LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Discipleship Ministry Plan
Submitted to Dr. Rodney Dempsey
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DSMN 500
Discipleship Ministries
by
Isaac W. Spencer
December 12, 2021
Contents
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………....1
Passages…………………………………………………………………………………………...1
Principles…………………………………………………………………………………………3
Total Surrender to God……………………………………………………………………4
Unification in Love………………………………………………………………………..5
Active Discipleship………………………………………………………………………..6
Philosophy………………………………………………………………………………………...8
The Church………………………………………………………………………………...9
The People………………………………………………………………………………...9
The Mission……………………………………………………………………………...12
Practices………………………………………………………………………………………....15
Proof……………………………………………………………………………………………..18
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………20
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………….21
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Introduction
Discipleship is one of the major pillars of the Christian faith. Making disciples is a high
honor that Jesus gives to His followers. This high honor must not be taken flippantly; disciple
making in this fallen evil world requires dedication and intentionality. It is not enough to wander
through and into discipleship, Christian leadership must have a discipleship plan to be effective.
This plan must be rooted in Scripture and conform to the will of God. Building a Disciple
making plan must be developed with biblical passages, spiritual principles, ministry philosophy,
discipleship practices, and proof of effectiveness. Many of these items, like passages, principles,
and philosophy, are easily identified from Scripture. Others, such as practices and proof are more
difficult because they must target an audience and because effectiveness of a ministry is often
hard to quantify. All that being said, discipleship is paramount to the church, and is a journey that
must be intentionally charted through leaders by the hand of God.
Passages
The focus of the following discipleship ministry plan is on college and recently graduated
people. A more exact focus is eighteen-to-twenty-four-years old or those between high school
and marriage. An effective ministry plan is based in the Word of God; thus, there are a number of
biblical passages that guide this ministry. First, Matthew 28:18-20, affectionately called the Great
Commission, is a cornerstone passage of almost every discipleship ministry. The instructions to
teach, obey, and go are paramount to disciple making.
Second, 1 Corinthians chapter twelve is a guiding passage for anyone ministering to
young adult and college age people. 1 Corinthians twelve preaches unity as it uses the body as a
metaphor for the church. In the young adult age group disunity is rampant and disunity is in
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direct opposition to the will of God. Therefore, the message of unity in 1 Corinthians twelve is
key to making college aged disciples.
Next, John 13:35 explains exactly how Christians are to treat one another. People can be
harsh on each other, especially those they are closest too, however “Our love for one another will
prove to the world that you are [Jesus’s] disciples” (John 13:35).1 While preaching unity from 1
Corinthians twelve, it is important to preach the correct unity. Unity under the love of Christ and
the unity that showing that love to others builds. Young adults, especially, can be unified in their
distain or hatred for others so love for others must be a focal point of discipleship.
Additionally, Luke 14:27 may contain the single most important aspect of discipleship.
College age and young adults can be very selfish and strong willed, they finally get a taste of
control and want to hold onto it as long as possible. Luke 14: 27 speaks to the surrender
necessary to follow Christ, explaining to be a disciple on must “carry your own cross and follow
[Jesus].” Carrying one’s cross is a submissive venerable position that forces someone to give up
their own will. This kind of self-surrender is paramount to discipleship.
The penultimate passage is Deuteronomy 6:5, “and you must love the lord your God with
all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” This section of Deuteronomy comes from the
Great Shema, which is a command that every Israelite would know in biblical times.2 The only
thing mor important than a disciple’s love for others is their love for God. This love for God is a
submissive reverent love that is often missing from people’s lives. This love for God is what
builds true unity, love for others, and surrender. Thus, loving God is the true cornerstone of
discipleship.
1 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the New Living
Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2015).
2 August H. Konkel, David Reimer, Miles V. Van Pelt, and Mary Willson Hannah, Deuteronomy – Ruth,
vol. 11, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021), 22.
