Discipleship Making Plan - Foundations
Beth Buster
DSMN 500: Discipleship Ministries
February 12, 2023
Contents
Passages for Discipleship...............................................................................................................1
Principles for Disciples..................................................................................................................3
Philosophy for Making Disciples...................................................................................................5
Bibliography...................................................................................................................................7
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1
Passages for Discipleship
The foundation and framework for any strategy within the context of Christian living and
the church must begin and end with the Bible. As Paul reminded his protégé Timothy, “All
Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training
in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2
Tim 3:16-17). God has set the Bible to be the means by which He communicates truth to
humanity and is, therefore, the standard by which any discipleship effort must be derived. The
necessity of Scripture is requisite for knowledge of the gospel, for maintaining spiritual life, and
for certain knowledge of God’s will.1 The Baptist Faith and Message recognizes that the Bible “is
a perfect treasure of divine instruction…and the supreme standard by which all human conduct,
creeds, and religious opinions should be tried.”2
There is substantial biblical support for the people of God to make disciples. It is
essential to the life of a believer and the church. The author defines a disciple as gospel centered
(1 Cor. 15:3-4), discipleship driven (Matt. 28:19-20), and family focused (Deut. 6:4-9). The
passion of the author is to mentor and disciple families and children; to come alongside parents
of all ages and give them the courage, tools, and confidence to disciple their children to become
true, missional disciples.
No longer should the teaching of children be left to the church. Taken out of context, this
sentence could seem inflammatory, yet it is actually the appropriate sentiment for raising
children. God set the parent to be the teacher and raiser of children, both physically and
1 Wayne Grudem, Bible Doctrine: Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith (Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
1999), 54
2 Southern Baptist Convention, “The Scriptures,” Baptist Faith and Message 2000, accessed December 10,
2020, https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/.
2
spiritually. In modern culture, the church has become the substitute teacher to children of the
ways of the Lord instead of the parents whom God admonished to teach them. In speaking to the
nation of Israel just prior to moving into the land of Canaan, God admonished the people
concerning his commandment and teachings to “teach them diligently to your sons and…talk of
them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and
when you rise up” (Deut 6:7). The family unit should be at the center of growing and mentoring
disciples of Jesus. Parents should be leading the way in the discipleship of their children with the
church furthering the lessons and concepts being taught in the home. The church is not central to
the furthering of the gospel, it is the individual and the family.
The psalmist says, “One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare
Your might acts” (Ps 145:4). These concepts come under the same understanding as what we see
taught from a new testament perspective. While it is not just a parent that can raise up disciples,
the demographic this author is focused upon is the young adult family. As parents, it is
imperative to “pass on to [the child] what was most important and what had also been passed on
to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and He was raised from
the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Jesus was clear that His
followers would attest to the world His person and works (see Acts 1:8) and that they must
“make disciples” according to His teachings (Matt 28:19-20).
A Christian parent must understand their role as a steward of the
children God bestowed them and seek only for the glory of God through the
discipleship of their children. It is the reminder, “if you do not really love
Jesus, then you will not truly love the people you lead. Nothing but the love
of Christ will compel you to go cheerfully through the difficulties and
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discouragements you experience as a leader.”3 Parenting in the context of
discipleship mirrors Jesus to wash feet (John 13:1-17), to lay down one’s own
life (John 15:13), to “deny himself, and take up his cross and follow” Jesus
(Matt 16:24). Only in following Jesus can a parent truly lead their family to
God.
Principles for Disciples
Paul also instructed Timothy that he should, “guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells
in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you” (2 Tim 1:14). This exhortation should be at
the forefront of any ministry and discipleship model as those who are imparting the truth of God
to other disciples are forwarding the great treasury of “the revelation of the mystery which has
been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets,
according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made know to all the nations,
leading to obedience of faith” (Rom 11:25-26). Stating the core values of a ministry can help
guard the principal purposes and keep the focus on the things that are of primary importance.
