Liberty University
Disciple Making in a Healthy Church
DSMN 500
Discipleship Ministires
Jordan Smith
October 16, 2022
Contents
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………..1
A Healthy Church……………………………………………………………………………..2
How Disciples are Made………………………………………………………………………3
Body of Christ…………………………………………………………………………………..4
Assessment……………………………………………………………………………………..4
Roles in the Church……………………………………………………………………………..5
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………5
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………….7
1
Introduction
When we look at making disciples in a healthy church, we must first understand what a
healthy church is. A healthy church is a multi-generational community of believers that come
together to represent the body of Christ. There are ways to see if a church is healthy; one way is
to look at the evidence that a church is developing and fostering relationships within the walls of
the church building, being a pillar in the community and assessing the needs of those around
them. A healthy church follows the example of Jesus and how he was able to bring himself to the
lost world. 1 Peter 5:1-7 takes a look at the importance of understanding the leadership in the
church body so that they may be an example to those individuals.
A Healthy Church
The health of a church can and should be measured by various evaluations—one of those
being how the church creates disciples. Christ’s church grows; we want to develop disciples who
become disciples. We want individuals who understand the importance of having a personal
relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ serving and having an inward focus on the church that
they are a part of but also having an opportunity to go out in the areas of their influence and
share the gospel with those around them.
“Unfortunately, many churches are not intentional when it comes to focusing on
equipping and empowering new believers to grow and develop to their full potential for the King
and kingdom.”
1Another way we can focus on how healthy a church is is a church that it develops and
allows individuals to use their spiritual gifts. Romans 12:6a, “Since we have gifts that differ
according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly.” Churches have
1 Rod Dempsey, “Knowing the Centrality of the Church,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the
Great Commission with Passion and Confidence.
2
the ability to call out gifts in individuals and allow them the opportunity to use them in the
church walls so that they can develop and use them in their everyday life. God has given us
opportunities to be part of his body, and we must function appropriately to continue to make
healthy churches that make healthy disciples.
How Disciples are Made
One of the roles of church leaders is to train and teach individuals of the faith to go out
and share the gospel. Then when people respond, they come to the church to understand and
learn about who Jesus is in deepen their relationship with Christ. A disciple is someone who is in
a relationship of some sort with another individual of the faith. “Disciple is consistently used in
the four Gospels to mark the relationship between Christ and His followers.”2
We can be like Jesus Christ when we have discipleship relationships with individuals.
Jesus was able to live life and bring individuals with him to help them learn, develop and grow.
From the time the disciples left everything to follow Jesus to the time that Jesus ascended into
heaven, the disciples knew and grew in their knowledge and then went out and disciple more
people.
“The Bible is clear: We must be aware of the spiritual hunger of the unbelievers. We
should care that they will spiritually starve to death without the living bread, Jesus. We need to
share the good news of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins. We cannot
keep it to ourselves. We are obligated to share the good news so spiritual beggars can find living
bread.”3
2 Morgan, G. Campbell. “How Are Disciples Made?” Christianity.com. Christianity.com,.
3 Dave Earley, “Telling Good News,” in Everyday Evangelism: Sharing the Christian Faith 58.
3
“If you abide in My word, then are you truly My disciples; and you shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31).
Body of Christ
There are many ways to view and assess that the church’s health exists. One of those
ways is to look at the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, “For as the body is one and has
many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body so also is Christ for we
were all baptized by one Spirit into one body whether Jew or Greek, whether slave or free.”
Once you decide to follow Christ and be baptized by the Spirit, you are a part of the body
of Christ. There are many different parts of our human body, just as there are in the Church.
God’s people are gifted individuals in various areas given by the Spirit. Some of them include
evangelism, prophets, pastors, and teachers. A healthy church can not survive without the entire
body working. The stronger our body is, the more individuals develop their faith and
understanding of the gifts given by the Spirit. The more robust, healthier, and faster the church is,
it can move forward in making disciples of all Nations fulfilling the great commandment. When
we look to see how beneficial a Church is, we can ask ourselves just as we would when we give
our bodies an assessment of what is hurting and how we can fix it. Believers are not only given
the gifts they are skilled in, but they are also able to grow in all of the different gifts that the body
of Christ has been gifted. We have the opportunity to all strengthen as believers when we lean
together and assist one another.
