DISCIPLE MAKING PLAN
LeRoy L. Watkins
DSMN 500 Discipleship Ministry
June 26, 2022
Contents
Part 1 & Part 2................................................................................................1
Part
Part 4..............................................................................................................4
YPart 5............................................................................................................8
YBibliography................................................................................................12
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The planning aspect of making a disciple must be unswerving and grounded and the
bible. We are not only called out but commanded to go out and make disciples of the world by
Jesus in Mathew 28:19. The plan must be made with a purpose so that we can serve with a
purpose.
Part 1. Passages
In looking at beginning a discipleship ministry, growing one, or simply adding on to an
existing one, a person must look to the bible and what God has laid out for us to do in order to
make disciples. God sent Jesus here to be the prime example for us to follow. The main verses
that guide my discipleship ministry are as follows: Mathew 28:19, John 13:35, Luke 14:26-28,
Luke 14:33, John 15:5-8, Mathew 22:36-40, John 13:34 and Colossians 1:28-29. This is not an
all-inclusive list by any means but a list of which a strong foundation can be built on to begin
discipleship.
The region that I would be targeting would be that of my own city, neighborhood, job,
teachers within my kid’s school district, local authorities and government officials and other
clergy members. The goal is to cast a wide net and be able to reach as many as we can and begin
to build relationships within small groups of interests depending on the interests and
demographics of the group. This may sound a little too ambitious at first, so the likelihood of this
happening would depend on the availability of staff and how many and who all is willing to
participate. The groups would start out small and meaningful. The age groups would be young
adults, over 18 to those in their early 40’s and see where it goes from there.
Part 2. Principles
The guiding principles in my ministry are that of John 3:16, John 13:34, John 14:26, and
Mathew 28:19 are some of the top verses that have helped me to form my core values in
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ministry. The idea that God sent His only Son to bear my sins before I was ever born, is a love
that is just incredible to imagine. We are commanded to show that same exact love to others and
then learn from the Holy Spirit and go out and make disciples of all nations. This is the best way
to simplify these passages and have them make the most sense.
Statement: By practicing John 13:34, John 14:26, and Mathew 28:19 in our daily lives,
we will be set free as Jesus said in John 8:31-32 and the evidence will produce much fruit (John
15:8) as God gets all the glory.
Part 3. Philosophy
A. Church: The goal of the church is to make disciples of all nations and to present the
saints complete in Christ. (harvestenid.com/about) The church, according to Dempsey &
Earley “simply means a gathering of called out ones” and that means that the church is
not contained within four walls or any building but within ourselves, our own bodies.
“The church is a fulfillment of the mission of God; the mission of God springs from His
nature and love” Dempsey & Early go on to say. So, this means that 1 Corinthians 6:19 is
correct that our bodies are a “temple of the Holy Spirit” and that the Spirit guides us and
dwells in us as John 16:13 states.
B. Pastor: The Lead Pastors are a husband and wife team that both attended and graduated
from Oral Roberts University. They founded the church in January of 1998 and have led
it ever since. They operate together as one to train up the church and equip them for
battle.
C. Saints: The congregation is from a primarily Caucasian city of a population about 60,000
with a minority of African-Americans, Hispanic’s, and Pacific-Islanders. We are located
near one of two major pilot training bases for the United States Air Force so we have a lot
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of military personnel attending, including our lead worship pastor and his wife. There are
probably 250-300 that attend between both Sunday morning services.
In talking about the saints, they are responsible for their own discipleship process.
It does not fall entirely upon the church leadership to make it happen. Putnam,
Harrington, & Coleman wrote “in reality, the responsibility for spiritual growth never
rests on the disciple maker alone, there are three parts to the process; there is my part (the
disciple maker), their part, and the Lord’s part. I can’t do their part.” The pastor does
have some of the burden but cannot take full responsibility if the church member does not
do fulfill their part.
