LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Disciple-Making Plan
Submitted to Dr. Rodney Dempsey, in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the completion of the course,
DSMN 500-B01
Discipleship Ministries
by
Donna Ralston
June 30, 2019
Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................................2
Passages...........................................................................................................................................2
Principles........................................................................................................................................4
Philosophy.......................................................................................................................................5
Practices..........................................................................................................................................7
Proof ...........................................................................................................................................10
Conclusion....................................................................................................................................10
Bibliography.................................................................................................................................12
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Introduction
For any ministry to make disciples, it must develop a vision, determine values, develop a
solid perspective, incorporate the methods to the process, and track the success of the plan.
Churches and ministries that are not ultimately pointing their mission and vision to discipleship
are not following Christ’s intentions of The Great Commission. Jesus’ command is that we are to
preach and teach the gospel to everyone, make disciples of all nations, to be witnesses in Judea,
Samaria, and the ends of the earth.1 This paper will discuss how to start and measure the process
of discipleship and its success.
The vision of my ministry originally started out as evangelizing to the lost who I ran
across or God opened divine appointments with, through the corporate marketplace and everyday
life. Once these people came to Christ, I would refer them to a local church to be discipled.
Unfortunately, not every new believer that I referred to a local church was ever discipled, which
defeated the purpose of the referral. Therefore, this new plan will incorporate how my ministry
will function as not only a marketplace evangelist, but as a disciple maker. The leadership will
include my husband and myself. Following, I will be utilizing the 5 P’s of ministry (passages,
principles, philosophy, practices, and proof) to develop our plan.
Passages
Our core values are based on fulfilling The Great Commission through evangelism and
discipleship. We base this on Matthew 28:19 and Acts 1:8; Luke 14:26-28; Luke 14:33; John
8:31-32; John 13:35; John 15:5, 7-8; and Acts 13:52.2 Our values are based on biblical
commandments and the understanding that we are here to worship God as well as make
1 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), 228.
2 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the New
International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998).
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ourselves available for God’s vision and glory. We cannot fulfill The Great Commission without
first knowing the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. Luke 14:6 states that we are to have a love of
Christ, so radical, that any other love in comparison feels like hatred for others. Having a
personal relationship with Jesus means that we must give up everything so that our will can be
surrendered to God (Lk. 14:27). There is a cost of surrender and following God’s plan means that
it may even cost us our lives (Lk. 14:28, 33). By staying in God’s Word, our hearts can be
transformed into a life like Christ (John 8:31-32). In addition, faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God (Paraphrased Rm. 10:17). If we truly are His disciples, then we are
to love one another (Jn. 13:35). If we abide in Christ, we will know and ask for His will, so that
fruit will be produced, and God will be glorified.3 Following Christ will lead us to being filled
with joy and the Holy Spirit, which will produce the fruit of the Spirit (Acts 13:52).
Following these prescribed Scriptures lead us to determine our core values which are to
become disciples by living our lives like Christ, studying God’s Word, and relying on the Holy
Spirit to transform us. Through our worship of God, we will live our lives in community with
others, living Christ’s love, servant leadership, modeling, and in relational mentorship. Dietrich
Bonhoeffer wrote, “The Christian community thus lives its own life in the midst of the world,
continually bearing witness in all it is and does that ‘the present form of this world is passing
away’ (1 Cor. 7:31), that time has come short 1 Cor. 7:23), and that the Lord is near (Phil. 4:5)”.4
We must live out our faith in the world to make a difference for Christ’s gospel and this can only
be done through multiplication in an exponentially expanding world population. Fulfilling The
Great Commission means that we all must have transformed hearts, be willing to give up
everything, love Him with radical love, and follow Him by living and breathing Christ day in and
3 DSMN 500, Lecture Notes: What is a Disciple? (Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University,
2018), 3.
4 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 4: Discipleship
(Minneapolis, MN: First Fortress Press, 2003), 250.
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day out. Our love for Christ must be so scandalous in contrast to any love, it would be hatred for
the other. The way to change the world is to love the lost, pray for them, share the gospel with
the neighbors across the street, and throughout our region, and invest in those new believers by
living and having a relationship with them through discipleship.
