LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Discipleship and a Healthy Church
Submitted to Dr. Robert Gowins
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DSMN – B06
Discipleship Ministries
by
Adam S. Weinberg
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Introduction
There are many challenges facing society in today’s world. The church as a whole faces
its own set of challenges as world views continue to change. One challenge for the church
resides within understanding the relationship between discipleship and the church. The purpose
of this paper is to deliver the perspective of a healthy church is the result of discipleship. This
process is among a group of believers prompted by God to seek the lost and disciple them
allowing the heart transformation to take place resulting in a growing and abundant church body.
This body delivers the gospel message through relationships and discovering their true spiritual
gifts ultimately understanding their role and purpose. This paper begins with an explanation of
how the goal of a healthy church is discipleship. Additional areas of examination include my
personal ministry context, three areas of focus necessary for a healthier ministry, and three initial
steps to improve the spiritual health of my ministry.
Discipleship and a Healthy Church
A healthy church is the result of an effective and prospering discipleship ministry
program and its people. A proper place to begin includes defining each term for a clearer
understanding. A disciple is a person who follows Jesus learning all there is to know about Him
and God then telling others about Him in order for their lives to be transformed. A church, as
described in Acts 19:32, can be defined as a community of people with shared beliefs. Another
version used by Rod Dempsey provides the church invests in developing peoples’ knowledge of
Christ.1 Through the defining process, we can truly discover a healthy church is developed within
the goal of discipleship.
1 Earley, D & Dempsey, R. (2013). Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and
Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic. Kindle Version.
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Without a clear understanding of the church, many believers may see it simply as an
organization surviving with no impact on society and the world. Churches that construct larger
buildings seemingly suggest this is a part of a healthy church along with discipleship. Under this
perspective, the goal is misunderstood. Rather spiritual transformation is the most important
goal because a person will be forever changed when surround by a body of other believers
alongside teaching to live in the image of Christ. Therefore, a healthy church is formed through
the spiritual transformation of believers and the definitive goal of a healthy church is believers
being transformed to follow Christ.
How a Healthy Church is the Goal of Discipleship
Having a healthy church is the goal of discipleship. In order to achieve this result and
understand the goal, discovering how the church is formed from disciples is important to
understand in the next step of having a healthy church. There are twenty statements, provided by
Dempsey, describing a healthy church and can be categorized into four main classifications.
These include gospel messaging, relational groups, ministry deployment, and generous giving.2
The first step in this process involves the body of believers understanding the gospel message
from God Himself and everything involved in communicating this message to others.3 One
perspective this can be seen through is that the gospel message being delivered by disciples,
believed by the lost, resulting in salvation in Christ, 2 Cor 5:17, to experience its transformative
power.
The next step in the process includes disciples being involved in groups allowing for
relationship building. This action is not accomplished on Sundays, but rather, throughout the
week being in the world and speaking to friends and co-workers allowing the Holy Speak to
2 Earley and Dempsey, 212–213.
3 Earley and Dempsey, 213–214.
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speak on our behalf. As with any relationship, there is authenticity felt when operating in this
manner and when viewed from a non-believer disciple multiplication will result. The is a large
difference between the church described in Acts 2 with the church we see in America on Sundays
in the present seeming being driven by their programs and excusing authenticity from the
pictures.4
Another avenue a disciple must explore and use while speaking with others involves
cultivating their spiritual gifts. The instruction for this is given to us by Paul in Rom 12
providing how crucial it is for a disciple to use their gifts for the expansion of God’s church. A
disciple being gifted in one of the areas that include serving, teaching, mercy, knowledge,
wisdom, to name a few, must know and understand what they are for and how to use them in
order to win the lost and allow for their discipleship training to begin.
The last part of this process includes making time and finances a generous part of the
disciples’ life. It is important to understand where these finances are being distributed to and
how it is being used. Corruption can reveal itself when in position of authority and using these
funds to boost one’s status certainly prevents and growth resulting in misuse of monetary
provisions. Craig Blomberg provides statistics showing 20 percent of the world’s population are
in poverty and Christians give close to 2.4 percent of their income, which is only a small amount
higher than non-believers.5 Money has a heavy influence on many individuals and must be
monitored closely,1 Tim 6:10, ensuring the full provisions are provided to the giver and receiver.
As shown through this analysis, disciples form a healthy church body and by cultivating others to
allow the transformation process to occur are results of the communication of the gospel.
4 Putman, Harrington, and Coleman. (2013). DiscipleShift. Grand Rapids MI: Zondervan, 100–106.
5 Blomberg, C. (1999). Neither Poverty nor Riches: A Biblical Theology of Material Possessions. Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity. 17–20.
