1. Writing Discipleship Lessons
Rev. Dr. Rob A. Fringer

2. Thoughts as we begin
Writing is both rewarding and challenging; it takes discipline
Writing Discipleship lessons is important and potentially dangerous
This must be taken seriously and done prayerfully and with excellence

3. What is Discipleship?
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20)

4. What is Discipleship?
Hebrew – lamad, Meaning ‘to exercise’ and ‘to learn’
Greek – manthanō, meaning ‘to learn from experience’
In both of these words is the idea of a continuous growing and learning that is not always easy.

5. What is Discipleship? Look at the way Jesus discipled:
He taught (investing his knowledge and experience)
He Entered in relationship with them (invested his time, energy, and love)
He invited his followers learn from His Example (They watched the way he did everything)
He called them to share in his mission
He released them to disciple others

6. Writing Discipleship Lessons
When we write discipleship lessons, they must be:
Holistic, covering all aspects of life and covering a multitude of topics; discipleship is about becoming Holy and helping others to become holy
Educational, teaching truth that is scripturally grounded and solidly researched
Theological, presenting a consistent picture of God and his work in the world through a Wesleyan-holiness perspective
Practical, moving the reader toward deep personal reflection and tangible application

7. Basic Steps Establish your audience/Level/Context Pick a topic
Research the topic in scripture
research the topic in secondary literature (When possible)
Create detailed outline
Begin writing

8. Establish Audience/Level/Context
Who is your Target audience?
General – age, gender, education Level
Specific – parent, single Mother, teachers, Professional, etc.
What Spiritual level are you writing at?
Seeker, new Christian, intermediate Christian, mature Christian
your writing should intentionally move people deeper into their faith journey
What is your Audiences Context?
culture, social norms, circumstances, experiences, intricacies of the Language

9. Picking a Topic See ‘Discipleship Lesson Topic Ideas’
Pick a topic that is important to you and/or your audience (it helps to be passionate about your topic)
Depending on the size of work you are producing, you will likely need to limit the topic

10. Research Topic in Scripture
Bible Study lessons start with scripture, move to interpretation, and produce a key idea/Topic
Discipleship Lessons start with the topic, move into scripture to find out what is said/then refines the topic/key idea
what are the key Scriptures
use a topic index from your bible or online
Group texts into similar themes
Are there “key” scriptures related to your topic?
Does your topic need to be further refined?
take good notes!

11. Research Topic in Secondary Literature
E.G. Bible Dictionaries/encyclopedias, commentaries, Monographs, Online sources (be careful)
Such research helps:
learn more about your topic and/or related topics
Assure you have not missed something or misrepresented something
To give credit to those who have written similar ideas before you
Point your reader to additional resources
Strengthen the credibility of your ideas
take good notes!

12. Create Detailed Outline
Outlines help order your research in a logical manner, guide your writing, and help assure you remain focused
Based off your research, create a thesis statement that contains the key idea/s of your lesson.
It is also important to state the specific lesson goals (this is what you hope to accomplish through this lesson/chapter/book). The bigger the work, the longer and more detailed this list will be.

13. Example Starting Info: See handout
Lesson Title: Discovering God’s Will through Prayer
Key Scriptures: Jeremiah 29:11-14; Matthew 7:7-11
Key Idea: Prayer is built on relationship that is grounded in communication. It is only as we learn to listen to God that we discover His will for our lives.
Lesson Goals:
To understand the importance of ongoing communication in any relationship
To learn the significance of listening in prayer

14. Sample Outline Introduction First Supporting argument/idea
(Personal) Story to draw reader into the topic
Key Idea (Thesis Statement)
Direction/plan of the lesson (including lesson goals)
First Supporting argument/idea
Primary sentence (basically the thesis for this paragraph)
Secondary sentences (support the primary sentence)
May include Scripture Quotes/Secondary Literature Quotes
May include Stories to help illustrate your point
Make sure to address tricky or difficult concepts.
You need to guide your reader through the text toward the key idea and lesson goals

15. Sample Outline Second Supporting argument/idea Conclusion
You can have as many supporting arguments as you need to support your key idea and to meet your lesson goals
Usually begin and end with your strongest supporting arguments as they will be the most memorable.
Conclusion
Summarise your lesson restating in a slightly different way the key idea and the lesson goals
Challenge the reader to reflect upon and apply what has been learned

16. Sample Outline Reflective Questions and Activities
Keep your lesson goals front and centre in these questions and activities
Questions should be geared toward wrestling with the passage at a deeper level and toward personal and contextual application
Don’t ask yes or no questions or ones that can be easily answered with a single word
Activities should help illustrate difficult ideas and/or provide a tangible way for the reader to take steps toward applying this teaching in there everyday lives.
Make sure to include some type of reflection time on the activities

17. Important things to remember
This whole process should be bathed in prayer as you seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
Know your audience.
Write at a level appropriate to your audience.
Don’t use over-complex sentences. Simple is usually better and helps assure you are communicating your key idea.
Don’t lose sight of your key idea and your lesson goals. As you re-read through your lesson ask yourself if each sentence is helping to reinforce these things. Do the same with your questions and activities.