JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
Disciple Making In A Healthy Church
Submitted to Dr. William England,
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DSMN500-C02-202220
Discipleship Ministries
by
Stephen Heleman
March 6, 2022
Table Of Contents
A Body With A Mission ………………………………………………………………………… 3
A Healthy Body With Healthy Leaders ………………………………………………..….…….. 4
The CBC Model ………………………………………………………………….………….…... 6
CBC Healthy Church Assessment ………………………………………………………………. 9
Focus On Health ……………………………………………………………………………….. 10
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A Body With A Mission
The Bible provides us with several word pictures to describe and help us understand the
church. One of the most common pictures of the church is that of body. In his letter to the church
in Corinth Paul says, “For just 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.” 1 Paul is reminding us that church, like a
human body, is made up of different parts and systems. Just as every part of my body is
important to me, so is every part of the body to our Lord. Even the parts we consider small and
insignificant are important. If you don’t think a small part is important, remember the pain of
stubbing your little toe in the middle of the night.
Paul wants us to see and understand, “the members differ, but their differences do not
affect the fact that there is a fundamental unity.”2 We need each other, and we are dependent on
each other. When one-part of the body hurts, the whole-body hurts. When one part feels joy, the
whole body feels joy. We are interconnected and interdependent. This means we have to rely on
each other which can be frustrating in our self-sufficient world. It also means we are stronger
together.
We are more than a group of connected people. We are a body with a mission that has
eternal consequences. We have a mission to make disciples across the world. The last words of
Jesus before ascending to heaven are, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe
everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
1 Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Co 12:12–13.
2 Leon Morris, 1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 7, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 168.
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3 Jesus is telling us there is one thing we must get right. We must “make disciples.” This phrase
literally means “to turn into disciples.” This is our imperative as individual Christians and the
entire body of Christ. We make disciples.4
A Healthy Body With Healthy Leaders
Just as my earthly body needs to be healthy to function properly, so does the body of
Christ. A church that is unhealthy will never effectively create disciples. This means you can tell
the health of a church by the types of disciples they produce. When you consider that 80% of
churches in America have reached a plateau or are declining5 it is obvious we have a church
health issue.
Unfortunately, many of our models of discipleship produce weak disciples because they
teach a Christian to be dependent on a leader, rather than how to become a disciple who makes
disciples. Many churches encourage people to sit and listen to a leader, invite people to church,
and do a task. Some of the tasks are important for the church to function but God did not call his
children simply run sound, greet people, or care for kids. He called people to be fully devoted
followers of Christ who help others find and follow Jesus. What not all people can stand up and
deliver a sermon, all people can help one person follow Jesus.
3 Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Mt 28:19–20.
4 R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House,
1961), 1172.
5 Rod Dempsey, “Weighing the Traditional Model,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great Commission
with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013).
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If we want health churches and healthy disciples, we must return to a healthy
understanding of how the church makes disciples. Paul addresses this in his letter to the church
in Ephesus when he says:
“And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some
pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body
of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing
into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. Then we will no longer be little
children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human
cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 6
The purpose of those we call pastors, clergy, or leaders is not to do ministry and then get
a few to help them with the smaller tasks. The purpose of leaders in the church is to equip people
so they can make disciples and do the ministry God has called them to. This means that every
disciple has a ministry, and every disciple is a minister. As Boice points out, “it is clear that Jesus
gave the church these gifts for the service and edification of the church allowing the church to be
unified in faith and mature in practice. 7 When the leaders of the church invest in the people of
the church, they create more leaders, who invest in more people, expanding the Kingdom of
God.
Models Of The Church
6 Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Eph 4:11–14.
7 James Montgomery Boice, Ephesians: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Ministry Resources
Library, 1988), 135.
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If the church wants to be a healthy church that makes healthy disciples, it must organized
and structured around making disciples. Dempsey identifies four broad models of the church that
provide a framework for evaluating the health of spiritual body.
The “Traditional Church” represents a majority of the churches in the evangelical world.
In this model there is, “a senior pastor who oversees the programs and ministries of the church.
Most of the activities of the church occur in and around the physical building. The organizational
structure is not complex.”8 These churches tend to focus on the “professional pastor,” Bible
study, and have a corporate structure. 9 One of their greatest challenges is that they are not set up
to multiply in a world that is multiplying10 so their kingdom impact is limited.
The “Attractional Church” made famous by churches like Willow Creek, Saddleback,
Northpoint, and Life Church encourage their members to build relationships with those who do
not know Jesus and then invite them to “come and see” what God is doing in their church and
can do for them. 11 While these churches are rightly critiqued for their shallow faith, they are at
least attempting to help those who do not know Jesus, find life in him. Their focus on reaching
people for Jesus leads them to strive for excellence in all they do, even trying to make church
“fun.”
8 Rod Dempsey, “Evaluating Different Church Models,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great
Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013).
9 Rod Dempsey, “Evaluating Different Church Models,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great
Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013).
10 Rod Dempsey, “Weighing the Traditional Model,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great Commission
with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013).
11 Rod Dempsey, “Evaluating Different Church Models,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great
Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013).
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The “Organic Church” is a “simpler, more relational way of doing church.” 12 These
churches are often a reaction to the weaknesses of the traditional church and attractional church
as well as an attempt to return to what some view as a more “New Testament” model of church.
