LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
Disciple Making in the Local Church Week 4
Submitted to Dr. A. Gowins,
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of any course
DSMN 500
Discipleship Ministries
By
Tracey Mills
February 7, 2017
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction …………………………………………………. 3
My church Information ……………………………………… 4
Membership and Fellowship ………………………………... 5
Discipleship and Maturity …………………………………… 5
Service and Ministry ………………………………………… 6
Evangelism and Mission ……………………………………. 7
Worship & Prayer …………………………………………… 7-9
Conclusion …………………………………………………… 9
Bibliography …………………………………………………. 10
2
Introduction
God sacrificed Jesus Christ HIS only begotten son because of God’s love for
humanity. The incarnation of Christ gives humankind access to stand boldly before God
and operate with power and authority. Making disciples require commitment. We are
created in the image of God to bring him Glory. God’s ultimate plan for his or her life is to
bring glory to His name as a follower of Jesus Christ, the fundamental proof of which is
bearing fruit, or disciple making.1
Christians are commanded to go, teach, and reproduce disciples. Discipleship is
learning and meditating on scripture which affect his or her belief system and cause him or
her to change their lives. Disciples are made up of a body of believers called the universal
church. The church is the present Christ himself. He or she should not consider the church
as an institution but persons with a body who are empowered to do great exploits for the
kingdom of God.2 The church is not a place. For when one considers the church to be a
location or place it then diminishes his or her faith and one acts per the location. Therefore,
it is in the role of being a disciple that one activation of faith in God should go beyond
location or the place. I Corinthians 12:27 states, All of you together are Christ's body, and
each of you is a part of it. This paper will address the following: 1) attributes of a
discipleship and how a healthy disciple is a healthy church and vice versa and 2)
identifying 3 areas within my local church where organizational needs are used to create a
healthier body of Christ.
1 Earley, Dave, and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission
with Passion and Confidence. Chapter 1.
2 Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 4. Pg. 218.
3
My Church Information
The church in which I attend has a membership of approximately two hundred and
twenty-five, wherein the average age of attendance is fifty-five. The church has been in existence
for over one hundred and twenty years. Those who are active in ministry are considered seniors.
The young adults represent about ten percent of the congregation while the youth represent five
percent. This presents a challenge. Therefore, I believe that organizational needs should be
placed on: prayer, worship, and evangelism. We make a special note to say that this
denomination is very structured and ministries should align with what is written in the book of
discipline. The church had a reputation of being a “well established and pretentious.” The new
pastor of four years is working very hard to change that myth or ideology.
A healthy church has and operates in biblical principles with appropriate balances. A
healthy church reproduces a healthy church, disciple reproduce disciples (Ephesians 4:14-16). A
healthy church entails healthy Christians. It is the growth of a healthy church that grows the
church body. A healthy church is a biblically driven church. The word of God is the foundation
and the premise of the church existence. It is the congregant’s obedience to God that makes him
or her a disciple.
4
Membership and Fellowship
In a healthy church one should find fellowship. Fellowship in greek is koinonia, or he or she
that participates or participation. This word implies to be close in relationship or communion.
Fellowship is the key in his or her Christian life. The Spirit of the Early Church displays
fellowship in Acts 2:42-46. Fellowship was addressed at the Lord’s Supper and during meals
with disciples. Self-sacrifice and kindness were the result of fellowship within the church.
Fellowship had no boundaries but it enriched worship for one to discover Jesus, John 13:34-35.
It is during the fellowship that he or she can be reconciled with the Father or his brother or sister.
The spirit of openness and vulnerability is created during this time. His or her new birth can be
achieved during this period. Church fellowship is common in which it allows him or her to build
relationship and to be converted, it is understood that it will require effort, Ephesians 4:3.
Membership is becoming part of an organization while fellowship is the sharing of faith. One can
be a member but not connected in his or her faith. The church should focus on fellowship rather
than membership.
Discipleship and Maturity
The healthy church should ensure that Christian are connected, committed, develop and
secure in the faith. This requires the commitment to bible study, church attendance and
stewardship. All of which will ensure Godly maturity. A person grows in the knowledge of God
when one participates in Sunday school, worship services and Bible study. Intentional growth
occurs in increasing measure when he or she aligns himself or herself with the word of God,
Philippians 3:7-11.
5
The church (disciple) is responsible for teaching, and sharing the message of faith to build up
the Body of Christ. The church must follow up and follow through on every convert, member,
and visitor. It is the church (disciple) responsibility to reach and teach the lost. His or her
spiritual growth and development should be examined and encouraged in love. Discipleship is
not an act based upon one’s age, race or groups but it centers on one having a relationship with
God, unity with other believers, and sharing with unbelievers. Maturity is the goal of a disciple.
It is moving from discipleship to maturity, Ephesians 4:14-15 “so that we may no longer be
children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human
cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up
in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.”
