LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Disciple Making in a Healthy Church
Submitted to Dr.
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DSMN 500
Discipleship Ministries
by
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April 25, 2021
Contents
Introduction..................................................................................................................................1
The Church in Discipleship.........................................................................................................1
The Pastor in Discipleship...........................................................................................................3
The Saints in Discipleship............................................................................................................4
Spiritual Gifts in Discipleship.....................................................................................................5
Application....................................................................................................................................5
Bibliography.................................................................................................................................7
1
Introduction
According to the National Congregational Study Survey, as of August 2020, there were
an estimated three-hundred-eighty-thousand churches in the United States. This number has
decreased after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, even before the outbreak, many churches
were struggling to stay open because although approximately seventy percent of Americans
identify themselves as Christians, only one out of three attends church on a weekly basis. Surely,
Christianity has spread all over the world, since the apostles started the work of The Great
Commission, over two-thousand-years ago. But also, it cannot be denied that something is not
right. This paper will attempt to explain the current state of the church and how pastors, saints,
and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, can model after the example of Christ to disciple a spiritually
healthy church, full of spiritually healthy believers.
The Church in Discipleship
Before Jesus went back to heaven, He spent forty days with His disciples and gave them
clear instructions of what to do before His return. “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, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you…” (Matt 28:19-20, ESV).1 That same
commandment still active today but unfortunately, there is a need for making mature disciples of
Jesus, who are strong enough in Christ to stand firm on their own, but also able to make disciples
themselves.2
1 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the English Standard Version (Crossway
Bibles, 2007)
2 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your
Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples, Grand Rapids (Zondervan, 2013), 19.
2
It’s been written that the local church is the hope of the world. But for the church to be
effective, it needs the fundamental guidance of God and knowledge on what He demands from
the church, to help change the world.3 Fortunately, God has already established in His Word, a
clear and straightforward method to discipline believers for spiritual maturity in Christ,
transforming them into disciple makers as well. Jesus is the greatest of examples for making
disciples. He found twelve individuals and in three years, He discipled them into disciple
makers. He had a close relationship with them which was key in their spiritual growth. And
churches today need more of the engine Jesus used to change the world.4
The church is God’s main global plan for making disciples.5 Jesus told Simon Peter, “And
I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it” (Matt 16:18). Christ founded the church, purchased it with His blood (Acts
20:28), and identifies himself intimately with it (Acts 9:4).6 This is paramount to understand
because disciple making in the church must have as the fundamental core, to grow in Christ,
Jesus. He is the head of the church and for disciples to mature they must become Jesus followers
and doers. For a church to be spiritually healthy, they must focus on biblical discipleship using
the relational environments methodology.7 Jesus had over one hundred disciples. He chose
twelve to be His closest, but He had many more, who received the Holy Spirit in the days of
Pentecost (Acts 1:15). And He used the relational model with all His disciples. It is about loving
3 Putman, Harrington, and Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps…, 20.
4 Ibid., 21.
5 Dave Earley, and Rod Dempsey, Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion
and Confidence, Nashville (B&H Publishing Group, 2013), 38.
6 Daniel L. Akin, A Theology for the Church, Revised ed, Nashville (Lifeway Church Resources, 2014), 3.
7 Putman, Harrington, and Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps…, 29.
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people and leading them into following His example. Jesus did not call them to make Christians,
but disciples.8
The Pastor in Discipleship
God has placed leaders within every church because He cares for the people, the church
needs to reach.9 In discipleship, the role of the pastor if crucial in the formation of the church. He
is the leader of the church and all eyes are on him. 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 list many of the
qualities for godly leaders in the church.10 Church leaders must be mature spiritual parents who
have the God-given abilities and spiritual gifts of leadership. These individuals have a clear
understanding of the goals God have set for the church and are able to build a structural
atmosphere that produces the values God intended the church to have.11 The congregation, as
well as others under his authority, look up to the pastor for answers, advice, and more
importantly, example. So, as a church leader, the pastor sets the tone for what spiritual maturity
looks like in the church.12 The pastor must lead by example. He not only speaks about it from the
pulpit, but he makes himself responsible (with the LORD’s help) for living it in such way
everyone can see real discipleship and spiritual maturity in his actions and life.
The pastor must also practice biblical love. The love Jesus spoke to His disciples about.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you
also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have
love for one another” (Jn 13:34-35). The pastor must model this type of love, otherwise the
8 Putman, Harrington, and Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps…, 30.
9 Putman, Real-Life Discipleship Building Churches That Make Disciples, Colorado Springs, CO
(NavPress, 2010), 13.
10 Putman, Harrington, and Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps…, 102.
11 Jim Putman, Real-Life Discipleship…, 112.
12 Putman, Harrington, and Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps…, 110.
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church will speak the same Scripture but will not exhibit it.13 Jesus was aware of this principle
and He modeled the example all the way to the cross.
Pastors must also be genuine and transparent leaders. This shows that the pastor is an
honest, vulnerable, and real human being, who also has struggled with life events, but just as
anyone else. Pastors must encourage his leadership to equip the equippers, so instead of
information, they receive transformation.14 Not only by being good shepherds, but also by
promoting a healthy shepherding environment. Lastly, pastors should also encourage spiritual
mentorship for disciples. This is crucial for the disciple to grow in spiritual maturity. It promotes
disciples who encourage others in the faith and are consistent in their kindness and love for
others, which in turn, builds more disciples.
