Disciple Making Plan: Part 1 – Foundations Assignment
LaRonda Perrien-Massey
DSMN 500: Discipleship Ministries
March 31, 2024
Contents
Passages..........................................................................................................................................1
Principles........................................................................................................................................3
Philosophy......................................................................................................................................4
Bibliography...................................................................................................................................9
Revision Report Questions..........................................................................................................10
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In the endeavor to cultivate and foster discipleship within a ministry context, the
foundational step rests upon the careful construction of a comprehensive blueprint for disciple
development. This intricate roadmap involves detailing a strategy aimed at nurturing individuals
to become dedicated followers of Jesus Christ. This plan encompasses an array of strategic
methodologies curated under the purview of the first three pivotal aspects of ministry planning,
aptly denoted as the 3 P's.
Passages
The main passage of Scripture utilized to build and guide the ministry is from the Gospel
of Matthew. Most believers understand it to be The Great Commission Scripture. Jesus is
speaking His final commandment, and He says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations,3baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,3and
teaching3them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you3always, to
the very end of the age” (Matt 28:19-20, New International Version). Jesus gave a specific set of
instructions for the work of the believer awaiting His return. This passage is important because it
gives disciple-makers a big-picture outline of the goals that the church should be achieving, and
it promises that He will be with us as we embark on this disciple-making journey. This Scripture
should be the foundational “why” for all disciple makers and serve as a constant reminder that
there is a work that we believers are charged to assume and accept. First, we make disciples.
Then, we baptize them all while teaching them to keep the law of the Lord.
In Acts 2:42-47, we see a blueprint for how disciple makers are to cultivate communities
of disciples. We saw that Peter simply preached the Word of God and hundreds, even thousands
were added to the church daily. Granted, this was after the crucifixion and the resurrection of
Jesus, so the interest level was indeed different. However, the early church was “devoted to the
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Apostles’ teachings, they fellowshipped together breaking bread and praying, and they met house
to house. They saw miracles, they had favor with all men, and they were unified.”1 The disciples
met in what in the past we called cell or home groups and what we now call small groups or
growth groups. This is an important part of a discipleship path because of how we do life.
Community is a principal factor in the life of the Easterner, not so much for the
Westerner as we tend to live a more individualistic life. Andy Stanley states “Because at the end
of the day, circles are better than rows. And from day one, we’ve been committed to creating a
culture that’s all about circles and not rows. We are famous for our rows. But the strength of our
churches is what happens in circles.” 2 For the disciple maker, this means that small groups must
be a regular part of the ministry programming for believers to feel like they are doing life
together and for the church to be strengthened. This is important because when we sum up the
activities of Acts 2, we see a picture of koinonia.
Even though Jesus said to make disciples of all nations, He did not mean that believers
(an individual) needed to try and minister to the entire world. Even though believers now live in
an age of digital discipleship, God has called certain people to certain places. The region I am
called to is the Southeast region. I came to this conclusion when the Lord sent me to this area at
19 years old. I believe that I am called to all colors and tribes. The Lord has called me to be a
“Millennial Messenger.” I intend to reach and disciple the multicultural millennial demographic.
Judges 2:10-12 reads, “And there arose3another generation after them who did not know the
LORD3or the work that he had done for Israel. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the
1 William England, “Discipleship Passages and Conclusions” (Class Lecture in DSMN 500 at Liberty University,
Lynchburg, VA, November 20, 2023).
2 Mark Howell, “Andy Stanley: Circles Are Better Than Rows.”3ChurchLeaders. November 27.
https://churchleaders.com/smallgroups/small-group-blogs/164198-andy-stanley-circles-are-better-than-rows.html.
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sight of the LORD and served the Baals. And they abandoned the LORD, the God of their
fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among
the gods of the peoples who were around them and bowed down to them (NIV).” This generation
of Israelites lost the spiritual legacy they had in one generation, and if we do not take
discipleship seriously, so will we. Even now, Gen Z may exhibit varying degrees of religious
affiliation and spirituality, with some individuals identifying as religious or spiritual, while
others may not align with traditional religious beliefs or practices at all.
