LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Disciple Making Plan
Submitted to Dr.
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DSMN 500
Discipleship Ministries
by
xxxxx
May 12, 2021
Contents
Introduction..................................................................................................................................1
Passages.........................................................................................................................................1
The Great Commission - Matt 28:16-20..............................................................................2
The Great Commandment - Matt 22:37-39.........................................................................3
The New Commandment Jn 13:34-35.................................................................................3
1 Peter 5:1-5.........................................................................................................................3
Ephesians 4:11-16................................................................................................................4
1 Corinthians 12:4-12..........................................................................................................4
Romans 12:1-2.....................................................................................................................5
Principles.......................................................................................................................................5
Philosophy.....................................................................................................................................8
Church..................................................................................................................................8
Pastor...................................................................................................................................8
Saints....................................................................................................................................9
Gospel..................................................................................................................................9
Evangelism..........................................................................................................................9
Disciple/Discipleship.........................................................................................................10
Leader/Leadership.............................................................................................................10
Practices......................................................................................................................................10
Church/Organization Structure..........................................................................................11
Small Group Philosophy (With/Of/Is)...............................................................................11
Calendar and Events..........................................................................................................12
Budget Personnel...............................................................................................................12
Curriculum.........................................................................................................................12
Slogans...............................................................................................................................12
Communication Plans........................................................................................................12
Proof............................................................................................................................................13
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................13
Bibliography...............................................................................................................................15
1
Introduction
A disciple making plan is a logical process where a methodical approach is taken that
allows for final measurable metrics. These metrics are then used to evaluate if one’s ministry is
being successful or not. The goal behind this approach is to evaluate if the ministry efforts are
being effective towards the objective, thus producing best ministry practices that allow for a
healthy church. This is important as it allows leaders to see if they are accomplishing the Great
Commission, which ultimately is the goal of making disciples. In other words, a disciple making
plan helps to develop the plan, then put it into practice, and watch Jesus give the increase. This
paper will record a personal plan geared to develop disciples in a local church though the five P’s
of ministry, which includes passages, principles, philosophy, practices and proof, with the goal of
helping people come to Jesus, grow in a relationship with Him, and ultimately become disciple
makers themselves.
Passages
A disciple-making plan must have at its core God’s Word. God’s Word is the biblical
foundation that allows for a biblical vision within the church.1 This vision of purpose is
necessary to understand the responsibilities behind the plan, which is to make disciples and to
build the base for discipleship found on Jesus and the Scriptures. Although there are many
Scriptures that advert to discipleship, for the purpose of this plan only a few considered crucial
will be chosen. These are the Great Commission (Matt 28:16-20, ESV),2 the Great
Commandment (Matt 22:34-40), the New Commandment (Jn 13:34-35), and the importance of
1 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your
Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples, Grand Rapids (Zondervan, 2013), 216.
2 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the English Standard Version (Crossway
Bibles, 2007)
2
guiding the body of Christ in unity and sacrifice (1 Pt 5:1-5; Eph 4:11-16; 1 Cor 12:4-12; Rom
12 :1-2).
The Great Commission - Matt 28:16-20
“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had
directed them. And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted.
And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to Me. 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 all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the
end of the age.’”
The Great Commission is at the center of the vision and of all passages because it calls on
the goal for every believer, as Jesus commanded, to make disciples regardless of their nationality,
color skin or gender. Jesus states that He know has all authority and, in His authority, He is
sending all who follow Him to make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to follow His
commandments. It is also important to note that Matthew notes that some doubted (v.17). The
Greek word found in this passage is distázō, and it translates to “hesitate” or “hesitated.” This
last appearance of Jesus happened in Galilee, and it is the opinion of scholars that this could be
His appearance to “more than five hundred brothers” (1 Cor 15:6), with the eleven being among
them.3 Which would explain Matthew’s statement, as the eleven at this point, would have no
reason to doubt. If Matthew noticed that, surely Jesus knew as well, however, He continued with
the statement of having all authority on heaven and earth (v. 18). This is a message for all
followers of Jesus, to understand that He knows their humanity, but He wants them to push
through in confidence knowing that they can fulfill the commandment because they are under
His authority.
