JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
Course Reflection Essay
Submitted to Dr. Michael Pardue
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DMSN 500
Discipleship Ministries (D04)
By
Andre J. Brown
December 13, 2021
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Contents
Introduction……………….……….................................................................................................3
Personal Discipleship Reflections....................................................................................................3
Key Biblical Passages & Principles.................................................................................................4
Best Practices……………………………………………………………………………………...5
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………...6
Citations……………………………………………………………………………………….......7
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Introduction
Bonhoeffer was a great theologian who had many great writings in regards to following
Christ. He had this to say about the call to discipleship. “The call goes out, and without any
further ado the obedient deed of the one called follows. The disciple's answer is not a spoken
confession of faith in Jesus. Instead, it is the obedient deed.”1 His perspective sums up to the call
of discipleship as a lifelong devotion to submission and love for Christ. He incorporates the
sacrificial means of denying self and adopting Christ’ ways while using examples from scripture
to articulate the point of how Christ taught His disciples. Bonhoeffer concludes with how the
image of God has been lost on earth and should be restored through man with discipleship.
Personal Discipleship Reflections
Throughout the progression of this course, I have been able to really dive deep into what
I understand as true discipleship. I created time to reach out to some of the men who introduced
me to discipleship and shared with them how much I appreciated their influence and impact on
my life. I have also taken time to reach out to young men who I have mentored myself and
talked with them about reconnecting to dive into scripture together and initiate a new
discipleship trend. Citing sources in Turabian format was a new process for me so initially it was
challenging but after reading and writing so often, the format almost became second nature. This
course has reshaped my thinking in personal discipleship by helping me be more intentional
about the end goal with our lives as believers and considering a step by step processes with new
disciples.
1 Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. 2003. Discipleship. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
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I thoroughly enjoyed examining the stages of discipleship from Dempsey & Early2.
When I thought about the difference between a young adult and parent, I was not sure how I
would categorize myself. For the longest, I have not necessarily been a part of the traditional
church model. I have also not assumed membership in a church in several years. With that said,
my view on the local church is a lot different than it used to be. I often wonder if I even agree
with the idea of a local church and think that bodies should consider reverting to a house model.
Simultaneously, many people may not feel comfortable with people being in their homes.
Nonetheless, the local church, especially churches that grow relatively fast without a doubt need
to consider a model or a program that allows intimate dialogue and relationship building to
create a space for effective personal discipleship.
Key Biblical Passages & Principles
One of my favorite passages has always been Matthew 28:193. The great commission is
one that inspires me that at the end of the day, the most important thing is to bring more people
to heaven with me because I will not be able to bring any accolades, accomplishments, money or
bucket list items. I will be honest in saying that I feel as though being like Jesus is harder in
2021 than it ever has been. Perhaps that is because of the military culture that I have been
around for the past seven years. It seems as though I hear more of people falling away from the
church and more people being outspoken about how they disagree with the bible.
I love going to the movies yet every other theatre visit, I am reminded of how much the
world hates Jesus. With this, I am reminded of Luke 13 that talks about repentance and the
2 Dempsey, Rod & Dave Earley. 2018. Spiritual Formation Is...: How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and
Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic.
3Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL:
Crossway, 2016).
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narrow door of following Christ. Disciples cannot be distracted with the complaints of non-
believers and media projections. Christian communities need to be diligent about maintain
Christ centeredness and being in touch with one another so that when life is all said and done,
Christ will not tell us “depart from Me.”
Finally, a passage that is key for me in discipleship is to “let no corrupting talk come out
of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give
grace to those who hear.” Often times, people misinterpret or misunderstand things leaders may
inform them. Leaders have to be very intentional about what and how they communicate
messages and also practice being edificial for the sake of encouraging new believers and not
tearing down or insulting someone by accident.
Best Practices
After all the research on discipleship from the different scholars, I have concluded that
some of the best practices include being transparent, building small group communities and self-
evaluation to make certain leaders are intentionally following and devoting their lives to Christ to
allow their influence to come directly from Jesus Himself. Transparency allows for the pastor to
be open and honest to his students and congregation, giving the leader to be free to be themselves
and allow for full accountability for any short comings. Small groups are great for getting to
know people who are similar to one another and can glean from each other. This also reduces the
opportunity to feel singled out or overwhelmed because everyone has the same goal and the
intimidation from being with a large group is eliminated. When leading people to Christ, its
always extremely important to keep the main thing, the main thing! I have learned that nothing
is more substantial than a personal relationship with Christ and discipleship building does not
happen when you do not spend enough time with Jesus.
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Conclusion
As I complete my first course on a master’s degree level, I now know what to expect.
Discipleship ministries is definitely paramount in fulfilling my life’s purpose of building the next
generation of biblical leaders. With this in mind, I will know how to format my future essays. I
will also keep in mind that discipleship is effectively connected to virtually every aspect of being
a follower of Christ. I am grateful for the opportunity to be introduced to various scholars and
biblical resources. This is certainly a step in the right direction. I only hope to continue to
perform in excellence and make my God and family proud.
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