So what is it? It is called discipling. Ok, discipling is not new. It has been foundational to the church since the beginning. And it is not a program. It is simply what Christians (should) do. Discipling is one of those "back to basics" areas that people rediscover.
While groups such as Navigators have been driving discipling for years there is now a push in the wider church to include it as part of their church growth strategies. And the results speak for themselves. The concept of a mature Christian sitting down with another Christian to read the Bible and explore essential life-to-life topics is a building block for church growth.
Jesus' example
It is what Jesus did: choosing 12 others to share life with. Those 12 then chose others to share life with. The pastoral letters in the New Testament are examples of this. And the result saw the church grow from Jerusalem, Judea and to the ends of the earth (even Australia and NZ).
How does discipling help church growth?
This is the core of discipling: As each disciple grows he/she looks for another person to disciple. And the cycle continues. Within years a church can have huge growth both in numbers of new Christians and also in personal growth and maturity.
So what is covered in discipling life sessions?
Topics that discipling might include:
- Reading the Bible and learning key memory verses
- Helping others to read the Bible and how to pray
- Mentoring habits that help disciples grow
- Training disciples to disciple others
- Why is discipling so important for growing the church?
Discipling has been a powerful way to grow the church for many reasons including:
- Helping people to know the essentials of the Christian faith
- Equipping people to share their faith with others and helping the church grow
- Helping Christians to know the Bible and key Bible verses
- Preparing disciples to deal with stumbling blocks and setbacks in faith
- Helping them to know and share the promises of God
The challenge is to integrate one-on-one discipling into your church's DNA. This could mean starting with your own children. Or church leaders starting with the youth group. Or it could mean each lady in the church meeting with another to simply read the Bible together.
The principle is foundational to the Christian faith. Church growth trends come and go depending on our cultural shifts but discipling has purpose across the ages. Why not try it?
Explore this resource: The Adventure of Discipling Others: Training in the art of disciplingmaking. Ron Bennett and John Purvis. Navpress (2003.
Jeremy Dover is a former sports scientist and pastor
Jeremy Dover's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/jeremy-dover.html