Discipleship Vision Paper
Michael Shane Bruce
DSMN 500: Discipleship Ministries
April 15, 2023
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Discipleship is at the very center of God’s heart and design for the Church and His
redemption plan for a broken world. We see this truth throughout Scripture, both in direct
commands and the ministry model of Jesus’ life. Having worked through the course material and
experienced a trip to Rwanda, this paper will address the vision and challenges of discipleship in
my life and offer a specific strategy in a global context before exploring differences in
discipleship between Rwanda and the United States.
What is Discipleship
If discipleship is such a core component of personal and church purpose, it is important to
understand the biblical underpinnings that help to establish a foundation of understanding and
practice. The first element of that is to understand the reason we were created. Isaiah 43:7 gives a
clear answer to that question by claiming that because we are created in the name of Jesus, we
are created to bring God glory. We do that through every aspect of our lives. Ephesians 1:12 tells
us that our salvation is to glorify God. Our Spiritual growth is to bring Glory to God (2 Pet.
3:18). 1 Peter 4:11 states that the way we speak and the acts of our service are all intended to
bring glory to God. Even our suffering is intended to glorify the Lord Jesus. 1 Corinthians 10:31
states this truth in the simplest of terms, “therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you
do, do everything for God’s glory (NASB95).
In Genesis, that purpose was damaged for a short time when Adam and Eve brought sin
into the world, but Paul states emphatically in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that anyone in Christ is a new
creation. This new creation has the ability, once again, to glorify God by being conformed to the
image of Jesus (Romans 8:29). That conformity is apparent to everyone because as you become