Principles
The Apostle Paul exhorted Timothy to “guard the good deposit … with the help of the
Holy Spirit” (2 Timothy 1:14). Like Timothy, every ministry has a good deposit that must be
guarded. In our ministry, our core values articulate for us the good deposit we as a ministry must
guard together, lest they be lost. Whether we are building a discipleship group, a music group, or
planting a new church, these core values are the essential issues and help describe how we build.
Lordship: Because Jesus is “King of kings and Lord of lords,” we believe that whole-
hearted submission to God’s will and his Word is the starting point of the Christian faith
and the foundation of all spiritual growth (Colossians 2:6).
Evangelism: Because God’s heart is to reach the lost, we are passionate about preaching
the gospel and doing ministry in a way that engages people outside of the Christian faith.
We seek to build churches primarily through evangelism, not transfer; through birth, not
adoption (John 3:16, Luke 19:10).
Discipleship: Because we’re called to make disciples, our primary focus is establishing
biblical foundations, equipping believers to minister, and empowering disciples to make
disciples—not conducting meetings, facilitating programs, or building buildings
(Matthew 28:19-20).
Leadership: Because we’re called to establish churches and campus ministries in every
nation, we’re committed to a culture of empowering leadership. We’re intentionally
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multi-generational, and we deliberately create opportunities and platforms to develop the
next generation of leaders (2 Timothy 2:2). Aubrey Malphurs states, “A leader’s style
reveals how he or she uses relational behaviors to influence followers to accomplish the
ministry of God’s given mission (paraphrased)”.5 Prayer is essential to leadership. Henry
Blackaby states, “More than any other single thing leaders do, it is their prayer life that
will determine effectiveness”.6
Philosophy
Our most important ministry perspectives are evangelism and discipleship. We cannot
have one without the other. The problem we had with our previous mission statement was that
we only did evangelism, led others to Christ, and then tried to hand them off to other ministries
who were not invested in our vision. We concluded that we had to continue the relationship with
these new followers of Jesus Christ because if we did not, they may never mature in their walk
with Christ. According to Will McRaney, “Connection is the key to follow-up. If new believers
are not connected with other Christians and discipled, they typically will fall into patterns that
leave them confused about what to do next”.7 When I first started this ministry, I felt that God
was calling me into evangelism, but it has become evident that I am being called into a more
pastoral role with the focus of discipleship. I can no longer leave a new follower of Christ
wondering, “What’s next?”. Therefore, our ministry has taken a paradigm shift towards
discipleship so that we can make disciples and teach them to lead others to Christ and then make
disciples. New Christians need a mentor to help them figure out what is next for them in their
new walk with the Lord. According to Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, “Relationships can be
5 Aubrey Malphurs, Being Leaders: The Nature of Authentic Christian
Leadership (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2003), 93.
6 Henry and Richard Blackaby, Spiritual Leadership (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing
Group, 2001), 151.
7 Will McRaney, The Art of Personal Evangelism: Sharing Jesus in a Changing
Culture (Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman & Holman, 2003), 220.
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understood as bank accounts. Every positive interaction makes a deposit in that account while
every negative encounter results in a withdrawal. We influence people most easily when there is
a positive balance in the relational account”.8
Jesus gave us two commandments and a commission. The first is called The Great
Commandment taken from Matthew 22:36-40. We are to love God and love people. Jesus also
gave The New Commandment taken from John 13:34, which we are to love one another. By
loving one another, this provides proof that we are his disciples and are loving other disciples.
Jesus then gave The Great Commission taken from Matthew 28:19-20, to make disciples in all
nations. We are to baptize the new believers by immersion, teach them to observe and obey as
well as be an example to them. Then we are to teach them Christ’s promise that he will be with
us.9
Some key terms which drive our ministry are Evangelism, Discipleship, Leadership,
Gospel, Saints, and Pastor. Each of these terms are equally important in our focus on delivering
the gospel as well as discipling the new convert. In defining these terms, evangelism means that
we are to take the gospel not only across the world but to the family across the street. It means
that we are to live our lives for Christ and attempt to be like Christ in all our daily activities.