The Saints in Discipleship
The pastor promotes a church environment for the saints to grow, and they become
fruitful as they grow in Christ. In turn, they fulfilled the essence of Christian discipleship,
bringing glory to God.15 In other words, the true role of the church is to create biblical disciples
in relational environments.16 Thus, spiritual growth and maturity come as the result of people
forming biblical relationships. When done correctly, discipleship in a healthy church, gives
everyone a role to play, getting them off the bench, sort of speak, and onto the field.17 The Spirit
of Christ helps believers to unify as one body, in Him, by grace and virtue.18 Saints in a healthy
13 Putman, Harrington, and Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps…, 110.
14 Ibid., 97.
15 Earley, and Dempsey, Disciple Making Is…, 201.
16 Putman, Harrington, and Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps…, 148.
17 Putman, Real-Life Discipleship…, 121.
18 Akin, A Theology for the Church, 169.
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church grow in spiritual maturity as they connect to Christ through spiritual disciplines. Paul
wrote about this principle in Ephesians 4, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up
in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (v. 15). In other words, believers are to grow
from immaturity to maturity by connecting to the head, who is Christ, though Scripture and
prayer.
Saints also should grow in unity and love for one another through the example of the
church Pastor, as Jesus commanded the disciples in John 13:34-35. It is important to remember
that people are always watching what Christians are doing. The test that weather or not believers
are true followers of Christ, will come from the love that they show for one another. And a
healthy church will create this type of loving environment.19
Spiritual Gifts in Discipleship
Spiritual gifts are given to the believer by the Holy Spirit. These “were given for the
common good, and it is in the life of the body that the gifts can be use more effectively to
minister to others.”20 The apostle Paul speaks about these gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12.
He writes that the same Spirit of God brings all the gifts, and He gives them to the church for the
common good and “apportions to each one individually as He wills” (v. 11). This is what Jesus
promised to His disciples, that the Spirit would help the church through abiding with and
indwelling her.21 In a healthy church, members are encouraged to discover their special gifts,
given to them by Christ. It should be part of their goal to help every believer discover and use
their gifts in the body, according to God’s design.22 This could also serve as a measuring tool
19 Earley, and Dempsey, Disciple Making Is…, 213.
20 Akin, A Theology for the Church, 170.
21 Ibid., 169.
22 Earley, and Dempsey, Disciple Making Is…, 214.
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where if eighty percent of the church is using their gifts, then the church is eighty percent
healthy.23 However, it is also important that these same members are using their gifts properly
(Eph 4:16). As the church becomes fruitful, growing in Christ and using the gifts God has given
them to help make more disciples, they are also fulfilling the essence of Christian discipleship,
which brings glory to God.24
Application
The model of the church I was attending before the pandemic is closer to the hybrid
church model in the TAHO chart. It is a mega church that started over twenty years ago with
only three people. It has several locations around the US and the world, and multiple programs,
including a TV channel and a theology school. It is led by senior global pastors, apostolic
counsel, and a global team. Although due to its size, it has a high number of staff members, it
also houses a huge number of volunteers in all divisional areas. Additionally, it does a lot for the
city, as it has a huge outreach department.
The church promotes the gospel as the central idea by word and action. The gospel is
preached, and altar calls are evident. The church has a huge, dedicated baptism area and baptisms
happen every Sunday. The church also has continuous weekly teachings of the Bible, weekly
small groups, and special free classes for the congregation. These groups and continuous classes
not only help develop believers but allows them to be nurtured by bringing the mega church, to a
tangible size with the small groups. Tithing and offering are also a strong part of this church,
giving the church an opportunity for reaching more people. The messages preached by the
pastors are mainly directed for the spiritual growth of the church in the discipline and character
of Jesus.
23 Ibid.
24 Ibid., 201.
7
The first area where I already knew there is a need is in discipleship. The church lacks a
program for discipleship. Also lacks a program for mentoring and growth of disciples. Other
areas where I see a bit of opportunity are in equipping and empowering believers and
encouraging them to discover and use their spiritual gifts. I do understand that with a church so
big, it is important to have some control and not allow people just do whatever they feel like
doing in the temple. But when it comes to believer’s discovering their gifts and how to use them,
it would be beneficial for the church to develop classes, or programs that would help them in that
area. The truth is that the work of the Holy Spirit is essential in the life of the disciple. The Holy
Spirit is the one who exercises conviction and then binds the believer to the LORD. That which
is real primarily and foundationally in Christ, is then made real among believers by virtue of the
person and work of the Holy Spirit.25 Additionally, the development of other programs to help
those who are a bit more advanced in their walk with Christ could help with empowering and
growth.
25 Michael D. Langford, “Spirit-Driven Discipleship A Pneumatology of Youth Ministry,” Theology Today
71, no. 3 (October 2014), 326.
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Bibliography
Akin, Daniel L. A Theology for the Church. Revised ed. Nashville: Lifeway Church Resources,
2014.
Earley, Dave, and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission with
Passion and Confidence. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2013.
Langford, Michael D. “Spirit-Driven Discipleship A Pneumatology of Youth Ministry.” Theology
Today 71, no. 3 (October 2014): 323–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040573614542309.
Putman, Jim, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman. DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help
Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013.
Putman, Jim. Real-Life Discipleship Building Churches That Make Disciples, Colorado Springs,
CO: NavPress, 2010.
