LIBERTY UNIVERSITY RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Written Assignment: The Connection Between Discipleship and Leadership Assignment
Submitted to Dr. Jonathan Geukgeuzian
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DSMN 500 – B02
Discipleship Ministries
By
Kion Bolden
February 15, 2024
ii
Contents
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………….1
Similarities between Developing Disciples and Developing Leaders …………………………...2
Compare and Contrast Earley/Dempsey’s Putman’s Leadership Chapters ………………...…….4
The Importance of a Healthy Church in Discipleship …………………………...………….……5
10 Principles of Kingdom Leadership ……………………………………………………………6
Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………....…..8
Bibliography ………………………………………………………………………………..…...10
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Introduction
The age-old question, “Which came first?” was used in numerous settings to stir audience
thoughts, and it remains a baffling inquisition today. “Will it be the chicken or the egg?” The
adult who often asked this question would laugh because they could see the child's bewilderment
as they tried to figure out which came first. “Okay, well the egg definitely came first so it would
hatch and there was the chicken,” the toddler would ponder as he bounced back and forth.
However, once they arrived at that conclusion, their expression would change, as if they were
overcome with joy at having solved the puzzle. How did the egg get there without the chicken
remains a mystery? This is a never-ending, winding question that no one has ever been able to
solve. When it comes to producing followers and leaders, this is the same concept.
When you examine each approach for producing disciples and leaders, the same issue arises.
Trying to determine which proceeds the other in order to attain both. Looking at each approach
separately, it almost appears that making this decision is a winding path of bouncing back and
forth, attempting to arrive at a logical conclusion. This is one of the aspects of this approach that
is appealing: there is no clear path that should be taken first. “Without an effective discipleship
system, you will not have leaders for the mission,”1 Dempsey says, “and if you do not have
Christian leaders, you will not have reproducing discipleship.”2 To fulfill the Great Commission,
both pathways must be dependent on one another; if you succeed in one, you will succeed in the
other, and if you fail in one, you will fail in the other.
The present challenge is figuring out how to work together to fulfill the Great
Commission as growing disciples and developing leaders. As Christian leaders, we are called to
1 David Earley and Rod Dempsey. 2013. Disciple Making Is How to Live the Great Commission with
Passion and Confidence. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group. 203.
2 Ibid, 203.
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help others grow, develop, and serve the King and His kingdom.3 Discipleship is defined as
supporting a person in comprehending and acting out God's purpose so that they can grow in
their Christian character. Christian leaders are responsible for making disciples, while disciples
are responsible for keeping Christ's mission alive and healthy. According to this study, the
primary goal of the body of Christ should be to train leaders, even though the mission is to make
disciples. We will look at the similarities of training disciples and developing leaders, leadership
examinations from Earley, Dempsey, and Putman, an assessment of a healthy church as a goal
for discipleship, and ultimately an investigation of the 10 kingdom leadership principles to
address this question.
Similarities between Developing Disciples and Developing Leaders
Before considering how to develop and retain authentic Christian leaders, it is vital to
evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of training other disciples. We should be the church's
cheerleaders, supporting and pushing our followers to become the people God has called them to
be. According to Putman, what Christian leaders aspire to achieve is churches that develop long-
term disciples of Jesus Christ - people whose lives are transformed for the glory of God, people
who live with spiritual maturity for the rest of their lives, people who fulfill the Great
Commission and work to make more disciples.4 Without proper discipleship training, which is
required of both disciples and church leaders, it is hard to expect new leaders to develop. This
area of development for both parties is known as spiritual formation, which must take place
within the individual in order for them to become true disciples and become more like Christ,
and must continue into their leadership role. “In spiritual transformation, we move from the
3 David Earley and Rod Dempsey. 2013. Disciple Making Is How to Live the Great Commission with
Passion and Confidence. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group. 202.
4 Putman, Jim, Harrington, Bobby, Coleman, Robert, and Harrington, Bobby. 2013. DiscipleShift : Five
Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 98.
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person we are and continue to change by degree into the image of Christ,”5 Bill Hull says of
discipleship. The underlying concept in leadership development is this: God's assignments are
always contingent on character—the higher the character, the greater the assignment,6 Blackaby
and Blackaby adds. In order to become a disciple and then a spiritual leader of the body of
Christ, both parties must commit to and continue to go through the process of spiritual formation.
Spiritual leaders must be purposeful in their vulnerability when shepherding others and
creating a shepherding environment, in addition to the spiritual development process. It is critical
to remember that we are all human, and we all fall short of God’s glory. “For all have sinned,
and come short of the glory of God,” the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome (Romans
3:23 KJV). As a result, teaching in our vulnerability will convey to those we are training to
become disciples that it is normal to be vulnerable. If we choose to hide our disappointments and
deficiencies, we are just teaching our followers to do the same, which can be detrimental to their
discipleship and leadership responsibilities. “The biblical model for church community is an
authentic and healthy transparency that repeatedly points people back to the gospel,”7 Putman
says. This sort of candor and honesty will not stain our witness, but will instead encourage others
to find the fortitude to get back up when they fall and continue on the path that God has divinely
prepared for them.