D. Gospel: “We believe that the Bible Scripture comprised of the Old and New Testaments
is alone the only infallible, Holy Spirit inspired Word of God and that its authority is
ultimate, final and eternal. It cannot be added to, subtracted from, or superseded in any
regard. The Bible is the source of all doctrine, instruction, correction and reproof. It
contains all that is needed for guidance in godliness and practical Christian conduct. Only
through the revelation and operation of the Holy Spirit does the Word of God become
alive and effective in our lives. The Bible is the standard for our relational and
experiential knowledge of God. Any personal ministry or prophecy must be in accord
with Scripture, or if not, be considered false and rejected” (Beliefs - World Harvest
Church)
E. Evangelism: We believe that by sharing our story we can open the doors that God has for
us and using that opportunity to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is our responsibility
as a born-again believer of Christ to spread the Word, that it is simply not a request but a
requirement. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote about “Peter and the disciples were huddles
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together in the upper room in Jerusalem…they began to speak in languages unknown to
them but known to other” and then Peter began to explain to the thousands that were
there that “they were witnessing the fulfillment of the prophet Joel” and that “they were
all witnesses of a new movement of God in their midst. The command to take the gospel
to the world now seemed like it might be a possibility.” This was a transformational time
for Peter which lead him to becoming what I believe as the first real evangelist. This is
the example for us to follow, to be discipled to the point we catch the fire and cannot
contain it any longer and must go spread the word of the Lord to anyone who will listen.
F. Disciple/Discipleship: This is an area that has been lacking and we are addressing at this
time. We are learning and adjusting and being intentional with our discipleship groups.
G. Leader/Leadership: The church is governed by the office of the Elder as mentioned in
scripture.
Part 4. Practices
A. Church Structure: The structure of the church is a mix between hybrid and organic with
just a handful of selected elders or a board. There is a lead pastor, associate pastor, next
generation pastor, children’s pastor, worship pastor, and we have a second campus pastor
team. When it comes to driving the discipleship process, the lead pastor has several small
group leaders that go through training for the position and have already been through the
church membership classes.
The plan to develop, implement and create a stronger discipleship program is to
continue the small group leader training but make it more in depth and more available.
We can’t have more groups without more leaders and we can’t just have anyone, we need
leaders that are well trained, faithful, and skilled to lead. The next step is to have small
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group classes meet more often and have them available year-round. Typically, they just
go along with the school year schedule and meet every other week. We will increase these
to a weekly meeting and have them with smaller numbers as well as introduce growth
groups. The only current system in place to support small groups is built for the groups
that happen during the Fall and Spring semesters. Part of the plan is also to utilize the
Transitioning to S.M.A.L.L. G.R.O.U.P.S. process by Dr. Dempsey.
B. Small Group Philosophy: There will be some transition time to go from a church that
has small groups and can be considered to be in the “with” category to a church that is
“of” small groups. This is the most realistic expectation for the church with the
demographics and leadership style. It will take a considerable amount of time and effort
to take it to the last step of “is” small groups, however anything is possible with God. The
new plan will still have the lead pastor involved, it will just have the entire staff getting
together to plan it out instead of just the lead pastors. The idea is to have a couple step up
that stands out during this process and take on the role of small group pastors so that they
can fully take on this part of the campus.
C. Calendar and Events: The social media pastor, the next-gen pastor and the media
director will sit down with the staff after looking at the calendar of events for the church
over the course of the next year and plan out the small group and growth group meetings.
They can put together the curriculum, discuss the budget and figure out what the best
plan of action is for the communication plan moving forward.
D. Budget Personnel: The church only has three full-time paid staff members and the rest
are part-time or volunteers. The budget will have a minimal impact on the small groups
planning aspect as the group leaders involved are all volunteers and the meetings are at
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church members homes. This minimizes any cost involved. The only real cost incurred is
the ink and paper to print the flyers for promoting the groups. However, a majority of the
promotions will be done online, through email, broadcast during church and via text.
E. Curriculum: The curriculum needed to proceed with small groups will more than likely
be questions to partner with the weeks message that was delivered. This depends on the
group though, there could be a totally different topic depending on the dynamics or
subject matter of the group. There is an article that gives tips for leading small groups,
and the author DeYoung wrote “Don’t stay at the level of knowledge only. Ask questions
which call for analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Prepare final questions which get at the
heart. Be creative in how you phrase your questions. Ask questions like:
What is one thing you want to see change in your life as a result of this study?
What new promise can you take with you into the week?
What did you learn about God?
Make sure your questions are crisp and clear. If you aren’t sure what you are asking, you
can be sure no one else will either.” The curriculum needs to be challenging but, in a way,
that everyone can participate and everyone can start to grow.