Service and Ministry
A healthy church should entail service and ministry. Jesus taught that he or she who
desires to be great must serve, Matthew 20:20-28. Jesus displayed visually to HIS disciples what
service looked like as he washed their feet. The word “deacon” in Greek is diákonos which
means servant. Ministry is the work or vocation of a minister, servant. The word “ministry” is not
seen but it is connected to the humility in serving one another. Then He told the disciples, "If I
then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet,"
John 13:14. The church is to develop a disciple who serves with humility. One is only complete
when he or she becomes a servant. Each disciple has a gift, talent or an ability which should be
defined and cultivated to use in ministry. The task is given to the believer to assist the disciple in
discovering his or her gift. The church body at large profits if the disciple gifts and talents are
utilized in ministry, Ephesians 4:12-16.
6
Evangelism and Mission
Evangelism should not be viewed as attractional but doable. Evangelism and the working
of the holy spirit is presented in Acts 1. Disciples are mandated to go and share the Good News
to those who are lost, this is Evangelism purpose. The Great Commission is the focus for every
disciple, Matthew 28:18-20. In the gospel, he or she reads of the death burial, resurrection and
the ascension of Jesus the Christ. Christ came to earth in human form so that all would have
access to eternal life through faith. Jesus came seeking those who were lost. Evangelism should
be on a mission to share news of the cross. Evangelism is sharing the gospel with anyone within
his or her sphere, wherein mission requires the crossing of cultural, and language barriers.
Mission is the studying of his or her behavior and lifestyle. Evangelism is the stepping stone to
mission. The Holy Spirit can assist him or her to share the message of God’s redeeming quality
to individuals that are lost local, national, or international.
Within the congregation in which I attend, there is poor attendance when it comes to
events relating to evangelism. We have had one workshops, several meetings relating to
evangelism in which the attendance range from 5 to 20 persons. Continued training and
consistency in creating activities regardless of the number of participant can be a solution.at the
most.
Worship and Prayer
God must be worshipped and desire his or her disciples to worship HIM in spirit and
truth, John 4:24. He or she worship God for who God is. It is by worshiping God that God’s
character is revealed. It is through worship that unites the heart of the disciple to the heart of
God. In worshiping God, the disciple is aware of the movement of the Holy Spirit in which one
7
is responsive. The worship gathering allows unified believers to make the name of God great in
their lives. During the Old Testament worship was expressed through singing, dancing, psalms
and hymns. This worship is continual in the New Testament, and presently. The singing and the
playing of music enhances the worship experience but is not synonymous to worship. Worship is
a conglomerate of words spoken, songs sang, living daily in honor of God’s goodness, praise and
prayer. Worship is an experience that a disciple encounter daily. Although stewardship is not
discussed at any length in this paper, the writer recognizes its’ importance to being healthy and
should be considered as part of worship.
Worship is very formal and can be robotic within my church. The format of the order of
service lies in tradition. This can sometimes present a problem if the Holy Spirit is moving on the
congregants, but an invisible time schedule is inwardly present that cause one not to subject
oneself to the Holy Spirit. Worship is an act of freedom. One should be opened to change,
possibly altering the printed order of service to allow one to experience freedom of the Holy
Spirit.
Prayer is the most important aspect of the church and in the life of a disciple. The early
church prayed about everything and was portrayed by its prayer. Whether it was during
oppression, illness, change in leadership or in search of a King, prayer was established, Acts
1:24; 12:5. To be impactful one must learn from history and incorporate the passion for prayer. It
is communicating with God that connects the heart of God to the disciple; this is how one gains
insight and eyesight to whatever their situation is. It is important to note that prayer is not an
option. A powerful church is a prayerful church. A powerful disciple is a prayerful disciple. A
growing disciple is a prayerful disciple.
8
There is no active prayer ministry at my church. However, occasionally a few people
will gather after morning Bible study to pray for the needs of God’s people. There is also a
prayer request box in the vestibule. A suggested solution would be a teaching on prayer and how
to implement it into one congregation outside of Sunday morning service.
Conclusion
In closing, a healthy church should not be selective but should consider all the
components. The church is only as healthy as its disciples. A healthy church purpose is to create
an ambiance wherein the message of Jesus Christ is readily received. The word of God is the
stabilizer of the church. A healthy church is needed to produce healthy, efficient, and effective
disciples. This assignment has allowed me to examine myself and my commitment to God and
my local church. Often assignments are just that an “assignment.” However, this assignment
has had a tremendous impact on how I view myself, a healthy church and my local church. Is the
church I attend a healthy church? Does a healthy church exist? Even someone who is considered
to have healthy body, experiences ailments, flaws and malfunctions. It is to the end that I believe
that the natural and spiritual must work together to create a balanced and maintained disciple.
9
Bibliography
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 4. Minneapolis: First Fortress
Press, 2003.
Donahue, John R. The Theology and Setting of Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark.
Milwaukee, Wis: Marquette University Press, 1983. eBook Collection
Earley, Dave, and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great
Commission with Passion and Confidence. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group,
2013.
Horton, Michael. 2011. Gospel Commission: Recovering God's Strategy for Making
Disciples. Grand Rapids, US: Baker Books. Accessed February 8, 2017.
Ogden, Greg. 2010. Transforming Discipleship: Making Disciples a Few at a Time.
Westmont, US: IVP Books. Accessed February 8, 2017.
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
10