Compare and Contrast Earley/Dempsey’s and Putman’s Leadership Chapters
When Earley and Dempsey’s chapters are compared to Putman’s encouragement for
spiritual leaders to develop disciples who will one day become spiritual leaders, all authors agree
5 Hull, Bill. 2006. The Complete Book of Discipleship : on Being and Making Followers of Christ.
Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress. 125.
6 Blackaby, Henry T., and Richard Blackaby. 2011. Spiritual Leadership : Moving People on to God’s
Agenda. Revised & expanded. Nashville, Tenn: B & H Pub. Group, 288.
7 Putman, Jim, Harrington, Bobby, Coleman, Robert, and Harrington, Bobby. 2013. DiscipleShift : Five
Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 104.
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on a method for making disciples. Putman invites us to “make a fundamental shift in our
thinking—from informing people to equipping them”8 in order to develop enduring disciples. To
better prepare their disciples, Putman goes into detail on how the spiritual leader must be entirely
open in both their personal and professional lives. Explaining the importance of sharing their
strengths, faults, struggles with sin, and vulnerability with their followers can help mold the
disciples’ awareness that we are far from perfect, including the leaders. Putman points out that
by establishing this level of vulnerability, the leader is able to create a shepherding environment
in which the “leader must allow others to shepherd him as well.”9 This alone sets the tone for the
leaders’ example to the disciples in order to appropriately equip them to become leaders. As this
will also play a big role in reaching out to non-believers to show them that we can be open and
honest about who we are and what we have gone through in life, and that there's nothing
stopping us from receiving God’s love and redemption.
Dempsey agrees that equipping disciples and leaders, rather than simply informing them,
is the most crucial part of discipleship. Dempsey agrees that we sincerely desire to make
disciples, but that we have grown preoccupied with establishing activities rather than people
development. “Somehow the focus of making disciples has shifted from personally investing in
people to managing the events and activities of an organization,”10 he continues. According to
Dempsey, the church's leadership responsibilities should focus more on producing and sustaining
disciples in their discipleship process. Examining their programs to evaluate if they are fulfilling
the Great Commission, as well as determining which programs should be canceled, improved, or
continued.
8 Putman, Jim, Harrington, Bobby, Coleman, Robert, and Harrington, Bobby. 2013. DiscipleShift : Five Steps
That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 98.
9 Ibid, 101.
10 David Earley and Rod Dempsey. 2013. Disciple Making Is How to Live the Great Commission with
Passion and Confidence. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group. 222.
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The Importance of a Healthy Church in Discipleship
One of the most important aspects of discipleship is to establish and maintain a healthy
church atmosphere in order to strengthen the body of Christ. The Apostle Paul compared the
Body of Christ to the human body to highlight the importance of each individual in the body to
the church at Corinth, saying, “There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts
make up one body. It is the same with Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12 NIRV). To keep our bodies
healthy, we must eat well and exercise frequently, just as the human body is made up of many
parts that must all work together to function well. This is the same concept that applies to the
body of Christ, in that we must all work together to love God, one another, and our neighbors in
order to build a stronger body. According to Earley and Dempsey, a thriving church is a
representation of God’s people coming together to achieve God's mission for God’s glory.11
Participating in a variety of activities such as new believer baptism, worship, passionate prayer,
and the proclamation of the Gospel via word and deeds.
We must be encouraging and faithful in discipleship as we welcome new Christians into
the body of Christ. Working together to learn about and comprehend our God-given spiritual
abilities, as well as how they interact with one another, in order to enhance our unity and reach
out to more non-believers. However, it is important to remember that the church’s primary
priority should be discipleship. “Disciples are of Jesus,”12 Putman says, referring to Jesus’
mandate to go out and make disciples. Every disciple’s life and objective should be
communicated across the church as we move forth to promote God’s word and love.
Ten Principles of Kingdom Leadership
11 Ibid, 213.
12 Putman, Jim, Harrington, Bobby, Coleman, Robert, and Harrington, Bobby. 2013. DiscipleShift : Five
Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 32.