3 Charles Feinberg, Edward Dobson, Edward Hindson, Harold Wilmington, and Woodrow Kroll, KJV
Bible Commentary, Nashville, TN (Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005), 1232.
3
The Great Commandment - Matt 22:37-39
“And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first
commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.’”
The Great Commandment keeps the vision focused on God and on those who will
become disciples. It is an important Scripture because Jesus is at the center of discipleship. Here
Jesus is saying that loving the Father is the most important part of being a Christian and His
follower. But it does not end there, He then says that after loving the Father first, as a follower
and disciple, one must love the neighbor as much as they love themselves.
The New Commandment Jn 13:34-35
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have
loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you
are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
This Scripture in John shows a new commandment given specifically to believers,
followers of Christ. He is encouraging disciples to be united in love for one another, and in turn,
people will recognize them as disciples of Jesus Himself. This is essential within the structure of
the disciple making plan because Jesus wants His disciples to be an example of Himself to all
humanity.
1 Peter 5:1-5
“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the
sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:
2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under
compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but
eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the
flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading
crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe
yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the
proud but gives grace to the humble.’”
4
This Scripture is paramount for the vision of the disciple making plan because, it is an
encouragement to fruitfulness, humility, and unity in the body of Christ and to follow Christ’s
example. It is a blueprint for good leadership due to their influence and example over the church.
Ephesians 4:11-16
“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and
teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of
Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and
carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in
deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every
way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined
and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is
working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
In this section of Ephesians Paul reminds believers that Jesus trusted them with special gifts to be
used for edifying the church and to equip the saints for service. The purpose of these gifts is not
making saints sinlessly perfect, but instead to completely prepare them to be honorable vessels,
sanctified and ready to be used by Jesus for His glory (2 Tim 2:21).
1 Corinthians 12:4-12
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of
service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same
God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of
the Spirit for the common good… …For just as the body is one and has many
members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is
with Christ.”
Paul’s writings in this section of his epistle to the church in Corinth, speaks about gifts of
the Holy Spirit that all disciples receive for the common good. He also speaks about unity in the
church because all the saints are an important part of Christ’s body.
5
Romans 12:1-2
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies
as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your
mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and
acceptable and perfect.”
This Scripture was chosen as final part of the vision for the disciple making plan because
it is about sacrifice, and the responsibility that falls on those who have received the righteousness
of God. This should be upfront in all that the church does, not forgetting that salvation comes
with a cost. That Jesus paid a very high price for the salvation of those who choose to believe
and now they must also carry their cross (Matt 16:24-26).
Principles
This section will begin to extract core principles or core values from the passages
mentioned in the previous section. These statements will be simpler but specific to the core
biblical principles that will guide the vision. The vision of the church although simple in
understanding, it is crucial because it will create blueprints on how people will be discipled.
Because these values are derived from Scripture, they will help shape the disciple into the person
of Jesus.4 It will also create benchmarks to help the disciple making plan have direction and be
measured more accurately.
Under the Great Commission (Matt 28:16-20), the principles are to go and make disciples
of all nations. To baptize them in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And
to teach and coach them to keep, obey, honor, respect, accept and follow Jesus and His teachings.
This means that at the core values this plan will work to make disciples who make disciples.
Baptism will also be part of these values as Jesus clearly stated (Jn 3:5). And it will be pivotal to
4 Dave Earley, and Rod Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is… Nashville (B&H Publishing Group, 2018), 28.
6
not only preach, but to teach the Word of God. Jesus was called Rabbi, which is Hebrew for “my
teacher” or “my master.” And two-thousand years ago that was what a person would call who
they were following. Those who would follow a Rabbi would become like their Rabbi. They
became an extension of their teacher or master. And that is what today’s disciples will become as
the follow Jesus example and teachings; an extension of Him.
