LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
Ministry Application Project
Submitted to: Dr. Burrell, in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the completion of this course
DSMN 660-B01
Leading the Healthy, Growing, Multiplying Church
by
Amy Large
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………3
Book Summary…………………………………………………………………………………...3
Critique and Evaluation……………………………………………………………………….….5
Life Application………………………………………………………………………………......7
Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………...…...10
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Reading Reflection: Multiply
Chan, Francis and Mark Beuving. Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples. Colorado Springs, CO:
David C. Cook, 2012.
Introduction
Francis Chan, a well-known pastor, author, public speaker, and church planter, has
written a book with Mark Beuving, on Discipleship, that is unlike any other. Because, Multiply:
Disciples Making Disciples is not just another book to read and glean from and then put back on
the shelf. It is a call to arms to live out the Great Commission with life-changing passion and
fervor! This book is a comprehensive discipleship training course, complete with a toolbox of
PDFs and free online videos to accompany each lesson.
Book Summary
Francis Chan and Mark Beuving are straightforward and honest. They tell their readers
in the very beginning that, if they are just looking for more information to absorb, there are
plenty of other books out there. Because that is not what this is. This book is not meant to just
be read, it is meant to be taught, shared, and lived out. This book is a lifestyle change that will
create a powerful domino effect for the Kingdom of God.
The book itself is set up as a study guide and divided into five main parts: living as a
disciple maker, living as the church, how to study the bible, understanding the Old Testament,
and understanding the New Testament. Each study guide session includes questions throughout
each chapter, to challenge the readers. However, these are not merely questions. The reader is
challenged to question himself, his motives, his life, and his purpose. The reader is given
homework assignments for scripture readings, self-evaluations, and prayer assignments. This
book is meant to be read and studied with a Bible, notebook, pen, and an open, prayerful heart.
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In Part I of the book, “Living as a Disciple Maker,” the authors take the novice beginner
or seasoned Christian and explain, in detail, the importance of discipleship. Jesus said, “follow
me,” and Chan explains that becoming a disciple of Jesus is as simple as obeying that call
(Section 1). They explain the basics of becoming a disciple and answering that call, while
reminding the reader that it all really comes down to love (Matthew 22:37-40). The Great
Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) was Jesus’ final command before He ascended into heaven.
We are to: go, baptize people, and teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded (Section 2).
In the second chapter of the book, the authors challenge the readers to take that first step in
becoming a disciple maker. But first, they want you to check your motives (Section 3). The
heart of the disciple maker is one that loves God and loves people, and the focus should be on
loving the people and not just adding numbers.
In Part II, “Living as the Church,” Chan and Beuving place discipleship first in the
context of the local church and then in the context of the community and ultimately around the
world. The local church is the body of Christ, where believers can “join together with other
believers under biblical leadership to grow in the likeness of Christ and to express the love of
Christ to the world” (Section 1). We are told to “go and make disciples of all nations” but we
were never intended to do it alone (Section 2). This is the importance of operating as a church
body to reach the lost, because the church is “called to be and to do what Israel failed to be and
to do” (Section 2). God has laid out His plan of redemption for the world, and that plan should
affect the way every Christian is living today (Section 3). Until we have reached the end of the
earth, we are to make disciples.
In Part III, the authors take the reader through a crash course on “How to Study the
Bible.” First, the reader is reminded that “God wants you to know Him, and He gave you the
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Scriptures so that you can” (Section 1). The Scriptures teach us about God and the world we live
in, enable us to live Godly lives, facilitate our relationship with God, exalt Jesus as the Son of
God, and prepare us for our God-given mission. As disciples of Christ, we should study the
Bible prayerfully and obediently (Section 2). “God has been so gracious to speak to us. His
words lead to life. They set us free!” (Section 2). Chan beckons the reader to ask God for a
heart for His word, as we need to let His word saturate every fiber of our being and radically
change our lives. Lastly, in regard to studying God’s Word, we are to be diligent in our pursuit
of knowledge and understanding. Scriptures should never be taken out of context, but
prayerfully interpreted according to proper exegesis (Section 3).
In Parts IV and V, Chan and Beuving share 15 chapters on understanding the Old and
New Testaments. They properly set the stage and tell the story from start to finish. Beginning at
creation and continuing through the exile of the Promised Land in Part IV, and then from the
birth of Jesus Christ through the early church and into the resurrection of God’s children in Part
V, the authors show that the plan of redemption has been there all along. In conclusion, they
remind the reader that the end of the book is not an “end” at all but a starting point but a place to
begin again and again and again. Ending with Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2, “What
you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be
able to teach others also” – the authors remind the reader that this process never ends. The
multiplying effect of disciple making is our mission!
Critique and Evaluation
The authors, Chan and Beuving, have written a discipleship training course that prepares
its readers to go love others the way God has called every one of us to do. Because teaching
people is not the end goal, it is “all about being faithful to God’s call to love the people around
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you” (p. 44). When evaluating this book, it is easy to see the heart of the writers that motivates
them towards training others in discipleship. If the end goal was just writing a book on
discipleship, they would have exceeded that goal a million times over. Because what they have
created is so far out of its league of other discipleship books that it would be impossible to read
it, complete the activities within it, and watch the corresponding videos, and then walk away at
the end, unchanged.