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Finally, Romans 12:1-2 is an important passage for building disciples. The main ideas in
Romans 12:1-2 is first, Christians are to be living sacrifices for God. Worship is not restricted to
religious services, in fact, everyday service is just as holy as corporate worship because the
entirety of a Christian’s life is an act of worship.3 Secondly, God will transform His followers
both in heart and mind so they can find His will. Like Luke 14:27, Romans 12:1-2 speaks to
surrender; However, Romans 12:1-2 provides insight into obedience and personal growth aspects
of discipleship.
Principles
The above passages are excellent for deriving purpose and mission behind a discipleship
ministry. However, breaking down the spiritual principles within passages of Scripture is helpful
to cast vision and concisely explain the purpose of the ministry. Additionally, turning people
loose on a passage of Scripture does not always produce the desired results. Depending on one’s
progression in spiritual growth they may need to be led to the spiritual truths as they are not yet
ready to find them without guidance. Derived from the passages above, the principles of
surrender to God, Unity in love, and active discipleship will guide the college and young adult
ministry described in this plan.
Total surrender to God
A prerequisite for discipleship is a desperate, urgent, and radical surrender to God. This
type of surrender is found in Luke 14:27 teaching disciples to take up their cross. taking up one’s
3 David E. Garland, Roman: An Introduction and commentary, vol. 6, Tyndale New Testament
Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2021), 251.
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cross requires disciples to “give Jesus first place in [their] lives.”4 Placing onesself under a cross
means they “become like Jesus on the road to Golgotha,” totally surrendered to God unto death.
True disciples are surrendered to Christ in mind, body, spirit, and will. The idea of carrying ones
cross connotates disciples will be experiencing daily trials and must be surrender to Jesus to
navigate them in a Godly manner.5 Surrender is unconfutable and brings uncertainty as no one
knows the full will of God, but apart from true surrender it is impossible to grow spiritually since
“only God has the power to shape disciples.”6 Through personal efforts alone on one cannot
become a disciple. This is where Romans 12:1-2 comes in, God promises to renew the minds and
reveal His will to those who present themselves as a living sacrifice and “do not copy the
behaviors and customs of this world.” When a believer “offers their entire existence to God” in
sacrificial surrender He will form them into a disciple that glorifies Himself.7 Surrender is key to
this ministry plan because God does the work of sanctification in those who are surrendered.
Thus, surrender must be taught and modeled for this ministry to be effective
Unification in Love
It seems that the world is more divided today than it ever has been. That is probably a
rolling sentiment held by each and every generation thought history pointing to a largely ignored
problem in the world and church. Unity is a major issue when ministering to young adults. There
4 Didier Crouzet, “Giving up One’s Pretensions to become a True Disciple,” The Ecumenical Review 59,
no. 4 (October, 2007): 519.
5 James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Luke: The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Nottingham,
UK: Apollos, 2015), 253.
6 Crouzet, “Giving up One’s Pretensions,” 520.
7 Garland, Romans: An Introduction and Commentary, 251.
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are so many life changes that happen in someone’s late teens and early twenties that a group can
be made up of people at very different stages in life. 1 Corinthians twelve explains that the
church is like a body and each member of the church has a role just as each part of the body
does. Additionally, just as the body only works when all of its parts are unified the church cannot
function to its fullest if its members are disjointed. Disciples must be unified by the baptism of
the Spirit despite the inherent diversity of the many parts of the body.8 God has given each
member of His body a role to fulfill that is important and necessary for His mission. Fostering
unity is paramount for a ministry as without unity the ministry cannot function.
Love goes hand in hand with unity. Disciples are unified in their love for God and the
blood of Christ. Thus, to make disciples, this love must be seen and modeled for the young in the
faith. This love is shown in attitude and action (Deuteronomy 6:5) and is submissive to the Lords
will. Just as Jesus sacrificed His life for His people, Christians are to love God sacrificially
through obedience of His commands and surrender of personal will. Love for God must be all-
encompassing in the life of a disciples because everything about the Christian faith flows from
one’s love for the Holy Trinity. Love for God is unifying because no matter what role someone
has in the body of Christ, wholehearted love for God is present in all disciples. Disciples are
made through the love God has for His people. Thus, Disciples are multiplied when they
themselves show the love of God to others.