The overarching principle of discipleship is spiritual formation, “the process of
transformation that occurs as a believer becomes more and more like Jesus.”4 However,
establishing identifiable principles and core values requires more precise and definable
benchmarks which are easily understood by all those involved in the ministry of discipleship. At
the forefront of this concept is the reminder that “if you are to succeed as a team [ministry,
3 Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges, Lead Like Jesus (Nashville: Thomas Nelson,2005), 178.
4 Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…: How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and
Confidence (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2018), 28.
4
congregation], you must create a common language—using the same words and the same
definitions.”5 The author identifies three basic principles to guide the ministry.
The first and final authority for making disciples are the Scriptures. Though multiple
passages substantiate the Bible as the authoritative word of God, 2 Timothy 3:14-17 provides the
most succinct and definable reasoning for the authority of Scripture. “The authority of Scripture
means that all the words in Scripture are God’s words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey
any word of Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God.”6 That is to say that the Bible speaks
directly from God to His people and to obedience or disobedience to the Scriptures is to obey or
disobey God.
Also essential to making disciples is submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Paul was
quick to remind the Corinthians believers that it is the work of God that brings spiritual
transformation in any person (1 Cor. 3:6). Furthermore, he reminded the believers in Colossae
that it is Jesus who is the sustainment of spiritual growth (Col. 2:6-7).
Lastly, involvement in the Christian community is necessary for discipleship. Jesus
declared that He would build His church, “and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matt
16:18). Paul established that “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that
He might sanctify her” (Eph 5:25 -26). Paul also spoke of the relationship between Christ and the
church, that all things were placed “in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all
things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Eph 1:22-23).
Jesus was the builder of the Church, he died for the Church, and has become the head of the
Church. It is only appropriate then to be discipled in the image of Christ as among the
community which He established.
5 Jim Putman and Bobby Harrington, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples
Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013), 220.
6 Grudem, Bible Doctrine, 33.
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Philosophy for Making Disciples
Philosophy helps define the lens by which every aspect of life and ministry is identified
and established. A key component of understanding how discipleship is perceived and pursued as
a ministry or church is to clarify terminology and ideology of key aspects of the pursuit.
The Role of the Church
“The Church represents the one people of God. The unity must be seen in relation to
spiritual unity, not an institutional unity.”7 The Church is identified as the body of Christ and is
commissioned to glorify God and declare the good news of salvation to all the nations. This unity
is brought the grace of God as he has commissioned the various offices of the church “for the
equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we
all attain to the unity of the faith” (Eph 4:11-13). It is through this commissioning that
evangelism and discipleship are rightly practiced, as “when the scripture is rightly preached, and
the gospel is cherished, there is the church.”8 The Church should be equipping the body to boldly
proclaim the gospel and make disciples in their homes and communities.
The Role of the Pastor
Discipleship in the context of a local congregation is the most appropriate atmosphere.
Within that context pastoral oversight and participation of discipleship is crucial. The pastor
serves to “shepherd the flock of God” wherever they may serve, “exercising oversight…
according to the will of God…proving to be examples to the flock” (1 Pet 5:2-3). The pastor
serves to provide an example to the church in evangelistic and discipleship efforts, as well as
guide the flock and oversee the discipleship methods and mission to maintain biblical standards.
7 R. Albert Mohler, Jr., The Apostles’ Creed: Discovering Authentic Christianity in an Age of Counterfeits
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2019), 157.
8 Ibid., 158.
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Bibliography
Blanchard, Ken and Phil Hodges. Lead Like Jesus. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005.
Earley, Dave and Rod Dempsey. Spiritual Formation Is…: How to Grow in Jesus with Passion
and Confidence. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2018.
Grudem, Wayne. Bible Doctrine: Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith. Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1999
Mohler, R. Albert Jr. The Apostles’ Creed: Discovering Authentic Christianity in an Age of
Counterfeits. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2019.
Putman, Jim and Bobby Harrington. DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make
Disciples. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015.
Southern Baptist Convention. “The Scriptures.” Baptist Faith and Message 2000. Accessed
February 10, 2023. https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm.2000/.
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