Disciple Making Is…Exam 3
1. From Dr. Dempsey’s teaching…what is the one command, the three participles and the one
promise from the Great Commission and explain how they relate.
Command verb: make disciples
Participles: go (as you are going), baptizing, teaching
Promise: I am with you (to the end of the age)
Jesus’ last command to His followers was to make disciples of all nations, and He explained
the process for how they were to do this: by going, baptizing them publicly, and teaching
them to observe everything He had commanded them. Just as Jesus was sent into the world
to save the lost, so we are also being sent to go into the world. As we proclaim the good
news and people profess faith in Jesus, we baptize them into a community of believers
through the local church and train them to obey His commands which leads to further
multiplication. This seems like quite a large task to undertake, but Jesus promised that He
would be with them to the end of the age
2. From chapter 1 what is the organizing principle for a disciple and explain how a disciple
makes progression in that pursuit?
The organizing principle for a disciple is to bring God glory at every stage of a disciple’s
development: Salvation, Spiritual Growth, Serving, Suffering, Bear Much Fruit. God restores
our ability to bring glory to Him as the believer progresses in conformity to the image of
Christ. The fundamental proof of this is bearing fruit, or disciple-making. Move people on to
God’s agenda.
3. From chapter 2 explain Luke 14:25-33 in detail (what does it say, what does it mean, how do
we apply it?)
This passage talks about the cost of following Jesus.
(v.26) - Totally committed to Christ. If anyone doesn’t hate father, mother, wife, and
children, he cannot be a disciple of Jesus. Our love for Christ is so great that anything else
feels like hatred for others.
(v.27) - Whoever doesn’t bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my
disciple. Each person must carry his own individual burden to sacrifice to Christ and His
cause. Lay down his life (desire for self-direction and determination) to the Master’s will.
Obedience to the point of sacrifice.
(v.28-32) - Uses examples of building a tower and a king going to war with another
kingdom to describe how people count the cost to see if they can do something. In a similar
way, we count the cost before following Jesus. Being a disciple will cost us our lives,
possessions, body, and future and should not be taken lightly.
(v.33) - Anyone who doesn't say goodbye to all his possessions cannot be Christ’s
disciples. Willingness to give up all earthly possessions. Not requiring a vow of poverty, but a
willingness to surrender all possessions if the Master asks.
We gather the principles sacrificial, relational, and transformational which guide us as we
become disciples and multiply disciples of Jesus.
4. From chapter 3 explain the role of the Holy Spirit as it relates to salvation, sanctification
and sharing the gospel.
The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin and convinces them of their need for the only
righteous Savior. When they have been convinced of their need, the Holy Spirit gives new life
and enters their life. As He has now taken up residence, the HS is essential in sanctification.
As Phil 2:13 says, “God works in us to will and work for His good pleasure.” He gives
guidance, power, and comfort. He also partners with us in sharing the gospel, because He
alone knows the needs of every person.
5. From chapter 4 what is the role of the Pastor, spiritual gifts and how do they relate to the
health of the Body of Christ. (1 paragraph)
According to Ephesians 4:11-16, God appointed some to be pastors to “equip the
saints for the work of the ministry,” growing them into maturity in Christ. Part of this spiritual
growth means discovering and developing spiritual gifts within the body of Christ so that in
the context of this new community, we refine each other through growth and maturation so
that each body part is functioning healthily.
6. From chapter 5 what should we be teaching disciples and what are the big 3?
We should be teaching disciples to obey everything that Jesus commanded.
Thankfully, he summed up his commandments through the big 3: the Great Commandment
(to love God with your whole self and to love your neighbor as yourself), the New
Commandment (love one another), and the Great Commission (to make disciples who make
disciples).
7. In your opinion how should we teach/ train disciples to follow all the commands of Christ?
From Jesus’ example of teaching and training disciples, I see that the most effective
way to teach and train disciples to follow all the commands of Christ is in the context of a
small group of believers. Similarly to Jesus leading the twelve and calling them to observe
his life and teachings, a mature small group leader will call the members of the group to
“imitate me as I imitate Christ.” Within those small groups, I see much merit in having smaller
Growth Groups made up of 3-4 individuals of the same gender who meet regularly for times
of accountability and sharing how God is working in their life.
8. From chapter 6 what are the 3 stages of discipleship (explain 1 paragraph each)
Declaration: According to Scripture, this was an approximately year-long process inviting
people to “come and see.” This investigation of the person and work of Jesus would result in
repentance and faith in Him. This group demonstrates committed belief in Jesus as Savior,
laying aside doubts to be born again and experience regeneration. In Jesus’ ministry, this
looked like a group of about 500 by the time of His resurrection who believed in Him as
Christ and would occasionally accompany Him at important events (the 12 experienced this
stage for about a year before moving to the next stage).
Development: This stage began when Jesus asked the 12 disciples to follow him. They left
their “nets,” giving up their secular occupations for about a year for an interrupted season of
being with Him and training in ministry. This meant extended time observing His teachings
and miracles. The main principles in this section are immersion, abandonment, and
apprenticeship into ministry.
Deployment: This final stage involves reproducing what the disciples have learned from
Jesus in new believers. This process moves from “following” to “going.” They are equipped to
be leaders who multiply more disciples in the world wherever they go, locally and globally.