Under the Great Commandment (Matt 22:37-39), the principles are first, love God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And second, to love your neighbor
as yourself. In all honesty, these are two difficult actions to achieve. It is difficult for many to
love someone they have never physically seen, lived with, or talk with. And loving others
unconditionally, is even harder. Specifically, to achieve this, disciples will have to start building a
relationship with God through His Word. Their testimony will show how many times, God has
been there for them in times on need.
Under the new commandment (Jn 13:34-35), Jesus calls His disciples to also love one
another. He reiterates that they must love one another, but this time He adds, that as He has loved
them. And finishes telling them that everyone who sees them will know they are disciples of
Jesus, by the love they show for each other. The principle and value of love for God, others and
among the church is one of the greatest legacies of Jesus. And it is one this disciple making plan
will put to practice.
The next few Scriptures are important as they bring the last details of the plan together. 1
Peter 5:1-5 sets boundaries for the elders and leaders and creates a structure for shepherding and
discipling others. It also speaks to the ones being discipled and gives them guidance on what is
expected of a fruitful disciple. Ephesians 4:11-16 is full of principles to help with the vision of
how this will be completed. The first principle is that Jesus gave the church, apostles, prophets,
7
evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. And He equipped them for the work of ministry and for
building the body of Christ. They will be helping all attain unity in the faith and knowledge of
the Son of God. They will also help others mature in manhood and spiritually, to the measure of
the stature of the fullness of Christ. This verse also establishes values for the discipled. That they
are to mature, showing the fruit of the Spirit, growing in every way like Christ, the head of the
church. And when every part of the body of Christ works properly, the body builds itself in love
and grows strong.
The last two Scriptures used to establish the principles for this disciple making plan are 1
Corinthians 12:4-12 and Romans 12:1-2. In 1 Corinthians the principles are that God is the one
who empowers all the gifts of the Spirit that are given to all members of the church. Additionally,
different gifts are given separately to each member but not every member gets the same gift. But
because of that when the members of the church come together, they form one body with Christ,
who is the head of the church. In other words, it is all about the unity of the church with Christ as
the master. Romans 12 is the calling to serve God, as vessels for His glory. Starts with a strong
and bold principle; asking the church to give themselves to God as a living sacrifice, that is holy
and acceptable to God. The next principle is a command, to not be conformed to the things of the
world, but to receive the transformation only Jesus can give by His Word which renews the
mind. And lastly, that through tribulation and testing, disciples learned what is the purpose and
will of God for their life. In other words, the church is to serve God, through all and above all,
and allow for God to do a work in them, by renewing their mind, making it acceptable and
perfect, which is His will for all His children.
8
Philosophy
The philosophy or views of ministry is developed from the core values and principles of
the discussed scriptures. It is here where the culture is defined and properly identified. Language
and proper identification of the next key terms/definitions are meant to be the philosophy that
will guide the ministry.
Church
This is the entire body called by God’s grace through faith in Christ, to glorify Him
together by serving Him in His world.5 Not a building, but every believer coming together in
fellowship, and worship to honor the LORD. The church is a representation of the one people of
God, and it is not an institutional unity, but a spiritual one.6 The goal of the local church is to
gather, disciple and grow a community of spiritually mature believers in Christ, who can then
change their own homes and subsequently transform communities, cities, and countries.
Pastor
As the term suggests the pastor is the shepherd of the flock or church congregation. He is a
leader in the church and the main part of his role is to care for the church. His responsibilities are
many, and depending on his position, he oversees the church or a specific area of the church. The
multiple responsibilities could include to train, equip, preach, teach, evangelize, disciple,
administer, manage, pray, worship, and encourage the brethren. However, as the lead pastor, it is
his responsibility to create an atmosphere of spiritual growth through a disciple-making model
that the rest of the leaders and the church can follow willingly.
5 Daniel L. Akin, A Theology for the Church, Revised ed, Nashville (Lifeway Church Resources, 2014),
455.
6 R. Albert Mohler, Jr, The Apostles Creed: Discovering Authentic Christianity in an age of Counterfeits,
Nashville, TN (Thomas Nelson Books, 2019), 157.
