So far in our discipleship series, we have discussed the theology of discipleship: what it is, why it matters, how the Holy Spirit works, and how we can partner with Him. Now we will begin to shift our attention to the practical side of discipleship and begin to look at how a church or a ministry can organize a discipleship strategy to effectively lead people to maturity in Christ.
We will begin by looking at six necessary elements of a successful discipleship strategy.
1. The mindset of a disciple-maker.
Hopefully by now you agree that we must begin with the conviction that we are called to make disciples and not just to make converts. Although this one should be obvious, it isn’t always followed through in the practical workings of ministry. This is why we have spent the last few weeks looking at the disciple-making mindset.
Nevertheless, at risk of overstatement, before you can practically begin a successful discipleship program in your ministry, you must be committed to seeing discipleship as the goal. If you are simply content with “soul-winning,” and consider it the purpose of evangelism to just get people saved, you will fall short of the Great Commission. Discipleship is the goal.
If you do not make the commitment now, that discipleship is the priority, then it will be easy to let it slip to the side when it becomes difficult or inconvenient.
2. A mature disciple to be the leader or mentor.
Again, this one sounds so obvious, but as we have seen over and over again in our ministry in Africa, one of the greatest challenges to seeing leaders making disciples is that the leader all-too-often was never truly discipled himself or herself.
As the leader of the ministry, it will be up to you to set the pattern for discipleship in how you disciple others. In time, you will raise up other leaders around you who are capable of carrying on in the same work you have begun (see Ephesians 4:11-12).
When the time comes for others to be called by the church to step out in discipling others, it should be clear in their Christian walk that they have been discipled and are capable of walking in maturity as a believer, knowing the word of God, and hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.
One point of consideration that may have practical value in your ministry is that as you add official disciplers to the ministry, who are not pastors or staff, then the person must clearly have the authority of the church leadership behind them to facilitate and teach.
We commission pastors. We commission evangelists. We commission deacons. What is interesting to me is that I have never seen a church commission people to be disciple-makers. Maybe we should begin.
One other note here, while it is true that every believer should be making disciples, what we are talking about here is a strategy for your ministry as a whole. How your “official” team leads in life and in discipleship will set the pattern others in your church follow.
3. A time and place to meet regularly, outside of normal church meetings.
Your Sunday morning church service or Wednesday night prayer meeting are important parts of your ministry, but keep in mind that these events are not ideal for real life discipleship. While people need to hear the preaching of the word and be involved in other elements of church life, discipleship must take place on a more personal level.
You may even want to consider a location outside of the church facilities. Meeting in homes or public coffee shops may be more preferable, as it is easier to relate to one another, and if people are more comfortable, they are more willing to open up and share their lives.
There are other challenges that can be addressed by meeting outside of “church” as well. People coming from other religious backgrounds such as Islam, or people with spouses hostile to the church will have an easier time taking part in the discipleship process if they do not have to sneak into your church for the meeting.
4. A bible-based lesson plan for teaching the basic truths of the Christian life.
The Bible is God’s Word given to guide us in life and Christ-likeness. Therefore, any discipleship strategy we employ must be grounded in the scriptures to be effective. We cannot simply press people to conform to our church culture, or a list of religious rules and expectations.
As we continue in this series, we will look at this topic more in depth, but we must at least touch it here. The Bible reveals Jesus, and therefore it is in the Bible that we find out who we are supposed to become in Him.
5. Outside opportunities for real-life application.
New believers are some of the most passionate to share their faith and teach others what they are learning. As such, our discipleship strategy must also include opportunities for the new disciples to step up in real life applications.
In the now classic book, “The Purpose Driven Life”, Rick Warren says that Christians must be involved in five areas of spirituality: Discipleship, Worship, Fellowship, Service, and Mission. I would contend that if our discipleship programs do not offer the opportunity to step into the other four areas, then we miss the point.
As a disciple becomes more mature in the Lord, they will begin demonstrating and participating in these things on their own, outside of officially scheduled events and programs. Once again, however, I would press that it is in the patterns set in their early discipleship that they will continue on in them.
We must teach people to worship the Lord and to serve, and to give them opportunity to reach out to the lost and share their lives with other believers.
6. Ongoing accountability and counseling for disciples, continuing long into their maturity in Christ.
We must see that true discipleship is a lifelong journey toward Christ-likeness, and not something that can be completed with a 6-week course or a few Bible studies. We must take into account that as one “level” of maturity is reached, there is still a call to come up higher.
Even as people mature into the Lord, we must include the opportunity for continued growth through higher level discipleship meetings, biblical counseling, and personal accountability.
The greatest leaders in the church have still not attained to the image of Christ, so continuing the discipleship process is necessary for us all. Therefore, do not limit your discipleship strategy to only new believers. Find a way to incorporate it for everyone.
Conclusion
Discipleship is not automatic. It requires leadership, and it requires a strategy.
As we continue to look at what this entails over the next couple of weeks, I hope you are hearing the Lord leading you and your ministry to grow in this area, and that these posts are helpful to you.
Photo by John Thomas on Unsplash