Scripture is clear, the differentiator between disciples of Jesus and the rest of the world is
the love disciples have for one another (John 13:35). In contrast, the world is individualistic to its
core, in contrast, disciples must be for one another not themselves individually.9 God has blessed
8 Thomas R. Schreiner, 1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 7, Tyndale New Testament
Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2018), 252.
9 Matthew Henry, John: Bible Commentary, Vol. 18, Bible Commentaries of Matthew
Henry (Balneário Rincão: Grupo Oxigênio Ltda-ME, 2016), 758.
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His people as part of the body providing a system where “the member will care for one another
in both suffering and the joys of life.”10 Walking through life encouraging and comforting each
other is basis for discipleship as we are to “rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those
who mourn” (Romans 12:15). Showing love among disciples reveals to the world what they are
missing by living without Jesus and is a primary attraction to discipleship. however, this love
must not only be shown but love for one another must be a habit birthed from the roots of who
disciples are through the transformative power of God’s love and Jesus’s sacrifice.11 The price for
loveless disciples is stiff because if Christ followers do not love one another the sincerity of their
profession of faith becomes suspect and misrepresents the Lord with hypocrisy.12
Active Discipleship
Up to this point, the principles discussed, Surrender, love, and unity, are more spiritual
and mental states that produce action than the actions themselves. By no means are these
spiritual states passive; in fact, growing in surrender, love and unity are active experiences, but
they are often personal to oneself or a small group of disciples. Mathew 28:18-20 gives disciples
three active commands to go make disciples, teach these new disciples, and obey God’s
commands. These are three marks of mature disciples and a healthy ministry. First, all disciples
are called to go share the gospel of Jesus. Jesus specifically commands the Gospel be taken to
every nation (Matthew 28:19), thus, “the scope of the churches mission is universal.”13
Discipleship is not merely a group of believers coming together fellowshipping and studying the
10 Schreiner, 1 Corinthians: An introduction and Commentary, 252.
11 Henery, John: Bible Commentary, 758.
12 Ibid., 758.
13 Jeannine K. Brown, Matthew, in Teach the Text Commentary Series, ed. Mark L. Stauss and John H.
Walton (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2015), 318.
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Bible. Missions is an integral aspect of discipleship requiring and enlarged vision beyond current
boundaries.14 The point is not that everyone has to go overseas, but a members of a healthy
ministry will be taking the Gospel to people outside their small group or church. For some the
great commission is a jungle in Africa; for others it is a person sitting three desks away at work
or school. For some the great commission is someone in the back row at church. No calling
under the Great commission is greater or more important than the other, the point is disciples are
to be going and sharing God’s Word.
The second command is to teach, more specifically to “teach these new disciples to obey
all [God’s] commands” (Matthew 28:20). Jesus spent his life teaching and instructing His
disciples, in the same way older disciples are to teach younger disciples. This call to teach or
instruct is a universal call. It is not a call to church leadership and teaching described in James
3:1, but is a call for every believer to be a disciple maker by investing in younger disciples and
those who are not yet disciples. When people first become disciples, they are coming out of the
world and have not inclination of the ways of God. Instruction from older disciples are
paramount not only for the younger disciples spiritual growth but also for the purpose of
accomplishing the Great commission.
Finally, Matthew 28:18-20 commands disciples to obey the commands they are teaching.