Principles
The core values of the ministry context will be rooted in community, compassion,
generosity, and holiness. These values are important foundational pillars for a ministry,
especially a new one. Community is important because it is how believers do life. Compassion is
important because it is how believers care for those that we do life with. Generosity should rule
the relationships in which believers partake, and holiness should remain the standard for
everything that believers do.
The Bible says in Galatians 6:2, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will
fulfill the law of Christ.” This Scripture covers both the community and generosity components
of the values. “One of the beautiful things about being a Christian is that you are not alone. God
intentionally connects you with other believers and one of the reasons is so we can strengthen
and encourage each other. One of the ways we do this is by bearing each other’s burdens or
taking up the cause for someone else.”3 This kind of burden happens in generous communities.
3 “The True Meaning of ‘Bear One Another’s Burdens’ (Galatians 6:2).” 2021. Bible Study Tools. March 18.
https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/how-and-why-should-we-bear-one-anothers-
burdens.html.
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There are many reasons that these would be the ruling principles for the ministry context. All of
these principles demonstrate our love for one another and our faith in Christ. By loving how He
loved and living how He lived, we get one step closer to living the kind of life that pleases God.
1 John 3:16-18 says, “This is how we know what love is; Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
And we ought to lay down our life for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material
possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God
be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in
truth.” Adjacent to the organizing principles, which encompass salvation, spiritual growth,
serving, suffering, and fruit-bearing, the type of love desired for display within the ministry is
one marked by community, compassion, generosity, and holiness, serving as its pillars.
Philosophy
Discipleship in a healthy church and Christian community involves a multi-faceted
approach that integrates teaching, modeling, relationships, accountability, spiritual practices,
service support, and reproduction. Discipleship is about walking in step with others so that they
become committed followers of Christ, who in turn disciple others, creating a cycle of growth
and maturity in the faith. “The epistles emphasize a relational community where disciples are
developed in the context of a body of believers. They discover and use their spiritual gifts to love
and serve each other and nonbelievers. Disciples obey the Great Commandment, the New
Commandment, and the Great Commission and, in so doing, become the hands, feet, and voice
for Jesus in their world. The disciples are developed as the body grows in maturity and as each
part does its work.”4
The term "Body of Christ" refers to the community of believers worldwide who are
4 Rod Dempsey, “Beginning on a Sure Foundation,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great Commission
with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013), 22.
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united in their faith in Jesus Christ. It is a metaphor used in the New Testament to describe the
Church. The concept is rooted in passages like 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 and Ephesians 4:1-16.
Some of the key aspects of the body of Christ can be found in components like Christ as the head
and every believer being a specific member of the body with an ordained function. A healthy
church looks and acts like a healthy body. “The human body is an amazingly complex
arrangement of organic systems. When all the parts are working properly, the body seems to
grow and develop without any effort.”5 Ray Stedman, in his seminal work Body Life, observes,
“When we think of the church as a body, then Ephesians 4 presents us with an anatomy lesson, a
view of the physiology and structure of the body: how the various organs function together, how
the parts of the body are coordinated to accomplish the purpose of the body.6
Based on the TAHO chart, my church will model the organic approach to ministry. I
believe that it is important to have elders in the church. We read in Titus 1:5 the reason that Paul
left Titus in Crete was so that he would put into order what was left unfinished and appoint
elders in every town, as he was directed. This Scripture, to me, indicates that a church without
elders is out of order. This church does not have to be a building purchased to sit in a
community, it can look like a section in a coffee shop or the home of one of the members. In this
way, we can foster community relationships amongst ourselves but place ourselves in areas that
are open to others.
