Discipleship Making Plan

Sunday Nights

Discipleship Groups-I recommend the name D-Groups so we do not lose focus.

The focus of these groups is to grow people in the knowledge and application of the Word of God with the intention of multiplication of disciples and groups.

Wednesday Nights

AWANA and Prayer Meeting-I would like to see this be a time of true intercessory prayer for our church, the members and the lost.

We would have a small devotion followed by prayer requests, corporate prayer and then more personal small group and individual prayer time.

Passages

Robert Coleman pointed out in his book The Master Plan of Evangelism, that, “the initial objective of Jesus’ plan was to enlist men who could bear witness to his life and carry out his work after he returned to the Father.”[1] Followers and believers, are also called to discipleship and given the great commission of;

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

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.”

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, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age ().

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, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age ().

This passage gives the church a clear and non-negotiable command. “It contains one imperative, three participles, and one promise.”[2]

The imperative (make disciples, that is, call individuals to commit to Jesus as Master and Lord) explains the central focus of the Great Commission.[3] The “make disciples” portion is defined as “36.37 μαθητεύωb: to cause someone to become a disciple or follower of—‘to make disciples, to cause people to become followers.’ πορευθέντες οὖν μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη”[4]. This imperative makes it clear that one must be a disciple while also instructing all believers to make disciples of Christ.

The participles (translated go, baptizing, and “teaching” [v. 20]) describe aspects of the process[5].

Jesus also gives the apostles a promise that He would be with them and this promise transfers to Christians today as they obey the command to make disciples.

is another passage that emphasizes the need to be witnesses and leading others to come to know Christ. It states, “ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This passage indicates a reliance on the Holy Spirit to empower discipleship and witness. It also advises of the focus on discipleship and winning the lost that should be present. In this passage Jesus advises the disciples’ that their responsibility was to obey and take the gospel to the remotest part of the earth (v. 8; ).[6] Jesus reminds the disciple that they are His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the end of the earth. Disciples are to be Christ’s witnesses to our friends, neighbors, and those we have not met yet or share little in common with.

Acts 1:8 ESV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

is another passage that emphasizes the need to be witnesses and leading others to come to know Christ. It states, “ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

This passage indicates a reliance on the Holy Spirit to empower discipleship and witness. It also advises of the focus on discipleship and winning the lost that should be present. In this passage Jesus advises the disciples’ that their responsibility was to obey and take the gospel to the remotest part of the earth (v. 8; ).[6] Jesus reminds the disciple that they are His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the end of the earth. Disciples are to be Christ’s witnesses to our friends, neighbors, and those we have not met yet or share little in common with.

One final group of passages that will be used for the plan laid out in this paper is

Ephesians 4:11–16 ESV

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 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, 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. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 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.

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[c] and teachers,[d] 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,[e] 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.

As was stated by Earley, in this group of passages, “ Paul gives the clearest and most powerful description of the proper function of the body of Christ.”

He tells leaders that they should “equip the saints”[7] for doing ministry.

He emphasizes the need for a “unity” that comes by growing more fully into Christ where the minds of believers find their common ground.

Paul speaks to a maturity that will bring stability to the body.

Paul makes clear that the entire body is held together by Christ and in Christ.

He finally exhorts the body to build itself in love.

This process of equipping, unifying, growing, maturing, relying on Christ and loving one another is what discipleship is all about.

Earley stated, “ As the individual believer grows and matures, the body becomes healthier.”[8] As Miller stated, “ progress for an individual, community, or nation is to move toward God’s purpose.”[9] As a disciple does move toward God, his/her purpose, talents and faith begin to become more clear and the health of the overall body increases. gives clear direction for the implementation of such maturity.

Unfortunately, too often the church has become distracted by programs and events. The focus has become on a discipleship-less faith.

As A.W. Tozer put it,

“ In the New Testament salvation and discipleship are so closely related as to be indivisible. They are not identical, but as with Siamese twins they are joined by a tie which can be severed only at the price of death.”[10]

It is no wonder that so many churches close each year. Discipleship is lacking and this may well mean that the salvations the church so desperately clings to could be the trojan horse in which the devil arrives in her midst. There must be a return to biblical discipleship.

The church today, much like the secular/corporate world, determines success by numbers. It may use the number of people who attend service each week or the number of members on their role. It could be the tithe each week. It could be number of visitors, ministries or programs offered at each service. However, Jim Putnam says that “attendance, busyness, construction, finances, and programs are not real indications of success.”[11] Instead he says that the “core question of effectiveness — the question that ultimately matters — is whether the people who are getting saved are being conformed to the likeness of Christ. Are we making mature disciples of Jesus who are not only able to withstand the culture but are also making disciples of Jesus themselves?”[12] Leaders and churches should help to instill a core set of foundational markers that will help someone to grow in Christ and become a confident follower of His Word. Then they can stand back and “ let their success thrill your soul.”[13] The goal should be to make disciples that make disciples. The scriptures exhort this outcome and the Holy Spirit promises to equip the purpose to carry it out. “The solution to our ineffectiveness as churches is to train people to be spiritually mature, fully devoted followers of Christ, and then in turn to have those disciples make more disciples.”[14]

Principles

While passages are the foundation for discipleship making, the principles and values provide a second layer of building blocks that must be constructed with the same biblical foundation as the passages. A church’s primary principles are its constant, committed, biblical beliefs that drive its ministry. As Aubrey Malphurs states, “Core values get at the church’s DNA or core identity.”[15] Discovering these core drivers is extremely important to the making of disciples. At Fairlawn Baptist Church, the context for this plan’s implementation, the mission statement lays out three core beliefs that guide the disciple making process. The mission statement reads as “A Family of Believers, Grounded in Faith and Committed to Serve.” The three pieces will be broken down to develop the principles being applied.