F. Slogans: The lead pastor has been great about communicating out vision statement to
everyone, almost weekly and that is “Taking a real Jesus to a real world” and part of that
statement is that “We are a community of believers, but it’s deeper than that - WE ARE A
FAMILY! We welcome all people, just as they are, believing that God will encounter
each person right where they are at” as stated on the church website
harvestenid.com/about. We are constantly reminded that we are the church and that we
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must be active and representing Christ outside of the four walls. We are to go and
complete His mission according to John 20:21.
G. Communication Plans: We have a media director that is great at getting the word out as
well as our next-gen pastor who is always actively engaged in the community. The idea is
to communication as early as we can as often as we can and be as accurate as we can. Dr.
Dempsey had written in his Transitioning to Small Groups document “if you don’t
communicate effectively people will grow suspicious of you and your ministry” and
emphasized the importance of “over communicating” so that “you don’t kill the
momentum.” The plan in the past has been to teach a lesson about the importance of
small groups and announce them and then the following Sunday, introduce the small
group leaders on stage so that people can hear from them directly and get a visual as to
who they are. After that, they are on the screens every week, pictures running in the lobby
screens with sign up sheets, sign ups online and on the church app as well as the friendly
reminder from the pulpit every week.
In trying to find some other ways to communicate discipleship and what that looks like
from another’s point of view or simply looking outside the box, I came across an article
written by Mariam Rossow, a communications director for Christ Our Savior and their
mission statement caught me by surprise; “make disciples who share the love of Jesus in this
community and with people everywhere” followed by a statement that “discipleship is a
lifelong process of following Jesus, learning from Him, and sharing Him with those around
us.” This caught me off guard because it is something that has been thought about but not
talked about or mentioned in years past with the senior leadership ay my church. Ms. Rossow
goes on to say “So, don’t be surprised when I ask you to “write a blog about that” or “share
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that story with me”. And be on the lookout for how Jesus is working in and through you at
church and in your everyday life. Send those stories my way, so we can grow in a deeper
relationship with Jesus and with each other” which I found to be a brilliant idea and one that I
am going to add to my toolbox of things to incorporate so we can learn from our saints and
grow even further and deeper with them.
Part 5. Proof
The factors that will be looked at in measuring the success of the implementation of the
small group plan will begin with taking a snapshot of what the numbers were of the small groups
from the last semester’s numbers. I would also take a look at some historical data, if available of
the past three years numbers of the semester that we were looking at beginning so that we would
have an idea as to what to hope for.
The first area to look at would be the initial round of small group leaders that are
available to lead, any new ones that would like to lead, and any potential ones that we have
identified that we would like to have lead. Hopefully, we would have some numbers of how
many small group leaders that we have had in the past and what the goal would be for the
upcoming semester as well as what types of groups we are looking to start up. The idea of
growth groups is new and will take a little more planning to get going but once we can get
everyone to buy into it, it will be an incredible opportunity for spiritual growth that the church
has yet to see.
The data that is gathered from these can be used to measure the growth from the previous
small groups as well as help to set some attainable goals to help grow further. Part of the issues
of not having may discipleship groups has been not enough effective leaders, so by training and
equipping more saints to lead, we can begin to grow these groups and help the church to go from
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“with” small groups to “of” small groups. More importantly than the numbers going up in small
groups is the quality of what is going on within the small groups. How can that be measured?
That is something that we will have to look at and talk to people at different points during and at
the end of the small groups to find out. We need to make sure that the information that they are
getting is accurate and that they are growing spiritually as well. It isn’t just about getting
numbers into homes, it is about getting hearts right with God and helping them grow within their
walk with the Lord. The feedback from talking to the members of these small groups is what will
drive the statistics of measuring and how we move forward. We must constantly evaluate,
revaluate, and adjust to keep things relevant and moving in right direction.
The health of the leader is important to the body, if one falls ill, the rest is soon to follow.
The congregation needs to be healthy in order to grow but so does the pastor of the church. This
means needed vacations, down time, time with family, and time for themselves. This cannot
happen unless there are other healthy leaders and disciples in the church. According to Dempsey
& Earley “Pastors are to equip or train the saints, and the saints are to do the work of ministry”
which means that in a disciple-making church, “the church is here to help believers grow and
develop into maturity” which in turn fills our great commission, Mathew 28:19.