They are often built around small groups, house churches, or missional communities. Even if
there are paid staff the distinction between member and staff is minimal. The goal is to create a
community where all people are using their gifts. My experience with the organic church is they
are rarely as effective at making disciples as they claim. They are also often filled with disgruntle
Christians and less effective at reaching people as they proclaim.
The final group is the “Hybrid Church.” This model attempts to combine “elements from
both the attractional and the organic church to form a model that is both attractional and
missional. It is both ‘come and see’ and ‘go and be.’” 13 If done well this can be an effective
model but has the potential to be burdensome and complicated, especially if the church “does not
reduce any of the existing ministries and programs.”14
The CBC Model
I consider Calvary Baptist Church, the church I lead, to be a hybrid church. As we strive
to be both attractional and organic we also strive to avoid the complexity of many hybrid
churches. Several years ago we starting calling ourselves a Disciple Focused Church. We are
12 Rod Dempsey, “Evaluating Different Church Models,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great
Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013).
13 Rod Dempsey, “Evaluating Different Church Models,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great
Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013).
14 Rod Dempsey, “Investigating the Hybrid Model,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great Commission
with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013).
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working to focus everything we do on demonstrating God’s Word, declaring the Good New, and
making disciples. We have a long way to go but has lead us to focus on five areas.
(1) We are a “Family on a Mission.” Every person who is part of the CBC family is
vitally important. We care for and listen to each other, wanting the best for every person that calls
our church home. At the same time we have a mission to make disciples so being part of this
family means you want to be part of this mission. (2) Every family member is called by God. As
quickly as possible we help people discover and connect with their unique calling. This is done
through a spiritual gifts discovery class, mentoring, and easy to experiment with a variety of
ministries. (3) We value sending capacity of seating capacity. Rather than build a larger building
we have we have six services at two locations and in two languages. We are working to launch
another location by the end of the summer. This allows we keep our services (congregations)
smaller, so every person is needed. Additionally, we are constantly raising up new leaders and
sending them to new locations and services.
(4) We strive for “excellent authenticity”. We always seek to give our best to God. We
work to improve every area of church from music to greeting to ministry. If you bring a friend,
we want them to walk away thinking “I was blessed.” At the same time, we are not trying to put
on a show. We want to show the world how much we love Jesus because of all he has done for
us. As we pour out our heart to God those who exploring a relationship with God are often drawn
in because it feels real. (5) We are intentional about making disciples. This is built around our 4G
process. We want people to spend time with God, Gather with your church family, connect in a
group, and give your best to God’s Kingdom. Everything we do revolves our 4G process.
We know our system is far from perfect. We are constantly looking for ways to grow and
do better as a church. We are also aware of how much God has blessed our church as we
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intentionally focus on making disciples. I consider myself blessed to preach every week to a
wonderful group of disciples. This was reflected in the results of our “Healthy Church
Assessment.”
CBC Healthy Church Assessment
I asked my Lead Team to take the assessment for our church and then have one of the
people they are discipling to take it as well. We had a total of twelve completed assessments. I
was very pleased with the results. Our average score was an 84 and this is from people I
encourage to be extremely honest. We noticed that some of the questions are somewhat
subjective and difficult to track. For years we have looked for ways to find out how many people
are having quiet times. We do our best but are numbers are not exactly scientific.
I was a surprised to see that our “Love For God” tended to have the lowest scores. As the
staff and I debriefed, we agreed that this section is the most subjective and has the highest
standard. Can we ever come close to loving God the way we should? We did agree to revisit this
section regularly to make sure we are deliberate and improving as we seek to develop a deeper
love for God.
We were all encouraged to see that our Love For Our Neighbor scored high. For a couple
of years, we have focused on making an eternal impact in our community for the Kingdom of
God. We have a rhythm of serving, fasting, praying, and inviting people. This rhythm that we
call Go2 has transformed our church. Additionally, yearly we do a “Who’s Your One’ emphasis
that encourages people to focus on bringing one person to Jesus. I believe this is why our church
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grew over 20% during COVID. In a time when many churches were trying to survive we focused
more on Loving our neighbor and God has blessed us.
Focus On Health
Healthy churches naturally produce disciples because that is what God designed the
church to do. This means you can see the health of a church based on the kinds of disciples it
makes. While no church is perfect, just as no physical body is perfect, if a church is willing to
put in the work and be intentional it can make a profound impact in a community and across the
world as they make disciples who make disciples.
When Paul is giving Timothy what may be his final instructions to his son in the faith he
says, “2 What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men
who will be able to teach others also.” 15 Paul list four generations; Paul, Timothy, faithful men,
and others. I pray we all strive to be healthy churches full of disciples who make disciples for
generations to come. This may reverse the trend of declining and plateaued churches. Churches
full of people who drifting away from faith in God because they have not been developed in their
walk with Christ.16
15 Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 2 Ti 2:2.
16 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).
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Bibliography
Boice, James Montgomery. Ephesians: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI:
Ministry Resources Library, 1988.
Christian Standard Bible. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020.
Dempsey, Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great Commission with
Passion and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2003.
Lenski, R. C. H. Lenski. The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel. Minneapolis, MN:
Augsburg Publishing House, 1961.
Morris, Leon Morris. 1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 7, Tyndale New
Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985.
Mounce, Robert H. Romans, vol. 27, The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman &
Holman Publishers, 1995.
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