People must come to Christ, repent, and have a heart transformation before we can disciple them.
The next term is discipleship, which means being trained and mentored for the gospel. To be
trained, one must have a disciple maker, who will teach the Word as well as live life among the
new disciples. Disciple makers help the immature in Christ to become mature. The disciple
makers main goal is to multiply the disciples who make disciples. The next term is the gospel,
which is the “Good News” of Jesus, His death, and resurrection. Good Christian leadership is
8 Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great
Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2013), 149.
9 DSMN 500, Lecture Notes: Discipleship Passages and Conclusions (Lynchburg, VA:
Liberty University, 2018), 1.
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needed for the group to grow and remain focused on the vision and mission. A good leader may
also be known as a pastor or shepherd. The last term is saints, which are the body of Christ.
Practices
The methods by which we will drive the discipleship process and will practically
implement our plan are listed below. This includes the church structure and systems that will
accomplish our vision.
Organization: Our organization is structured more like an organic ministry such as from
the early church. Although we have no church building, we closely match Neil Cole’s
Church 3.0 where our growth will be based on multiplication. Our ministry setting is in
the marketplace and education will occur within our discipleship group. Our goal is to
train others in discipleship so that we can send disciple makers out into the world to win
souls for Christ and then disciple them into maturity.10
Small Group Philosophy: We have embraced the organic small relational group
philosophy as presented by Earley and Dempsey as well as Putman et al. As we start to
recruit and set up a small group, we will make it clear as to the spiritual reason for the
group. As seen in Jim Putnam’s book,
Robert Coleman wrote, ‘A group needs to know what it exists for. If not, it will
probably wander aimlessly, which leads to frustration. A group in some measure
will involve a component of discipleship, even if it’s just at a relational level of
getting acquainted. There has to be a sense of mutuality, or else you don’t have a
group. That relationship is the glue that holds it together’.11
Within the small relational group, we will follow Coleman’s suggestion to pray for one
another as well as commit to pray privately at least thirty minutes each day. We will also
read at least two chapters of the Bible each day starting with the Gospels. We will attempt
10 Earley and Dempsey, Disciple Making Is, 276-277.
11 Putman, DiscipleShift, 185.
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to memorize at least two verses each week. Following these instructions will help each of
us develop a spiritual lifestyle individually as well as a group. To hold each other
accountable, we will meet at least once every two weeks.12 Of course, the group must be
Spirit-led to endure the spiritual warfare that will ultimately ensue as we set out to make a
difference for Christ. According to Dave Earley, there are five components of a
discipleship group. The five components are Welcome, Worship, Word, Works,
and Witness. When we start our group, we will open the group with a welcome. We will
focus on one another through mingling in a social context. After about fifteen minutes,
we will begin worship through prayer, thanksgiving, and praise. After about fifteen
minutes of worship, we will get into God’s Word which will be a discussion-oriented
Bible study with an emphasis on application. This will last about thirty minutes. Works
will be the next topic of discussion. Where and how they will apply the Word of God to
their own ministry in the coming week will be discussed. We will also focus on
accountability. The last part of the group session will be witness, taking time to pray for
the lost by name. We will also focus on strategic plans of evangelism. Our goal is to have
everyone praying for lost persons each day and asking God to give us Divine
appointments to witness for Him.13 Like Dempsey wrote, “Our leadership philosophy is
to equip the disciple makers so that they can develop people to reach their full
potential.”14
Calendar and Events: Our calendar to implement this new plan will start immediately.
We will set up a small group to start the third Tuesday night in July 2019. Our initial
group will consist of one other couple and will meet in our home. We will meet twice a
12 Ibid.
13 Earley and Dempsey, Disciple Making Is, 150-151.
14 Ibid., 237.
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month initially. As our group starts to grow, then we will set other events up to get to
know new people.