9
Saints
The saints are the hands and feet of the body. They also share some of the responsibilities with
the pastors, as these are delegated to them. They are also developed by the church leaders.7
Gospel
This is the heart of the Bible and the good news of the kingdom of God. It is the power of God
into salvation.8 The Bible either prepares the way for the gospel, speaks, and presents the gospel
or reveals the participation in the gospel.9 The kingdom Jesus brought to all who believe in Him,
His sacrificial death, and His resurrection from the dead. The church must rightly preach the
Scripture and cherish the gospel.10
Evangelism
The church must start living the gospel in their homes and across the street before they even
think about going out into the world. Live like Christ and be a light to the world (Matt 5:16).
Before discipleship, there is salvation, and without sharing the gospel, the later cannot happen. In
other words, evangelism is the product of a spiritual mature Christian heart that longs for
reaching the world for Christ.
Disciple/Discipleship
7 Dave Earley, and Rod Dempsey, Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion
and Confidence, Nashville (B&H Publishing Group, 2013), 41.
8 Dave Earley and David Wheeler, Everyday Evangelism: Sharing the Christian Faith, Nashville, TN
(B&H Publishing Group, 2010), 56.
9 Matt Chandler, The Explicit Gospel, Wheaton, IL (Crossway, 2012), 11.
10 Mohler, Jr, The Apostles Creed…, 158.
10
Discipleship exists because Christ Is. And disciples must be committed to Christ.11 Spiritually
mature disciples are to make disciples. Disciples are to be mentored by spiritual parents, so in
return, they can become disciple makers themselves.
Leader/Leadership
Discipleship and leadership go hand on hand. Great disciples come from good leadership and
great leaders emerge from great disciples.12 Leaders are to make disciples. The fact is that
“discipleship without leadership is an idealistic pipe dream.”13 God calls on people for leadership
in the church to reach and care for His people.14
Practices
The practical part of the disciple making plan, is the result of a developed philosophy or
view of the ministry. It comes from understanding the vision, values, views, key terms, their
functions, goals, and direction. Key factors will be the church organizational structure, the small
group philosophy, events and calendar, budget personnel, curriculum, slogan, and the
communication plans. The key is to find what church mindset and structure will accomplish the
vision-practice.
Church/Organization Structure
Although there are several church models that would help in formatting a model to work
with this philosophy, the traditional model does not fit the view of this plan. The church structure
11 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 4, Minneapolis (First Fortress Press, 2003),
59.
12 Earley, and Dempsey, Disciple Making Is…, 208.
13 Larry Osborne, Lead Like a Shepherd: The Secret to Leading Well, Nashville, TN (Thomas Nelson,
2018), 3.
14 Putman, Real-Life Discipleship Building Churches That Make Disciples, Colorado Springs, CO
(NavPress, 2010), 13.
11
needed in this case will apply some of the programs included in the attractional, organic and
hybrid churches. The attractional model will help with evangelism, encouragement to serve in
the church, leadership developing and equipping of the saints. The organic model will help with
the small groups model, bringing the unity in the church through closer relationships. And the
Hybrid church will help with the leadership and staff structure, small groups development, and
discipleship of those being attracted by the attraction model. Making disciples happens in the
church, so, it will be maintaining focus in evangelism and discipleship, creating an atmosphere
of growth, where Jesus is at the center.
Small Group Philosophy (With/Of/Is)
Small groups are essential to a church, especially as the church grows. As a matter of
fact, many pastors use the small group model to build or plant churches from the ground up. This
is where fellowship and discipleship happen, in many instances. It is also an effective way to
teach the Bible, reach out to the congregation, pray with each other and for the community, and
interact in various other ways. It helps build relationships within the church and holds it
together.15
Calendar and Events
The plan will be added to the church calendar with activities that pertain to the plan, and
the church calendar will allow for the plan to function without stressing all other church
activities.
Budget Personnel
This will not change because of the plan. The same personnel will remain, and most will
be completed through the volunteers.