“Do you want to know if your church is effective? Look for disciples! While the Great
Commission includes pastoral care, it is much broader.” The pastor’s main job is to “equip” or
“train” the members to grow spiritually and properly use their gifts in the body. When all the
parts are working “just as He wanted,” the body is healthy. Disciple-making is about helping
4
individuals develop to their full potential for Christ and His kingdom. This happens best in a
healthy body where all parts function as He intended.4
Assessment
Looking at the areas of growth in your Church community is a vital part of being an
active church member. Seeing places that churches can grow in can help our church body. As an
active member of my church, I looked at the TAHO Chart and assessed my local church. I made
a note when making this assessment, and the first thing I noticed was that my church is a multi-
generational church where different areas of ministry will have different expectations, traditions,
and ways they like to run their ministry. I was only assessing the area that I was actively a part of
my at my church which included: Sunday morning service, bible studies, young adult community
events and our youth ministry.
1. Most of our practices fell under the organic view.
2. Some tension in our church comes from older Generations wanting our traditional Focus
versus our younger generation wanting more of an organizational/attractional View.
3. Our church pastor allows the different practices around the church in the different
generational Ministries to respect and honor the different practices and views in our
church.
When I assessed the church I attend, I do see a lot of outward focus opportunities and
experiences cultivated to reach the lost. However, there are areas in the church body that need to
be improved; one area is inviting and welcoming our church. In my opinion, discipleship for
those individuals has to develop leaders into disciples who make disciples can and should be
developed more.
4 Rod Dempsey, “Realizing the Importance of the Body,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great
Commission with Passion and Confidence.
5
“We should be excited about sharing our faith. We are living in a time when biblical
prophesies are being fulfilled right and left. Yet most of us remain silent. In the meantime, one
hundred thousand churches will close their doors this decade. Why? Because those church
members chose the sin of silence.5
Roles in the Church
As believers who have decided to follow Christ and been baptized in the Spirit, we all
have an opportunity and necessary need to make disciples. We need to equip individuals to
understand the gospel and to teach and train them in the faith. There are specific gifts and roles
given to different individuals in the local church and the body of Christ; however, we all have the
necessary need to follow what Ephesians 4:11-16 says. We are all to develop our gifts and
support the local bodies’ mission.
When we look at pastors of churches, their primary duty is to spread the word of God and
Shepherd’s followers seeking spiritual guidance. This is taught in 1 Peter 5:2-4. Those acts are
supposed to be done by all members of the church. They must lean on and supports all areas of
the church body to reach more individuals in helping develop believers in their faith for ministry.
The body of Christ works together with the common goal of glorifying and building God’s
Kingdom.
Conclusion
As believers, we can not do this without God. We must always give Him the glory when
we are seeking assistance, learning to share the gospel, and developing and growing our
churches. There is also a need for community when we enter into a relationship with the Lord.
We are to seek a church body with Christ’s Kingdom’s mission. As the body of the believer,
together, can fulfill what God intended from the very beginning.
5 William Fay and Linda Evans Shepherd, Share Jesus without Fear , 7.
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Bibliography
Dave Earley, “Telling Good News,” in Everyday Evangelism: Sharing the Christian
7
Faith (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2010), 58.
Morgan, G. Campbell. “How Are Disciples Made?” Christianity.com. Christianity.com,
September 14, 2010. Last modified September 14, 2010. Accessed October 16, 2022.
https://www.christianity.com/jesus/following-jesus/discipleship/how-are-disciples-made.html.
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).
Rod Dempsey, “Realizing the Importance of the Body,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How
to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic,
2013).
William Fay and Linda Evans Shepherd, Share Jesus without Fear (Nashville, TN:
Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 7.
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