Harold D. Lewis, Sr.Director of Multi-Cultural and

Justice Ministries OfficeFlorida Conference UMC

Making Disciples for the Transformation of the World

GOALS FOR THE DAY• To STIMULATE within

you critical reflection about your local church discipling process.

• To introduce you to a PATHWAY Model for making disciples.

• To encourage you to lay the ground work for developing a local church PATHWAY to making and maturing disciples in your church.

• Next Steps…

Discipleship is…• A Christian disciple is a person who

accepts and assists in the spreading of the good news of Jesus Christ.

• Christian discipleship is the process by which disciples GROW in the Lord Jesus Christ and are equipped by the Holy Spirit, who resides in our hearts, to overcome the pressures and trials of this present life and become more and more Christ-like.

Does your church have a clear, simple pathway for making disciples that most of your members understand and know where they are along that pathway?

1. Are churches that aren’t intentionally making disciples healthy?

2. If not, then are they doing more harm than good?

3. Are they more of a threat to the spiritual health of the congregation? (toxic churches)

THREE MAJOR ROLES1. The Role of God

So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image [2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT].

2. The Role of the ChurchNow these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ [Ephesians 4:11-12 NLT].

3. The Role of the Believer But continue to grow in the grace and

knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory, now and forever! Amen [2 Peter 3:18 GNT].

STRATEGIC PATHWAY

Developing a strategic PATHWAY

for moving new believers from

MEMBERSHIP into DISCIPLESHIP!

ASSESSING THE DISCIPLESHIP PROCESS

• The purpose of an analysis and assessment is to raise some basic critical questions and to compel the church to face some current realities.

• Just like a doctor, the analysis will help diagnose any “pockets” of ministry pathology (Read Nehemiah1:3; 2:13, 15 and 17).

• See WBKP7 for SAMPLE Analysis

ASSESSING THE PROCESS [cont’d]

What Every Disciple Should Know…

• A Gallup poll concluded “many professing believers remain woefully ignorant about the basic facts of Christianity.”

• See WBKP8• REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

FORMING A PRAYER WARRIOR’S TEAM

A Call for Intercessors• Sending up praise in the direction of

the Savior. • Praying in the direction of the

Saints. • Pray in the direction of Satan

whose tactics are blinding and binding.

• Pray in the direction of Sinners. • Pray in the direction of the Father,

Son, and Holy Spirit.

ORGANIZING A DISCIPLESHIP TEAM

Expectations of the Discipleship Team

• The Bible repeatedly exhorts believers to serve the Lord TOGETHER, rather than individually.

• NOTE: Our salvation is a personal experience with the Lord, but our service is to be a group effort!

• See WBKP10

DISCIPLESHIP LABORATORYEducating and Equipping

the Discipleship Team• The purpose of the discipleship

laboratory is to educate and equip the members of the discipleship team with a working knowledge about the importance of making and maturing disciples and the process.

• Identifying the FIVE CORE Characteristics of a Mature Disciple – Worship (Acts 2:42, 43, 46, 47) – Fellowship (Acts 2:42, 44-46)– Biblical Instruction (Acts 2:42)– Ministry (Acts 2:43)– Evangelism (Acts 2:41, 47)

TEACHING ON EVANGELISM AND WITNESSING

THREE KINDS OF EVANGELISM• PRESENCE Evangelism – believers

evangelize by living God-honoring lives before the lost.

• PROCLAMATION Evangelism – believers make the good news of Jesus Christ clearly known so that lost will understand.

• PERSUASION Evangelism – believers persuade or motivate the unsaved to respond to the love of Christ and join the church.

CANDIDATES FORNEW MEMBERSHIP

Acculturating the Candidates for Membership

• The role of the church is to adhere to the great commission of Jesus, "....Go and teach them...." This statement emphasizes the need for the new members to be properly instructed in the faith so they can become spiritually mature as disciples, and actively engage in witnessing, evangelism and various ministries of the church.

• Christian believers are designed to GROW.

• It is ESSENTIAL for local churches to put in place steps to DISCIPLESHIP.

UNDERSTANDING THE SACRAMENTS• What is a SACRAMENT?– A sign, token, or symbol used as

sacred rites and rituals.– An OUTWARD sign of an

INWARD grace.– The solemn Christian rites

instituted by Jesus Christ to confer grace upon the believer.

– The two (2) sacraments recognized and practiced by Protestants are • Baptism and • The Lord Supper.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS INVENTORY

Spiritual Gifts Assessment• Facilitating a Spiritual Gift

Assessment will help the new believer identify their God-given gifts for engaging and living as servant disciples …– Spiritual Gifts are supernatural

motivations given to every believer. Everyone doesn't receive the same gift.

– The purpose of knowing your spiritual gift is to encourage and mature Christians for more effective ministry.

NEW MEMBER’S BASISBIBLE STUDY CLASS 101

Introduction to Bible Study

• Many new believers do not have a working knowledge or understanding of God’s Word.

• It is very important to offer a

simple and basic Bible Study to introduce and acquaint the new believer to the Word of God.

DISCIPLESHIP OUTREACH PROJECT

SAVED to SERVE• The Bible teaches us in 1 Corinthians

15:58,”to always give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord.

• It is important for NEW BELIEVERS to understand that they are expected to serve beyond the local church.

• As a component of the New Believer’s candidacy for membership, an outreach project should be organized to engage the believer in community service.

DISCIPLESHIP CELEBRATION

Celebrating New Disciples

Now that the requirements and process of becoming a new member have been

completed, it’s time to celebrate!

SMALL GROUPS/BIBLE INSTITUTE

Maturing in the Faith• Now that the basic training and teaching have

been completed, what’s next to keep the new disciples engaged and growing in their spiritual maturity?

• Bible Institute• Small Groups• One-on-One

HERE AM I, SEND ME!

Three Dynamic Dimensions of a Mature

Disciple• A Mature Disciple KNOWS the

way.• A Mature Disciple GOES the

way.• A Mature Disciple SHOWS the

way.

NEXT STEPS…