong commitment to a lifestyle “ Almost every church in our country has some type of discipleship program or set of activities, but stunningly few have a church of disciples.” George Barna Growing True Disciples, p. 20
- 4. Ministry of JesusWhen Jesus began His public ministry, what was His choice of priorities? His top priority was to recruit and train disciples!
- 5. The Bottom LineDiscipleship is not religious activity or something we do in church on Sundays. It involves every part of our life. Not just our “spiritual” life. A Passionate Life Mike Breen & Walt Kallestad pg 88
- 6. James & JohnModel In many churches we fight over what should be the top ministry priority-worship, evangelism, Christian Education, and so forth. In so doing we have unconsciously chosen the model of James & John-asking who will be first. George Barna Growing True Disciples, p.162
- 7. The Jesus ModelJesus’ model asks, “ Who wants to be whole?” If we begin here, true disciples will integrate worship, evangelism, etc.. into a seamless blend of faith-driven activity. George Barna Growing True Disciples, p.162
- 8. Why We’ve StruggledWe have assumed that if a church provides consistent events, biblical information, and appealing programs for people, and the people consume those offerings, then the users will grow. It is inadequate to simply fill people’s heads with Bible verses and principles. (Religious leaders in Jesus’ day knew scripture but were models of how not to live. They knew the data but ignored the application.)
- 9. 3. We needboth Bible knowledge and a righteous lifestyle – each supports the other. 4. Few churches intentionally guide their people through a strategic learning and developmental process that has been customized for the student. 5. Few believers have a trustworthy and competent partner who will hold them accountable to specific and measureable goals.
- 10. 6. We investour resources in adults rather than children – this is where our greatest return can be. “When we focus more energy on resuscitating adults rather than nurturing children, we have more ground to cover because we have to undo much more than we would in working with children.” 7. We criticize people for a lack of commitment not realizing they are committed, but mostly to those things that fit within their vision of a meaningful life.
- 11. 9 Common Denominatorsof Discipleship Passion -Discipleship without Passion will die. Depth -Milk mentality vs. Meat Maturity -Commitment to be spiritually mature Practice -Must walk it out daily Process -It’s a Journey not a Destination Interactive -Reach out to those around you. Multifaceted -Reach people where they’re at. Lifelong -Commitment Christlike -Focus on being like Him George Barna Growing True Disciples, pp. 108-110 PDMPPIMLC
- 12. Measuring Progress Whatdo we normally measure success by in church? Sunday morning attendance Offerings Membership Experiences These need to be measured, but do they tell us anything about whether or not we are effective at making disciples?
- 13. What if wealso measured.. The number of volunteers? How easy or difficult it is to recruit people for ministry responsibilities? # of divorces among congregants? # of serious friendships developing? Levels of spiritual growth observed by small group leaders or Sunday School Teachers? Biblical knowledge? # of believers being mentored by a more mature believer? George Barna
- 14. What Didn’t Work..Trying to grow disciples without first having a clear, crisp, and compelling definition of discipleship Using discipleship curriculum developed by any of the large, highly regarded churches
- 15. “ The realobstacles to becoming fully devoted, zealous disciples of Christ are not money, time, methods, or knowledge. The major obstacle is the human heart. When that changes, all else changes.” George Barna
- 16. True Discipleship: Resultsin people who are more concerned about the quality of their character than the extent of their knowledge Builds churches known for their culture of love, commitment, and service rather than for their events, information, and programs
- 17. How Will DiscipleshipWork For Us? Discipleship Will Cause Your Church To Grow Deeper In God, The Word, And Faith. Your Ministry/Class will begin looking for something deeper.
- 18. Self Evaluation Askyourself, “How am I doing in my personal discipleship?” What am I doing to reach out to those who are new in Christ? Who can I mentor? How is my Sunday School class, Youth Group or Royal Ranger class (etc…) doing at building disciples?
- 19. Church Evaluation Howare we at providing relationship opportunities? How are we at matching those who need to grow with those who can help them grow Do we emphasize daily spiritual growth? Are we providing all the necessary resources for people to be all they that they can be?
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- 21. We Get It.Discipleship is Important, but Where Do We Start?
- 22. Discussion Has thechurch (as a whole) done a good job of making Biblical disciples over the last few decades?
- 23. What can WEdo to become a disciple making church? Discuss how each area of ministry already in place can help build these essentials into your people. (Share)
- 24. Plan of ActionWhat can we do in the next 6 months to begin to facilitate a discipleship mentality in our church? Write it out. Who is responsible?