One of the roles of a pastor is to be able to know where each member is at spiritually in his or
her church. They cannot do this alone and need the leadership to help bring up or disciple others
so they can all walk together and grow in the Lord. Author Jim Putman wrote an article
discussing 5 Stages of Growth for Disciples and in that article, he talks about the stages as a tool
and the importance of being able to assess with out taking away value from someone and
“Determining someone’s level of spiritual development is done purely for the sake of knowing
where how and where to lead them in their journey as a disciple. It is not to be used as a weapon
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to judge, but a tool to help you disciple.” As a leader, it is important to be able to talk with others
and assess where they are at and how you can help them get to the next level of their faith.
There are some third-party ways of testing and researching to find out if you have in fact
made a difference in discipleship. One of those ways is a study that was done and turned into an
assessment that can be taken called the Transformational Discipleship Assessment (TDA) written
by Daniel Im. In researching ways to figure out how to measure the success of the ministry when
it comes to something like this, I was not sure which way to go or how to go about it other than
looking at past data, creating a starting point and looking back after hitting some check points
throughout the year to see which way the trend was going and to see if the plan was working or
not. How do you really measure someone’s level of discipleship? But then I read through what
this author had written and now it all makes sense. “This research revealed eight attributes that
consistently show up in the lives of maturing disciples: Bible engagement, obeying God and
denying self, serving God and others, sharing Christ, exercising faith, seeking God, building
relationships, and being unashamed (transparency)” as well as “The study found that confessing
sins on a regular basis can lead to spiritual growth. People in the study who confessed their sins
often became more transparent with other people, were more willing to deny themselves, and
were more interested in seeking a deeper relationship with God. The study also found that
confessing sins led people to be more willing to share Christ with others.” This leads to
evangelism as well as further discipleship within the community.
The ratios that would be monitored would be the leaders to class members of the current
semester versus last semester as long as they were along the same topic. My church has a
marriage ministry small group, a discipleship small group, five interest small groups (men’s,
women’s, mom’s, work-out, prayer & healing), grief small group and then our kid’s ministry
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programs. It would be tough to compare one of these groups from this past Spring to a new one
in the Fall as they will have these but add several more. The ultimate measure of success will be
once the saint is ready to go out into the mission field on his or her own and reap the harvest.
Once they are prepared for the great commission and producing fruits of the Spirit, then God will
lead them where He wants them, when He wants them.
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Bibliography
About - World Harvest Church. n.d. https://www.harvestenid.com/about.
Beliefs - World Harvest Church. n.d. https://www.harvestenid.com/beliefs.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich 1906-1945; edited by John D. Godsey, fl. 2000, Geffrey B. Kelly, fl. 2000
and Martin Kuske, fl. 2003; in Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 4
(Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003, originally published 1937), 74-93
Graham, Billy. 2004 The Billy Graham Training Center Bible: Time-Tested Answers to Your
Toughest Questions. Nashville, Tenn.: Nelson Bibles
Dempsey, Rod. Transitioning to Small Groups. Liberty University.
Dempsey, Rod and Earley, Dave. 2018. Spiritual Formation Is...: How to Grow in Jesus with
Passion and Confidence. Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Academic.
DeYoung, Kevin. “5 Tips for Leading Your Small Group.” The Gospel Coalition, 2 Sept. 2014,
www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/five-tips-for-leading-your-small-
group/.
Discipleship org. 2018. “The 5 Stages of Growth for Disciples.” Discipleship.org. July 6, 2018.
https://discipleship.org/blog/the-5-stages-of-growth-for-disciples/
Im, Daniel. “A New Way to Measure Discipleship?” Lifeway Research, 14 July 2017,
research.lifeway.com/2017/07/14/a-new-way-to-measure-
discipleship/#:~:text=Measuring%20discipleship%20can%20be%20a.
Putman, Jim, Bob Harrington, and Robert Emerson Coleman. 2013. DiscipleShift Five Steps
That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand Rapids
Zondervan.
Rossow, Miriam. “Communication as Discipleship.” Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church -
Michigan - 48154, 13 Sept. 2019, christoursavior.org/blog/2019/09/30/communication-
as-discipleship.