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Additional factors originate from developing deep, meaningful relationships, using spiritual gifts,
and having a generously spirit of giving.
Three Areas of Focus
I attend True Grace Church which is a body of believers centered on God’s word. I have
attended here for almost two years and many great things have occurred through this time. We
are growing rapidly as people continue to surrender their lives to the Lord. The growth is greatly
due to the movement of the Holy Spirit in peoples’ lives and the prompting of God’s word on
many hearts. Areas that could be cultivated for improvement to create a healthier body of Christ
include three crucial parts. These are discipleship training, deeper Bible studies, and relationship
building.
First, True Grace is growing by leaps and bounds and strives to uphold God’s will. There
are many life group gatherings happening throughout the week and most center on discovering
who we are in Christ. I believe now more than ever a crucial component in any Christian’s life is
the knowledge of what it means to be a disciple of Christ by renewing of the mind, Rom 12:1-2.
Additionally, it is also important for the disciple to have a mentor for someone to walk with them
through the process. This is one step that bleeds into the next of having deeper Bible studies.
In today’s world disciples must be armed with knowledge. Many groups of people within
the world are extremely knowledgeable concerning disproving the existence of God. Learning
how to deliver complex and precise Biblical facts to dispel these accusations are crucial in an
intolerant world. These actions can only lead to deeper meaningful relationship building.
Lastly, among the training given, it is important for disciples to understand the
importance of building solid meaningful relationships. It is only through these relationships one
can build trust and understanding with those that are lost. Once these characteristics are
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established and maintained, the non-believer will see Jesus in the disciple moving them into a
state of commitment.
Steps for Improvement
As the three areas to focus on have been delivered, a crucial component necessary
includes implementation of steps to ensure these areas are improved upon.
First, regarding implementing discipleship training, a training manual should be
developed and include progressive classes. Information can be delivered through services and on
the church website to enhance awareness of the opportunity and benefits of the training. Once
established and trainers have been qualified and identified, training sessions can be scheduled
and broadcasted. This will allow for multiplication rather than addition of ministry. As these
classes broaden, many can be channeled in to deeper Biblical studying for knowledge and
equipping.
Currently, True Grace runs life groups Fall, Winter, and Spring sessions. These are good
building blocks for many and contain great furthering knowledge of following God’s word. In
the time that I have been with True Grace, I have not seen any studies on how to correctly offer
Apologetics concerning Christianity. In today’s world, many scoffers jump at the chance to
disprove God and, therefore, we must be armed. Teaming with the life group coordinators, we
can develop deep and meaningful studies concerning the defense of Christianity. Not to mention,
exploring resources already available as an option as well. Once implemented, believers with be
given the tools they require to defend God’s word. Through this defense process, relationships
can be born which is the key component in winning lost souls.
Most non-believers become defensive and uninterested the moment a believer begins
discussing the life of Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is important to understand disciples need to be
trained relationships are most important as the first step in this process. Non-believers will trust
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someone they know more than they do not know which gives the disciple an avenue to
eventually witness. By teaching disciples the fundamentals of relationship building, we can
understand how to reach non-believers for Christ and winning them into God’s family. By
focusing on discipleship training, holding deeper Bible studies, and building relationships, True
Grace will continue to grow the body of Christ.
Conclusion
Although many challenges face society, other groups face their own obstacles. The
church is challenged because of rapidly changing world views. The paper provided perspective
of a healthy church as the result of discipleship. The process is prompted by God to a body of
believers to win the lost and disciple them. This body delivers the gospel message through
relationships and discovering their true spiritual gifts ultimately understanding their role and
purpose. Providing an explanation of how the goal of a healthy church is discipleship is the first
step. Additional information provided to explain this process include examining my personal
ministry context, three areas of focus necessary for a healthier ministry, and three initial steps to
improve the spiritual health of my ministry. These areas will only improve the discipleship
process only to enhance the health of Christ’s church.
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Bibliography
Bartel, L., (2017). Needed: Healthy Churches and Healthy Disciples. Springfield, MO:
Enrichment Journal, The General Council of the Assemblies of God
Cox, B. (2016). How to Implement a Discipleship Process for a Healthy Church. Retrieved 8
Oct 2017 from http://pastors.com/implement-discipleship-process-healthy-church/
Craig L. Blomberg, Neither Poverty nor Riches: A Biblical Theology of Material Possessions, ed.
D. A. Carson, New Studies in Biblical Theology (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1999),
17–20.
Earley, Dave, and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission with
Passion and Confidence. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2013.
Putman, Jim, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman. DiscipleShift. Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 2013.
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