Rediscovering Discipleship This Is Discipleship This Is Discipleship

Rediscovering Discipleship 1. Necessary? Yes! 2. And what is a disciple? 3. Membership & discipleship 4. The comma that may have caused a coma

Rediscovering Discipleship 5. Wesleyan discipleship 6. High commitment discipleship 7. Creating a process for your church 8. Who me?

Is Discipleship Necessary? Yes! Our mission Our mission Now what? Now what? Dissonance between what we say and what we do Dissonance between what we say and what we do Closing the church’s back door Closing the church’s back door The mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

And what is a disciple? A functional definition of the word disciple – is a description of what something does, not just what something is. Disciples are persons who do and act in certain ways; they’re not just person who say “yes” to something and then go their own way. Disciples of Christ will in some way do and act like Jesus.

And what is a disciple? The website for Vital Congregations ( says: Vital congregations are:  Spirit-filled forward-learning communities of believers that welcome all people (Galatians 3:28)  Places where disciples of Jesus Christ are made through the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18- 20)  Communities that serve like Christ through justice and mercy ministries (Micah 6:8; Luke 4:17-21

And what is a disciple? The website for Vital Congregations ( says: A disciple of Jesus Christ:  Worships regularly  Helps make new disciples  Is engaged in growing in their faith  Is engaged in mission  Shares by giving in mission

Membership & Discipleship  Belonging to a church is more than sitting in worship, more than attending bible study, even more than membership.  Transformation, not just education  Membership is not “serve us” but service  The church helps you be a part of the team (the body of Christ)  A “church” that is not about disciple making is not a church

The comma that may have cause a coma  11 The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints, [COMMA] for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

The comma that may have cause a coma  11 The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints [NO COMMA] for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

Wesleyan Discipleship From Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference “But Methodism’s founder, John Wesley, was by no means the most charismatic preacher of his era. That honor belonged to George Whitfield an orator with such power and charisma that it awas said, he once charmed a five-pound contribution out of Benjamin Franklin – who was, of course, the furthest thing from a church goer…”

Wesleyan Discipleship “Nor was Wesley a great theologian, in the tradition of, say, John Calvin or Martin Luther. His genius was organizational. Wesley would travel around England and North America delivering open-air sermons to thousands of people. But he didn’t just preach. He also stayed long enough in each town to form the most enthusiastic of his converts into religious societies, which in turn he subdivided into smaller classes of a dozen or so people.”

Wesleyan Discipleship The Holy Club  Studied Christian teachers  Read the classics  Long periods of prayer  Seasons of fasting  Daily time for reading scripture  Confession of sins  Routine observance of sacraments

Wesleyan Discipleship The Holy Club  Visited prisons  Evangelized  Comforted sick  Served others in order to avoid pharisaic comparison  Maintained consistency between their outward and inward spirituality.

Wesleyan Discipleship Wesley’s disciple making innovation was to develop a process based on different levels of relationship: 1. Societies – larger groups offering instruction in Christian faith 2. Classes – offered pastoral care, guidance, and accountability 3. Bands – focused on practicing means of grace & growing as disciples

Wesleyan Discipleship

Classes - Regular attendance and participation was required (in society & class). - Wesley pushed against the normal means of character development, which encouraged pursuing personal change before social. Instead he believed that when a person changes their behavior or action, they will simultaneously improve their character. - In class meetings, members met to apply and reflect on the messages they heard in the public society meetings.

High Commitment Discipleship Membership Vows  Prayers  Presence  Gifts  Service  Witness Create a covenant for new members

Creating a process for your church 1. New Member Process 2. Share Models 3. Best Practices 4. Children & Youth

Creating a process for your church New Member Process Brunch with Pastor(s) New Member Class  What it means to be a christian  Grace  Church’s organizational structure  Sacraments  Church’s vision and mission

Creating a process for your church The Table UMC’s metaphor – “Tree” Stages:  Rooted In Grace  Growing in Faith  Reaching in Love

Creating a process for your church Brentwood UMC’s metaphor – “River of Life” Stages:  Checking out the Scene  Stepping into the water  Diving Deeper  Riding the rapids  Going Fishing

Creating a process for your church Murphysboro UMC’s metaphor – “Greatest Journey of Your Life” Stages:  At the Trailhead  On the Path  At the Lookout  Off the Path  On the Cliffs

Creating a process for your church Benton First UMC’s metaphor – “Getting Your Bearings” Stages:  Getting Your Bearings  Finding a Path  On an Adventure  Deeper Exploration  Being a Discipling Guide  Quest for Holiness

Creating a process for your church

Best Practices  KISS  Start a new group every 18 – 21 months  Train Small Group Leaders  How many?  How Frequently should small groups meet?  Start small

Creating a process for your church Mentoring New Leaders   I Do, You Watch   I Do, You Help   You Do, I Help   You Do, I Watch   You Do

“Send me, I’ll go”

Who me?