The church's focus will be discipleship and equipping and edifying leaders to do the
kingdom's work. The saints will be enrolled and active, disciples will be developed, and leaders
will emerge. The great commission will drive our church and we will measure its success in
5 Rod Dempsey, “Creating a Healthy Church,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great Commission with
Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013), 211.
6 “Body Life.” 2024.3RayStedman.Org. Accessed April 1. https://www.raystedman.org/thematic-studies/body-life.
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discipleship. As a result, the ministry will grow, and we will send more people to go and
duplicate the process of sharing the Gospel in a way that converts the unbeliever and walking
with those who have decided to follow Jesus.
If I were to assess my current church based on the assessment provided by Dempsey, we
would score a 12 out of 20. This score is mostly due to the lack of intentional discipleship and
discovery and development of gifts. I have found that many churches do not focus on equipping
and edifying the body in the way that God designed it to be equipped and edified. This leaves us
misrepresenting the mission. The goal is to make disciples and I cannot be sure that the ministry
landscape that I currently serve in has got this figured out yet. This is the reason that when I start
a ministry it will be heavily focused on teaching and developing. My suggestions for my current
ministry would be to take an intentional approach to small groups to cultivate community and
incorporate a spiritual component so that there are small groups that do life in an interest and
activity-based way and others that a Bible and book-based so that people would come together to
accomplish the mission of God.
The local church plays a pivotal role in the making of disciples for the purpose of
advancing the Kingdom of God. The church contributes to the overall growth and development
of disciples. Dempsey writes that “The church must be in the absolute middle of God’s global
plan of making disciples.”7
Being a disciple involves not only personal growth in one's relationship with Christ but
also a commitment to following His teachings and embodying His character. As disciples grow
in their faith and understanding of God's Word, they are called to actively engage in the process
of making disciples themselves. This involves sharing the gospel, mentoring others, and
7 Rod Dempsey, “Knowing the Centrality of the Church,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great
Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013), 39.
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investing in the spiritual development of fellow believers. By embracing the dual role of being a
disciple and making disciples, individuals contribute to the multiplication of committed
followers of Christ, thereby expanding the reach and impact of the Kingdom of God. The
importance of this dual role cannot be overstated, as it reflects the essence of Jesus'
commandment to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19), ensuring the continued
growth and vitality of the church both locally and globally.
The pastor serves as a shepherd within the church community, providing spiritual
guidance, teaching, and leadership. Through preaching, teaching, counseling, and pastoral care,
the pastor plays a crucial role in facilitating the growth and development of disciples.
Additionally, the pastor serves as an example of faithfulness and obedience, inspiring others to
follow Christ wholeheartedly.
Every member of the church, often referred to as saints, plays a vital role in the disciple-
making process. Saints are called to live out their faith authentically in their daily lives,
demonstrating Christ's love, compassion, and grace to those around them. Through acts of
service, evangelism, and discipleship, saints contribute to the overall growth and vitality of the
church, actively participating in God's mission of making disciples.
Spiritual gifts are bestowed upon believers by the Holy Spirit for the edification of the body of
Christ and the advancement of His Kingdom. These gifts, including teaching, evangelism,
mercy, administration, and many others, empower individuals to serve effectively within the
church community and fulfill their unique roles in the disciple-making process. By recognizing,
developing, and deploying their spiritual gifts, believers contribute to the holistic growth and
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maturity of the church, ultimately glorifying God through their service. “It is a fact that God
created everything to bring Him glory.”8
In summary, the pastor, saints, and spiritual gifts all play integral roles in the disciple-
making process within the local church. As each member faithfully exercises their gifts and
fulfills their responsibilities, the church thrives as a vibrant community of disciples, actively
engaging in God's mission of making disciples of all nations. Through collective effort and
reliance on the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, the local church continues to play a
pivotal role in advancing the Kingdom of God and fulfilling His purposes in the world. God
wants all the parts of His body to work in the proper way. According to Dempsey, “the goal of
the shepherd is to make sure that the sheep not only know their roles but perform their role in the
body.”9
Bibliography
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Discipleship, edited by Martin Kuske et al., translated by Barbara Green
and Reinhard Krauss. Vol. 4, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress
Press, 2003.