This is not an explicit command, but one cannot teach something they do not already have
implemented in their own life. This obedience is how “His followers live out their covenant
loyalty to Jesus.”15 Additionally, obedience is tied to a disciples love for God as “it is impossible
to love God while not fulfilling the requirements of the relationship.”16 Thus obedience is
unbelievably important to discipleship and disciple making since one cannot truly love God if
14 Crouzet, “Giving up One’s Pretensions,” 519.
15 Brown, Matthew, 319.
16 Konkel, Deuteronomy – Ruth, 108.
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they are not obedient. Without love for God, it is impossible to love others and surrender,
breaking down the other principles of discipleship. Finally, without obedience to God one cannot
teach and guide new disciples, preventing true obedience to the command of the Great
commission. Thus, obedience to God is a form of surrender and love for Him meaning nearly
everything about discipleship flows from the obedience of the disciples of Jesus.
Philosophy
Philosophy and mindset are how principles are thought of and subsequently lived out.
Passages reveal principles and philosophy guides perspective. Perspectives in the abstract are
hard to define, however, ministry philosophy is often revealed in defining terms and roles in
ministry. The philosophy of this discipleship plan is based on three general areas the church, the
people, and the mission. Breaking down these more general aspects of discipleship aid in
describing ministry philosophy in a constructive manner.
The Church
The Church is not a building or even a hierarchical social system. The church is any
group of disciples who are meeting together and working for Christ’s purpose. Paul uses the
analogy of the body to describe the church. A body cannot function without all of its parts being
healthy and strong. In the same way, for the church to be healthy many members are required
who bear different gifts, purposes, and responsibilities. Church cannot be seen as a worship
service where God’s most talented display their gifts. In fact, often people with gifts and
responsibilities, or callings, that seem the most trivial are actually the most necessary (1
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Corinthians 12:22). It takes a full collection of disciples for the church to accomplish its mission
of making disciples and spreading the gospel. A church full of pastors would have too many
visions and would have a hard time acting on the vision. A church devoid of leadership would
have many disgruntled people who want the be lead spiritually but are drifting aimlessly without
spiritual direction. Therefore, “all of you together are Christ’s body,” the church, and for the
church to be a factory for discipleship all gifts are not only needed but required.
The People
As stated above, the church building is but a meeting place; the true church is the people
within the walls. The church is made up of three main subsections of people pastors, leaders, and
saint. Each role is integral for God’s plan for the church and His people, however, there is often
an imbalance within churches today.
God has blessed few within the body to be pastors and fill the role as positional leaders
within the church. In too many churches today, the role of pastors is to do the work of the
ministry and then spiritually feed the congregation, which is a direct violation of Scripture.
Ephesians 4:12 explains that the responsibility of a pastor is “to equip God’s people to do His
work and build up the church.” Thus, The purpose of a pastor is not to “do all the work of the
ministry, but to equip and train all the people of God to perform the work of the ministry.”17
Too many pastors burn out because they attempt to fulfill the role of the whole body instead of
their God given purpose. Because the role of a pastor is to prepare God’s people for ministry,
pastors get caught up with what their people are doing outwardly for the kingdom. A lesson can
be taken from the apostles, “the apostles’ chief concern is not so much what the saints are doing
17 John Jefferson Davis, “Ephesians 4:12 Once More: ‘Equipping the Saints for the Work of Ministry?’”
Evangelical Review of Theology 24, no. 2 (April, 2000): 59.
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as acts of ministry, though this is important, but rather what they are becoming.”18 This point
comes straight from John Chapter 15, a good tree will produce good fruit and a bad tree will
produce bad fruit. The acts of ministry are the fruits of a Godly heart, just as sin is the fruits of an
ungodly attitudes. Under this pretense, Pastors must be primarily concerned with the spiritual
wellbeing of the congregation and ministry acts will flow from the spiritual growth of the people.
Additionally, it is the pastor’s role to cast vision for the church, in both God’s timing and will.19
The vision cast will greatly impact the focus and mindset of the congregation, thus, is a primary
discipleship of pastors. Pastors are primary leaders in the church who are tasked with nurturing
the spiritual development and casting vision for the disciples God has placed under their
leadership.