Budget Personnel: Our budget will be determined by the need. Since my current
employment as an accountant will be initially funding the organization, there is no need
to be concerned about funding at this time. We plan to eventually obtain 501(c)(3) status
and then we can start to solicit for donations. All personnel will be volunteers and neither
my husband nor I will accept a salary.
Curriculum: The curriculum will be Bible study based. We will utilize the following
textbooks: Share Jesus Without Fear authored by William Fay; Share Jesus Without Fear
New Testament Bible; DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples
Who Make Disciples authored by Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E.
Coleman, Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and
Confidence authored Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey; Evangelism Is…: How to Share
Jesus with Passion and Confidence authored by Dave Earley and David Wheeler; and the
Holy Bible.
Slogan: Transforming Lives and Sending Disciples
Communication Plans: Our communication plans will be to send out announcements to
our local church body, looking for people who are Christians who want to learn how to
share their faith and then become mentors to those who they lead to Christ. We will also
reach out to corporate Christians as well since this ministry is founded on marketplace
evangelism. We are looking for a niche group that will be willing to do this ministry
within the confines of corporate America, becoming marketplace evangelists and disciple
makers.
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Proof
Proof is seen in alignment to Scripture. If the ministry is aligned to God’s Word, then it
will be successful and will be ordained by God. If it is not in alignment with Scripture, then it
most likely is not God’s will to pursue it. The ministry must be matched to the purpose of
making disciples. According to Putman et al., “There are five key components for alignment
which are: a clear goal of discipleship, an intentional leader who makes disciples, a biblically
relational environment, a reproducible process, and a supporting organization”.15 If the ministry
has these five components, then it will be in alignment with Scripture.
Conclusion
Our ministry will be based on an organic church model. Although we are not a church
ministry, we are a ministry of the body of Christ. By conducting ourselves like that of the early
church, I believe that we can be more successful in winning more souls for Christ as well as
taking on the responsibility of discipling new believers.16 In our previous encounters, once the
lost came to Christ, we would refer them to a local body. Many times, the new convert either
may not follow through with attending a local church or the pastor of the local church did not
follow through on the referral. Since leading someone to Christ, I personally feel that it is our
responsibility to continue the relationship and mentor the new convert in discipleship, unless
they do not live in my area. We need to remember that “success is sharing your faith, living your
life out for Christ. It is not leading someone to Christ. Besides, as someone once said, ‘God
never calls us to be successful, he calls us to be faithful’”.17 Teaching new believers how to live a
life of Christ is paramount in retaining them in their new-found faith. This will be done through a
relational small group platform of at least four people with a maximum of ten people. The intent
15 Putman, DiscipleShift, 177-178.
16 Bill Hull, The Disciple-Making Church: Leading a Body of Believers on The Journey
of Faith, Baker Books, 2010.
17 William Fay, Share Jesus Without Fear, Nashville: B and H Publishing Group, 1999.
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of the small group is to share life together and building an intentional discipleship relationship
with them. The small group could be considered a house church because the Word of God will be
shared, and new believers trained in the ways of Christ. The Bible will be the reference guide to
Christian living.
Bibliography
Blackaby, Henry and Richard. Spiritual Leadership (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group,
2001)
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works. Volume 4: Discipleship (Minneapolis, MN:
First Fortress Press, 2003).
DSMN 500. Lecture Notes: Discipleship Passages and Conclusions (Lynchburg, VA: Liberty
University, 2018)
DSMN 500. Lecture Notes: What is a Disciple? (Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University, 2018).
11
Earley, Dave and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission with
Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2013).
Fay, William. Share Jesus Without Fear. Nashville: B and H Publishing Group. 1999.
Hull, Bill. The Disciple-Making Church: Leading a Body of Believers on The Journey of Faith.
Baker Books, 2010.
Malphurs, Aubrey. Being Leaders: The Nature of Authentic Christian Leadership (Grand Rapids,
MI: Baker Books, 2003).
McRaney, Will. The Art of Personal Evangelism: Sharing Jesus in a Changing
Culture (Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman & Holman, 2003)
Putman, Jim, and Bobby William Harrington. Discipleshift: five steps that help your church to
make disciples who make disciples. Zondervan, 2013.
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