To begin with, Chan and Beuving cover all of the basics. They define discipleship,
explain the call to disciple given to every Christian, and share the loving heart behind the act of
discipleship that is requirement to go further. Then they take discipleship into the context of the
local church, the community, and globally around the world. They provide a crash course on
studying one’s Bible, the depth of which is almost a rare jewel to find in a book written about
discipleship, and then they share their best “cliff notes” version of the Scriptures covering all of
the major themes and stories from creation to Revelation as they relate to God’s call for
evangelism. It would be hard to think of anything they left out. As far as discipleship books go,
I believe this is more thorough and comprehensive than any others I have seen. It is essentially a
complete toolbox, with videos included, if what you are comparing it to are other books and
study guides on sharing the Gospel and discipling others to do the same.
However, should the rod for comparison be other books on discipleship? Or should we
compare Chan and Beuving’s book to what Jesus Christ taught himself? I would have to argue
for the latter. Because if we are truly going to mentor other disciples, then we should look at
how Jesus did it. If he is the one we seek to emulate, then there are elements that are definitely
missing from this study guide.
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First, the authors explain that being a disciple consists simply of listening to the call of
Jesus when He says, “Follow me.” They even use Luke 6:40 as a guide, “A disciple is not above
his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” Being a Christian is a
call to a lifestyle change, but it is more than a lifestyle of abstaining from sin. It is a lifestyle of
doing the things that Jesus did, and that is where I believe the authors did not go far enough.
In Matthew 10, Jesus gave practical ministry advice to his twelve apostles before sending
them out in ministry. I believe this ministry advice applies to every disciple today as much as
the Great Commission does. First, Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits and told them
to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness (vs. 1). Then he gave them real-world
advice on traveling as he instructed them before sending them out. He told them to “go to the
lost sheep of Israel” and as you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near’ (vs. 5-
7). Then in Matthew 10:8, Jesus tells them, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers,
drive out the demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” The biggest fault in Chan’s book
is that the authors tell you that the whole point of being a disciple of is to imitate Jesus, carry on
His ministry, and become like Him in the process (p. 16); yet, they do not touch on anything
other than the salvation and multiplication aspects. If we are to truly be imitators of Christ, then
we must look to HOW He shared God’s love, HOW He set people free, HOW He healed the
sick, raised the dead, and cast out demons, and most of all HOW to hear clearly God’s voice. If
we are to truly train up disciples in Christ and be disciple-makers, then we should be teaching
these things as well.
Life Application
I think Chan and Beuving’s book on multiplying disciples provides a wealth of
information to get people started on the path of discipleship. In our private school focused on
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discipleship, I believe the videos, information on studying the Bible, and study guide questions
to activate disciples will be very useful. I first read each of Francis Chan’s books as soon as they
were released years ago. His first book, Crazy Love, slaughtered a lot of my religious sacred
cows and really made me look at my purpose in life in a whole new light. Each of his books
have continued to motivate me and encourage me along the way. Multiply is most useful
because it was written to be used as a group study to train up disciple makers. I believe it could
be adapted to a variety of ages and used for motivating the hearts of children and youth to go
after God’s kingdom with a whole new fervor.
I believe Parts IV and V, in explaining the Old and New Testament in light of the Great
Commission and God’s redeeming plan for His children, will have a tremendous effect on those
reading it. We want our students to be taught to read the Bible with their “Jesus Goggles” on.
When they can look back through the scriptures and see what God’s plan was from day one, and
see how Christ’s redemption was in the works through it all, and then see the role they have in
bringing God’s kingdom to fruition – that is a real Bible class that will stick with them for a
lifetime!
Most Christian school teach Bible classes once a day or a few times a week and rarely
take it outside of the classroom. Because our focus is on relationship and discipleship, we are
intentionally keeping our ministry outwardly focused as well. By using discipleship training, our
students will be taught to take their ministry outside the walls of our school building on a regular
basis. In keeping with the mentality and heart of Multiply, we already have several well-known
ministers we have spoken with who will come to our school and take our students out to do street
ministry. There is nothing like the seeing the heart of a child while they lay hands on the sick
and then see them healed! Even Jesus told them all to become like little children, for then they
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will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 8:2-4). Our students will be trained to
do the things that Jesus did, and then trained to teach others how to do them as well. If we are
going to multiply, then we want the products to be effective in being the hands and feet of Jesus.
Francis Chan and Mark Beuving’s book Multiply is a great starting point for anyone who
is a new disciple and is wanting to get started in serving God through the Great Commission.
Does it include everything that should be taught? No, but that is why the readers stress the
importance of studying the Bible and praying. Ultimately, it is the Holy Spirit who was sent to
teach us all things and advocate on our behalf (John 14:26) and according to Jesus in John 14:16,
the Holy Spirit was sent upon His request to be with us forever. He was sent to guide us into all
truth, speaking what He hears from the Father (John 16:3). Ultimately, no book or study course
can be expected to do what God sent the Holy Spirit to do, and nothing can replace that personal
relationship with have with our Daddy God.
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Bibliography
Chan, Francis and Mark Beuving. Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples. Colorado Springs, CO:
David C. Cook, 2012.
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