Secondly, withing the body of Christ there are many leaders. Not all leaders are pastors
but all pastors are leaders. Therefore, these are relational leaders not leaders by position. For a
pastor to be effective and live out God’s purpose they must also be relational leaders but God
calls many more of His people to be relational leaders than to hold the position of pastors.
Leaders are those who not only have grown spiritually individually but have begun to invest in
the lives of others and impact them for the cause of Christ. A leader must lead by example, no
one can lead a roundtrip to a foreign destination without a map. Similarly, it is impossible to
spiritually lead someone to a state beyond the leader’s own maturity and understanding. Thus,
leaders are living devoted Godly lives and their own reputation is the basis for their leadership.
Additionally, a true leader’s investment in others is not just knowledge of the things of God it is
18 Ibid., 64.
19 Tim Nichols, “The Pastor’s Role in Vision-Based Leadership,” The Journal of Applied Christian
Leadership 2, no. 1 (Summer 2007): 27.
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to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24, NIV). A leader is not
simply an instructor but their impact pushes others toward God and living out His purpose.
The final group are the Saints also called God’s people, the congregation, or the church.
in short, the saints are all of God’s people. All saints are tasked with carrying out the great
commission (Matthew 28:18-20) by make disciples. it is easy to separate pastors from the saint’s
but totally separated pastors from the Body is dangerous. Pastors are given a higher
responsibility of equipping the saints, but they are still part of the Body of Christ, thus are not
absolved from the work of the ministry. It is important to remember, pastors “do not do all the
work of the ministry,” but they are still called to the great commission like all other disciples.20
All saints, including pastors, are to live as holy sacrifices to God (Romans 12:1), growing
spiritually and spreading God’s word. Thus, the saints are the full body of Christ who are tasked
with fulfilling God’s purpose for the church of discipling new believers and spreading the
Gospel. Saints are the largest subsection as it includes all pastors and leaders not just those who
are not positional or relational leaders.
The Mission
The work of the ministry, the Great Commission, is the mission are all synonymous
terms. They refer to the act of making disciples though the spread of God’s message. The
message, or gospel, is the Good news that Jesus has paid the penalty of sin (Galatians 3:13) and
through faith in Him, Disciples are justified under the law (Romans 5:1) and are brought into
eternal communion with God. The Gospel is a message of hope for the world that those who
surrender themselves to God (Luke 14:27, Romans 12:1-2) may be saved and enjoy eternal live
with the Father (John 3:16).
20 Davis, “Ephesians 4:12,” 59.
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The spread of the Gospel message is evangelism. There are many types of evangelism:
tracts, street preaching, and door to door interactions. However, one of the most effective forms
of evangelism and the form that is most conducive to a disciple making plan is lifestyle
evangelism. Lifestyle evangelism is rooted in Philippians 1:27, “whatever happens, conduct
yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (NIV). The idea behind lifestyle
evangelism is to live in such a way that Christ’s love oozes from ones very existence. Lifestyle
evangelism is not a way for Christians to show off their spiritual development, but is
accomplished through building relationships. These relationships are the arena that the love of
God can be shown to others which is the catalyst for leading them to Christ.21 Lifestyle
evangelism is often referred to as silent evangelism, however, “Evangelism by lifestyle and
evangelism by word of mouth must not be divorce.”22 Godly living is not enough to lead people
to Jesus, the Gospel must be shared verbally, the lifestyle portion is the relationship building
which provides the opportunity to share the Gospel. Evangelism is only beginning. Evangelism
makes converts, which is great, but the Great commission calls Christians to make disciples not
converts.