Earley, Dave. “The Process of Being Changed to Be like Jesus.” In Spiritual Formation Is...:
How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and Confidence, 5. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic,
2018.
Earley, Dave, and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great Commission
with Passion and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013.
England, William. “Discipleship Passages and Conclusions.” Class lecture, DSMN 500, Liberty
University, Lynchburg, VA, November 20, 2023.
8 Rod Dempsey, “Discovering an Organizing Principle,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great
Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013), 13.
9 Rod Dempsey, “Watch: The Role of the Church”, (Class Lecture in DSMN 500 at Liberty University, Lynchburg,
VA, November 20, 2023).
9
Howell, Mark. “Andy Stanley: Circles Are Better Than Rows.” ChurchLeaders, November 27,
2024. https://churchleaders.com/smallgroups/small-group-blogs/164198-andy-stanley-
circles-are-better-than-rows.html.
Putman, Jim, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman. DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help
Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples, 19. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,
2013.
“Body Life.” 2024. RayStedman.Org. Accessed April 1, 2024.
https://www.raystedman.org/thematic-studies/body-life.
Revision Report Questions
1. Was the feedback helpful? Why or why not?
The feedback from the online writing center was helpful. I have learned that professors
sometimes obsess over different elements of a paper. The best practice is to understand
and apply the standard. The mistake that I made was learning about all of the tools that
help with writing on a graduate level too late.
2. What surface level problems do you have?
At the surface, I would venture to say that I am sometimes an immature and insecure
writer. I have not realized yet that when I am writing a paper, I am presenting myself as
the expert. I do not have to say that what I am writing is my opinion because the reader
already knows or can assume that.
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3. What deep level problems do you have?
The deep level issues that I have are consistency in formatting and nuanced writing habits
that stem from being a millennial and mostly using text jargon. It’s important for me to
recognize that I must always present myself as educated. The rules of grammar have
changed since I was an elementary learner, and it is important that as an adult learner I
understand what has changed so that my writing reflects that of a graduate level student.
4. Based on the feedback, what are your major weaknesses as a writer?
My major weaknesses as a writer include formatting citation, use of contractions, use of
first person, and a few grammatical issues regarding the placement of punctuations. It is
my goal to keep the guides in front of me moving forward. I recognize that most of my
issue could be that I think I remember what it is supposed to be and it in fact is not.
5. Which step of the writing process will help you overcome this weakness?
I believe that the editing step would help me to overcome this weakness. In the past I had
combined the revision and editing step. This has caused me to miss errors that are
important criteria on the grading rubrics.
6. Based on the feedback, what are your major strengths?
Based on the feedback it is hard to say what the tutor thought my strengths were. It
appears the flow, pagination, and contents received a “good job”. I believe that content
and documentation is one of my major strengths.
7. What part of your writing process relates to this strength?
I believe that the part of the writing process most closely related to my assumed strength
is the pre-writing step. I normally sketch and plan a detail flow for my paper addressing
the main points. This helps me to flush out my thoughts and make sure that I am
including information that makes sense and is in order to my paper.
8. What can you do in the future to improve your strength?
In the future I can improve my strength by being consistent in making an outline. I can
take the rubric and the assignment instructions and use them to formulate and plan out
my writing, context, structure, documentation, content, and readability.
9. In which way was this course most helpful to you?
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This course has been a gentle reminder that there is a way that is right. As adult online
learners it can be easy to forget the nuances associated with writing. The course was also
helpful in that it gave me new tools to be successful as a graduate student.
10. Will you use the Online Writing Center’s tutoring service in the future? Why or why
not?
I will likely use the online writing center’s tutoring services in the future. I did not know
that this kind of review existed. Most of an online graduate program is writing. I think
that it will be helpful to keep fresh eyes on the writing that I am doing.