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The key premise that Kingdom leaders should reassert themselves to after examining the
10 Kingdom Leadership/ Followership Principles and analyzing the spirit and operation of the
modern church is “The way up the ladder is down.” Many leaders in the modern church have
abandoned the stance that Jesus modeled during his earthly ministry because of the prestige of
titles and positions. “He who is greatest among you shall be your servant,” Jesus instructed his
disciples (Matthew 23:11 KJV). As a result, he lived his life in a way that drew people in and
served them in such a way that his interactions with them changed their lives. He was a servant
because he spent his life working to free people. By curing them, delivering them, and
instructing them, he set them free. People are drawn to those who serve them selflessly, rather
than being repulsed by them. Leaders appreciate service because it provides value to their lives.
Servanthood has nothing to do with rank or ability. It is all about your attitude. Leaders look for
ways to offer value to people, and one of the most common ways is to serve them.
“There is only one King and you are not Him,” is another important principle to
remember in the Kingdom. Over time, the church’s hierarchy was flipped, and the pastor or
pastors were labeled the church’s leaders. To attract congregations and visitors, the pastor’s
picture and name appear on advertisements and building signage. “For the husband is the head of
the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body,” the Apostle
Paul reminded the Ephesian church (Ephesians 5:23 KJV). While many in the modern church are
chasing titles and positions it is critical to remember that Christ is “far above all rule and
authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but
also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head
over everything for the church” (Ephesians 1:21-22 NIV). People should see Jesus when they
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fellowship with a Christian. They should have felt the presence of Jesus and been exposed to His
Word when they encounter the ministry of a leader or disciple.
Finally, the notion that “God's word, not Business Weekly,” is our textbook should be
reintroduced to the modern church. In His commission to His disciples, Jesus said that they
should teach all nations what He had taught them throughout His earthly ministry (Matthew
28:20 KJV). The Gospel, as preached in the modern church, has been watered down and is
frequently lost beneath current event issues and political jargon used to appear relevant and
sympathetic. It is, nevertheless, a disservice to the people because it deprives them of God’s
love, conviction, confirmation, consolation, and guidance. “And ye shall know the truth, and the
truth shall set you free,” Jesus declared (John 8:32 KJV). “Does Jesus intend for churches to
work like the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), but for the Christian life?”13 Leeman and
Dever wonder if ministry should be about giving people what they need and then leaving them to
their own devices. There are “no weekly gatherings of people with driver's licenses,”14 he says.
There is no requirement for licensees to know the identity of each other or to look out for one
another. There are no driver’s license pastors or shepherds whose job it is to make sure you’re
getting better at driving safely.”15 They consider this type of ministry to be less effective. To
begin with, it ignores what the apostles accomplished after Jesus ascended. Second, it disregards
the Commission's instructional recommendations. Third, it disregards the Commission's
instructions on compliance.16
13 Leeman, Jonathan, and Dever, Mark. 2016. Understanding the Great Commission. Nashville, TN: B&H
Publishing Group. 17.
14 Leeman, Jonathan, and Dever, Mark. 2016. Understanding the Great Commission. Nashville, TN: B&H
Publishing Group. 17.
15 Ibid, 17.
16 Ibid, 18.
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Our mission is to draw people to God's Kingdom, thus we have been given the authority
to carry and spread the Good News. “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not
believed?” the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome. And how shall they believe in Him of
whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” he asked. (Romans
10:14 NKJV).
Conclusion
Spiritual leadership and discipleship are intricately intertwined because one cannot exist
without the other. Spiritual leaders have the responsibility of teaching and uniting the various
sectors of the church while leading disciples to follow Jesus Christ's example. Disciples of the
church are called to spiritual growth as they learn about God's spiritual talents and study His
word in order to become more like Him and leaders in the church. Rather than just existing as a
Christian, both areas require an individual to participate and continue in spiritual formation in
order to become more like Jesus and join His mission. As we are invited to go forth and create
more disciples from every nation, building one another up by learning and growing together to
become more like Him, additional spiritual leaders will emerge and the body of Christ will
continue to grow. A successful church requires both discipleship and spiritual leadership that
grows inside the body of Christ as we transform non-believers into believers, share God's word,
serve others, and continue to show the world Jesus Christ's love.
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Bibliography
Blackaby, Henry T., and Richard Blackaby. 2011. Spiritual Leadership : Moving People on to
God’s Agenda. Revised & expanded. Nashville, Tenn: B & H Pub. Group.
Dever, Mark, and Jonathan Leeman. 2016. Understanding the Great Commission. Nashville,
Tennessee: B & H Publishing Group.
Earley, Dave, and Dempsey, Rod. 2013. Disciple Making Is ...: How to Live the Great
Commission with Passion and Confidence. B&H Publishing Group.
Hull, Bill. 2006. The Complete Book of Discipleship : on Being and Making Followers of Christ.
Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.
Putman, Jim, Harrington, Bobby, Coleman, Robert, and Harrington, Bobby. 2013. DiscipleShift:
Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand
Rapids: Zondervan.