Discipleship is the final stage of the Mission step of discipleship is ever finished but is a
lifelong progression of dedication to Jesus. The first step in discipleship is personal growth
through building one’s relationship with Jesus. This relationship is cultivated in prayer, study and
meditation. Prayer is foundational to spiritual development and discipleship. Disciples are called
to “never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). This is no short prayer before a meal, but is
lengthy, dutiful, and thoughtful to God for His way and will. It is through prayer that one can
hear the “still small voice” of God (1 Kings 19:12). Secondly, study of God’s word is paramount
21 David Ewert, “Evangelism by Lifestyle,” Direction 28, no. 1 (Spring, 1999): 20.
22 Ibid., 18.
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to discipleship. the Great Commission instructs that new disciples be taught the commands of
God. Thus, both personal study of the word and instruction in the word by mentors, teachers, and
leaders is a requirement for spiritual growth. Additionally, mediation on the word is part of
growing as a disciple. The word of God must be hidden in a disciple’s heart (Psalm 119:11).
Also, disciples are to meditate on the Word “day and night” so they will know God’s commands
and obey them. Through mediation, the truths learned through study begin to permeate the heart
and mind becoming a part of a disciple’s being, not just knowledge.
Obedience and submission are the next stage of discipleship. It is not enough to know
what God commands; those commands must be lived out. It is through obedience that a
disciple’s relationship with Jesus is confirmed (1 John 2:3). Thus, true discipleship transfers head
knowledge of God into action. Obedience is the outward manifestation of submission.
Submission of the heart to the will of God is a requirement of discipleship (Luke 14:27).
Additionally, disciples are to live as sacrifices that please God (Romans 12:1). Old Testament
animals used for sacrifices were pure (Exodus 12:5). In the same way, Disciples must be pure
and the only way to be pure is to obey God’s Word (Psalm 119:9).
The final, step in discipleship is replication or outreach. Once a disciple has grown in
study of the word and obedience through submission, they can begin the work of making more
disciples. This is listed as the final step of discipleship because it is the ultimate purpose of
discipleship but by no means is outreach restricted to the spiritually mature. In fact, God uses the
act of outreach to spiritually grow His disciples. Discipleship is the sanctification of the church
and “God’s passion for the salvation of the world is inextricably linked to God’s passion for the
church.”23 Disciples must not view mission as spreading the gospel overseas when “Salvation
23 Mark J. Seversen, “Beyond Coffeeshop Discipleship: The Significance of Mission in Spiritual
Formation,” The Covenant Quarterly (Online) 78, no. 1 (Spring – Fall, 2020): 81.
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calls [Christians] to live missionally in [their] own communities.”24 God gives each disciple a
mission field. To some it is an Indian reservation and to others it is a little league soccer game.
Discipleship is not done in isolation. The key to discipleship is that it is a communal
phenomenon. Guidance in prayer, study, mediation, obedient, submission, and outreach are
necessary for discipleship. Additionally, discipleship is the work of the body of Christ and for
leaders to be fulfilling their role in the church they must be coming alongside younger disciples
who need guidance in their spiritual growth. For this reason, small groups and mentor
relationships are the backbone of discipleship. Without guidance, obedience, and study a
newfound convert may never truly become a disciple.
Practices
Thus far, abstract ideas about discipleship have been discussed. Despite the merit of
ideas, they can only translate into a disciple making plan if they are implemented. Practical
implantation of the passages, principles and philosophy of discipleship is what brings value to a
plan. The primary vehicle for ministering to young adults and college age people is small groups.
Small groups are one of the best discipleship tools implemented in churches today because they
not only require teaching but they encourage personal interaction with Scripture and spiritual
principals by every member. Especially for young disciples, study of the Bible is not always a
priority. For some interacting with Scripture in small group may be all the scriptural interaction
they have all week. Thus, small groups foster fellowship, bible study, and create and
24 Ibid., 81.
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environment conducive to building relationships that are centered on Christ that may turn into
mentorship relationships.
The organizational structure of discipleship is the organic. The primary meeting place
will be the church building.25 In the young adult and college age group, few have homes or
spaces conducive for a group of people to meet. A church is a convenient place to meet because
people are used to meeting their and it is often close to many people’s residence. Evangelistic
focused will be on building relationships with others that breed opportunities to share the gospel.