15 Putman, Harrington, and Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps…, 185.
12
Curriculum
The main curriculum will be set by the lead pastor and will include a schedule set in the
calendar, and a timetable. The small group curriculum will be set by the small group
leader/pastor.
Slogans
Slogans will be Bible or Scripture based and will most probably be centered on what is being
discussed or taught at the time. These will be prepared by the small group leaders and the lead
pastor.
Communication Plans
All main and important communication must be done via email. That way all who must
be involved in such, can be added. Additionally, it will help keep a paper trace of all emails.
Communication will consist of the lead pastor, small group leaders and pastors, accounting,
calendar and events coordinator, and any other personnel key to the plan. Small and quick last-
minute conversations can be addressed via text, phone, or WhatsApp if needed.
Proof
Proof has to do with effectively evaluating the success of the disciple making plan. But
this can be very tricky because, measuring the results of discipleship consist of seeing spiritual
maturity revealed in fruit of the Spirit and in level of devotion to Christ.16 Therefore, to evaluate
the effectiveness of this plan, there must be a shift from just attracting and gathering to
developing and releasing.17 Which is the process of discipleship. This shift is called, from
accumulating to deploying due to spiritual mature disciples living out their maturity as they show
16 Putman, Harrington, and Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps…, 202.
17 Ibid.
13
Christ’s love to the world. It is the progress of walking towards the goal of making healthy
disciples, growing into healthy leaders, and spreading into healthy groups that in return will not
only multiply into healthy churches, but also more disciples for the glory of God. In other words,
the best way to see proof that the disciple making plan is working, will be by the presence of a
healthy body with healthy disciples, healthy leaders, and healthy groups that will continue to
multiply many times over. A great example is the early church, as they were very successful
bringing people to Christ and discipling them.18 A disciple making plan that accomplishes this,
will grow and birth new things for the kingdom of God, just as it happened two-thousand years
ago.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the process of this disciple making plan will use a logical method to
approach to allow for the measuring of its effectiveness. The process showed the passages used
for the vision, the core values based in the principles, the views and philosophy, the practices
which will drive the discipleship process and what factors will help track the success of the plan.
Just as it was explained throughout the plan, it is geared to evaluate if ministry efforts will be
effective and productive for best ministry practices. In the end the goal is to develop a healthy
church, with healthy discipleship, healthy leadership, and healthy groups, that will continue to
multiply themselves many times over. And success will be determined, not by how many people
come to the church every Sunday, but by how many of these believers are reaching spiritual
maturity and then go develop more disciples.
18 Bill Hull, The Disciple-Making Church: Leading a Body of Believers on The Journey of Faith, Grand
Rapids, MI (Baker Books, 2010), 163.
14
15
Bibliography
Akin, Daniel L. A Theology for the Church. Revised ed. Nashville: Lifeway Church Resources,
2014.
Chandler, Matt. The Explicit Gospel. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012.
Crossway Bibles. ESV: Study Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles,
2007.
Earley, Dave, and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission with
Passion and Confidence. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2013.
Earley, Dave, and David Wheeler. Everyday Evangelism: Sharing the Christian Faith. Nashville,
TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2010.
Earley, Dave, and Rod Dempsey. Spiritual Formation Is… Nashville: B&H Publishing Group,
2018.
Feinberg, Charles, Dobson, Edward, Hindson, Edward, Wilmington, Harold, and Kroll,
Woodrow. KJV Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005.
Hull, Bill. The Disciple-Making Church: Leading a Body of Believers on the Journey of Faith.
Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2010.
Mohler, R. Albert Jr., The Apostles’ Creed: Discovering Authentic Christianity in an Age of
Counterfeits. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Books, 2019.
Osborne, Larry. Lead Like a Shepherd: The Secret to Leading Well. Nashville, TN: Thomas
Nelson, 2018.
Putman, Jim, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman. DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help
Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013.
Putman, Jim. Real-Life Discipleship Building Churches That Make Disciples, Colorado Springs,
CO: NavPress, 2010.