9. From Dr. Dempsey’s “Triple Diamond” model explain what small group leader development
looks like and discuss why it is so critical to healthy small groups (2 paragraphs)
In the Triple Diamond model, there is a small group leader, an apprentice and a host
within each group. The small group leaders serve as pseudo lay pastors that seek to train up
new “discipleaders” within their group. This training is ongoing and helps every person reach
his or her full potential in Christ. Some of this training can occur in classes such as within the
church such as Church Membership that teach the basics of Christianity, deepening theology,
and values.
When there is a constant process of mature Christians training apprentices, training
new believers, there is constant gospel multiplication happening. This also helps rectify the
problem we see in many churches where new believers are missed or people are thrust into
positions of leadership without learning how to lead healthily. Not only will this lead to
multiplying individual disciples, but as enough healthy small groups are developed, this can
lead to the multiplication of churches locally and globally as well.
10. From Chapter 24 give the 4 prevailing church models and give 3 characteristics of each
model:
Traditional church
●Hierarchical in nature (church governed by one pastor or one group of people like the
diaconate)
●Building focused
●More concerned about maintenance
Attractional model
●Often larger because the focus is on evangelism
●The building is the primary place where programs/events take place, and these programs
and preaching are primarily seeker-oriented
●Ministry involvement often varies due to one’s commitment level and needs
Organic Church
●Usually elder-led
●Not organized around age-group or purpose-driven ministries. Organized around relational
groups living on mission in the community
●Leadership equips, empowers, and releases for the purpose of multiplication
Hybrid
●Extremely complex because tries to combine organic over a foundation of
traditional/attractional without resolving the problems of either
●Extensive paid staff to accommodate many programs
●Primarily about addition rather than multiplication because of the leadership philosophy
11. From Chapter 29 explain Dr. Dempsey’s chart on With small groups/ Of small groups/ and Is
Small groups: 3 paragraphs:
The “with,” “of,” and “is” chart helps churches determine where they land on small-group
philosophy and the relational environment they desire for disciple-making. The “with”
category most clearly reflects the traditional church model. In this category, the churches
may have small groups, but they are typically closed groups for accountability, men’s
ministry, or women’s ministry. The senior pastor typically does not have much involvement
with these groups. Because the churches of this model are primarily staff-run, there is not
much emphasis on developing leaders within the groups or multiplying the groups out.
A church “of” small groups aligns with the hybrid church model. In this model, the pastor’s
role is to develop the ministries of the church, so small groups typically fall in line with one of
the many ministries or programs that the pastor oversees and that the staff carries out.
Groups are both open and closed, but the emphasis on growth is more about addition over
multiplication and quantity of group members over quality of study and life. The primary
function of leadership development is to raise up ministry leaders to run the Sunday morning
programs. This category, along with the “with” category, is primarily campus-focused.
A church that “is” small groups is organic in nature and seeks to empower and simplify the
function of the church. While the other two are primarily hierarchical in nature, the church
that “is” small groups is flatter in organizational structure and seeks to equip everyone in
these groups to live on mission and fulfill the Great Commission. There is a heavy emphasis
in preaching exegetically from the word, every group member’s evangelizing to the lost, and
discipleship within these groups. These groups are open and for the purpose of life
transformation.
12. From chapter 29 explain Neil Cole’s chart (Church 3.0) – 2 paragraphs.
Neil Cole’s Church 3.0 idea outlines the three operating systems the church has
historically had. The first was organic and relational, the second morphed into a
professional-clergy model, and the third is a return to the idea of the church as a family or
body where each person is essential to the church’s health. His chart identifies the primary
differences between the second stage (Church 2.0) that spans from Constantine’s era to
present-day and the emerging third stage (Church 3.0). The key distinctives of Church 2.0 is
that a pastoral teacher, formally educated at an institution of higher learning, instructs an
audience in rows similarly to how a professor would teach students in a classroom. In this
system, members of the congregation can come and go with anonymity and can leave
without getting too involved or sign up for the programs that suit them. Churches in these
systems measure success by full sanctuaries.
However, in Church 3.0, leaders gifted in various capacities (Apostle, Prophet,
Evangelist, Shepherd, Teacher) equip the ordinary in intimate settings for the sake of
multiplication. Rather than attracting a nominally-engaged audience, the churches in this
system function as a spiritual army that is mobilized to go out into the harvest fields. Instead
of gathering in rows, people gather in circles. Therefore, the primary form of learning is in the
trenches, where individuals dive deep in community with others and put into practice the
things they learn with accountability. This model of church is actually less expensive than
Church 2.0 as it shifts away from the programming and more to an inward focus on life
transformation through ordinary means.
13. Explain what church model you would like to be involved in the future and share the reasons
why.
Although I am currently involved in more of a hybrid-organic model of church, I would most
want to be involved in a purely organic church model in the future. Because my husband and
I desire to do ministry in a closed country, working with unreached people groups, this model
seems to be the least concerned with how “attractive” the church looks and more about
transforming individuals for the spread of the gospel. Though not without its challenges, the
organic model seems to be the least programmatic, which I see leading to a lot of burnout
and misplaced priorities over time. It also has a high focus on relational community and
equipping internally to be sent out. Similarly, this model is all about intentional
disciple-making in the context of smaller groups and clearly fulfills the great commission
through multiplication.
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