This may include some “come and see” aspects of bringing new people into the group.26
However, they will not be brought in so the church can do the discipling. Discipling is the task of
each member of the group which is accomplished through meeting together and fellowship
outside the church.27 meeting at a set time is great, but there must be fellowship among the group
members outside of meeting times for relationships to truly take hold and discipleship to occur.
The small group model used will be the church is small groups.28 This type of small
group provides ownership of the group among the members and, thus, is conducive to
discipleship. Each member will have their own role withing the group.29 Those who are more
spiritually mature will be encouraged and given opportunity to mentor younger disciples. Those
called to teach will be given opportunities to lead group discussions and develop their gift. Those
talented in administration will be part of event planning and outreach functions. In short, all gifts
will be needed and utilized to grow each member spiritually and accomplish the great
25 Dave Earley and Root Dempsey, Disciple Making Is…How to Live the Great Commission with Passion
and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2013).
26 Ibid.
27 Earley, Disciple Making Is.
28 Ibid.
29 Ibid.
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commission.30 Replication glorifying God and replication is the goal of the small groups. The
hope is that the group grows so much that it must be split with new leader making more
disciples.31
The ministry will offer weekly meetings on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights as
well as a bi-weekly Sunday evening group. This schedule provides access for those who want to
plug in but live busy lives. Additionally, holding multiple small groups builds a training ground
for leaders. Each group can have different leaders that God raises up from within the body.
allowing more leaders to use and develop their gift of teaching. This means each group will need
one or two leaders, depending on its purpose and availability of leadership, tasked with building
a topic for discussion and facilitating that discussion. In order to teach, the leader must be a
developed disciple of Christ living a life “above reproach” (Titus 1:6, ESV). Division can seep in
when leadership is questioned and hypocrisy is a typical accusation of Christians. Teaching is a
high honor and those who teach are held to a higher standard (James 3:1). This is because leaders
have the influence to lead others astray in both their teaching and their lifestyle. Therefore a
teacher in this group must live a fully surrendered obedient life that glorifies the Lord and does
not call into question their sincerity.
The small group curriculum will come straight from the Bible. Leaders will choose a
book to walk through or a topical study. The point is for the leaders to grow spiritually through
the preparation of the lesson by deeply interacting with God’s word so they lead the rest of the
group in the truths revealed in the Scripture. This does require more work than a ready-made
curriculum but part of leadership development and discipleship is the study of the Bible.
30 Ibid.
31 Ibid.
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Additionally, leading a passage of Scripture that has been personally dissected is much more
impactful than giving out someone else’s answers from a curriculum.
The major slogan for this group is “gather, grow, go.” This phrase embodies the purpose
of discipleship. disciples gather together, grow together, and then go to the world to make more
disciples and then repeat. Gathering, Growing, and going is a cycle that breeds spiritual growth
and outreach. Also, the slogan feed directly into the communication plans for this group. This
group is based completely on relationships from the internal interactions to lifestyle outreach.
Thus, the primary form of communication will be personal invitation. Few people seek out small
groups, a personal invitation to join the group is often the spark someone needs to start building
Godly relationships with other disciples. Additionally, this model gives opportunity to practice
the great commission. If members of the group get more comfortable inviting a visitor in the
church to the small group, in turn, it should be easier to talk to a coworker about Christ.
Proof
Once practices are implemented and groups are meeting it is important to gauge success.
In business it is easy to quantify success with metrics since success is dictated by profit and
shareholder return. In ministry however success is incredibly hard to quantify. In a small group
setting, number of members is often a measure of success. The idea is Christians are called to
make disciples so the more people in a group the more disciples. Unfortunately, sheer numbers
are not a valuable measure of true growth because the Great Commission calls Christians to
make disciples not converts. Additionally, only God can see someone’s heart (1 Samuel 16:7), so
merely attending a group does not mean that person is growing or even a disciple. The purpose
of this the church and this group is spiritual formation of its members who then take the message
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of Christ to the ends of the earth.32 Under this pretense, gross numbers will not be a factor in
determining effectiveness, instead, metrices that show the signs of spiritual formation and
discipleship will be utilized.
The first set of metrices are based on mentorship. Spiritual development happens in
personal study and in small groups, however, growth is supercharged in a mentor relationship.
Jesus modeled this by taking up an apprentice-master relationship with His disciples thought His
ministry.33 No man can be as effective a mentor as Jesus, but that similar type of relationship can
help guide a young disciple by following an example of living as a follower of Christ. Paul
continued this mentorship trend by developing relationships with younger believers, such as
Timothy (Philippians 2:19-24) encoring young leaders in the early church.34 Additionally, Jesus’s
apprentice-master relationship is based in “replication of oneself in the protégé,” making
mentorship a cornerstone of discipleship.35 Therefore, proof of effectiveness of the ministry will
be based on how many of the group members are being mentored and then how many group
members are mentoring others. If the few of our people are being mentored, older disciples may
be asked to join the group to help foster potential for those mentor relationships. If the group
becomes isolated and is not mentoring younger disciples then events will need to be planned to
build relationships with the younger generation. First of all, leadership must model this to the
group. For mentorship to become an active part of this group, leadership, both relational and
positional, must be mentored and mentor others. Through leadership influence, others will desire
32 Ruth Haley Barton et al., “Spiritual Formation in the Church,” Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul
Car 7, no. 2 (Fall, 2014): 295-296.
33 Scott M. Douglas, “Developing Leaders for Pastoral Ministry,” The Journal of Applied Christian
Leadership 8, no. 2 (Fall, 2014): 85.
34 Daryl D. Green, “Developing Young Leaders in a Dysfunctional World: an Exegetical, Leadership of
First Timothy,” Journal of Biblical Theology 1, no. 2 (April – June, 2018): 12-13.
35 Douglas, “Developing Leaders for Pastoral Ministry,” 85.
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the same type of mentorship relationships enjoyed by leadership, and group members will seek
out mentors and look for people to mentor.
Secondly, outreach will be a measure of effectiveness. Outreach in this group is not
viewed as how many people are brought in, but how many people are reaching out. The goal of
the group is spiritual formation of its member in all aspects, so, group members must reach out
according to the Great Commission to fully grow. Metrics used will be number of group
members attending preestablished outreach or service events, number of group members asking
about outreach and service opportunities, and number of members organizing outreach and
service opportunities. These are three levels of growth in outreach that will indicate discipleship
capabilities of the group. The first stage is leadership doing the outreach and group members
tagging along. This first stage indicates a spiritually immature group that needs to be directed to
the purpose God has for His people under the Great Commission. The second stage are people
understanding a that God calls them to reach out but need guidance in how to accomplish the
Great Commission. These are disciples who want to serve God’s purpose for their lives but need
direction and guidance to continue to grow. At this stage, members understand their need to be
mentored but are not quite ready to mentor other yet. The final stage are members fully
understanding their purpose under the Great Commission and leading the charge. At this stage,
the group is spiritually mature and probably contains multiple leaders how may be called to start
their own groups.
Conclusion
Discipleship is a calling all Christians bear. Jesus did not disciple His followers
haphazardly and church leaders should follow that example. This plan for discipleship of young
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adult and college age people is built largely on leadership through relationships, mentorship, and
submission to Christ. For this plan to be effective, leadership must model the principles,
philosophy, and practices to the members. Teaching is an important part of discipleship but no
one listens to a teacher who does not practice what they preach. Therefore, the ideas of unity,
mentorship, love, submission, and outreach are biblically grounded, but if leadership does not
live out the principles in this plan then the plan is useless.
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