A Family of Believers-Knowing

Believers have been blessed to become adopted sons and daughters of God by their belief in Jesus Christ. They are now fellow citizens together in the body of Christ. Together they need to find ways to edify each other, work together and further the cause of Christ. However, they must begin to look, act, talk and work as a family to accomplish all the things God has laid before the church to do. If believers cannot be patient and loving with each other, they will struggle to reach the outside world of non-believers. Not because they will not be friendly, but because they will not be family. This category of the mission statement would include conversion for non-believers as they are won to faith, hospitality to the visitor, fellowship meals, special events, movie nights and any other activity that are geared toward growing the relationships inside the church. The short keyword for this aspect of the mission statement is “Knowing” to indicate others coming to know Christ and the church growing in their relationship to each other and Christ. The foundational verses for this are

John 1:12–13 ESV

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

, , , and . If the church desires to make disciples, it must remember they are family and they are in this together.

1 John 3:1 ESV

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

, , and . If the church desires to make disciples, it must remember they are family and they are in this together.

Ephesians 2:19–22 ESV

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

, and . If the church desires to make disciples, it must remember they are family and they are in this together.

and

John 13:34–35 ESV

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.”

. If the church desires to make disciples, it must remember they are family and they are in this together.

If the church desires to make disciples, it must remember they are family and they are in this together.

Grounded in Faith-Growing

The thirst for God’s Word and the willingness to apply it to the fellowship and the lives of those around us must exist for discipleship and growth to occur. The body is representative of the faith in the lives it lives, both inside and outside of church. It is important that the church learn the proper doctrine and theology to represent the faith and their Lord well. Fairlawn must engage new believers to begin their growth in the word and continue to push ourselves as believers to learn more and more. This category of the mission statement would include discipleship, Life Groups, Bible Studies, AWANAS, our teaching in PrayStation (children’s ministry) and anywhere else the church attempts to teach God’s Word. The short keyword for this aspect of the mission statement is “Growing” as the church grows in knowledge and application of the Word of God. The foundational verses for this are

2 Timothy 2:15 ESV

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

and . Discipleship will not occur apart from a proper knowledge and application of the Word.

and

James 1:19–25 ESV

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

. Discipleship will not occur apart from a proper knowledge and application of the Word.

Discipleship will not occur apart from a proper knowledge and application of the Word.

Committed to Serve-Going

To be a follower of Christ is to understand and adopt the heart of a servant

Mark 10:45 ESV

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

M). How believers serve each other, and the community God has put them in, will largely determine the church’s success for God. The church is a family of believers because they are adopted sons and daughters of God, they are grounded in their faith as they grow in, study and live out the Word of God, but, they only become servants when humility characterizes their attitudes and their interactions (). The church must find ways to help the community find value in it being a part of its makeup. If the only people that find value in your church are the ones attending your church, you are not impacting your community and thus are not long for this world.

How believers serve each other, and the community God has put them in, will largely determine the church’s success for God.

The church is a family of believers because they are adopted sons and daughters of God, they are grounded in their faith as they grow in, study and live out the Word of God, but, they only become servants when humility characterizes their attitudes and their interactions

Philippians 2:5–7 ESV

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

). The church must find ways to help the community find value in it being a part of its makeup. If the only people that find value in your church are the ones attending your church, you are not impacting your community and thus are not long for this world.

The church must find ways to help the community find value in it being a part of its makeup. If the only people that find value in your church are the ones attending your church, you are not impacting your community and thus are not long for this world.

Jesus humbled himself in so many aspects while on this earth and provided an example to follow. Does the church think herself higher than He? If not, they need to be committed to serve. They need to ask themselves, when was the last time you participated in a community service project? When was the last time you looked for an opportunity to serve others? Getting outside the church and serving others is an imperative for church success and personal growth. This category of our mission statement would include helping with High On Hope, Latrobe Street Mission, Old Man Rivers, our own food pantry, etc... and being more than a donator, being a participator.

It could also include missions (local and distant) and just being willing to help your neighbor in a way that produces meaningful impact. The short keyword for this aspect of the mission statement is “Going” as the church engages the community and world for Christ. The foundational verses for this are

1 Peter 4:10 ESV

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:

, , Matt. 28:25-28 and .

John 13:12–14 ESV

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.

Galatians 5:13–14 ESV

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

, Matt. 28:25-28 and .

Matthew 28:25-28

The goal of the church should be through relationships to train people to be spiritually mature, fully devoted followers of Christ, and then, in turn, to have those disciples make more disciples.[16]

Fairlawn can best accomplish this by “Knowing, Growing and Going” as they flesh out what it means to be a true disciple of Christ.

Philosophy

Church

Whatever is done in the life and ministry of the church should bring glory to the Lord (). This should compel the church to conduct ministry with excellence. The church is a place of meeting for potential converts and growing believers who gather together with the heart of worship. There must always be checks and balances because while all churches have a mission, the mission is not necessarily Christ’s mission.[17] The main mission of the church should mirror the main mission of Christ as declared in “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” The church must be committed to making and multiplying disciples. The church should echo the view of Putnam when he stated, “ The model we advocate measures success by how many people are being loved and led into the way of Jesus, are coming to Christ and following him. It measures how many people are being transformed into Christ’s likeness and are pursuing his kingdom mission.”[18] The church should give itself to creating and growing relationships in the Lord.

Pastor

As the pastor, the goal of the job is to equip the saints () and to present them mature in Christ Jesus ().[19] The call to create disciples is not only, or even primarily, the job of the pastor of a church. It is the call and goal of every Christian believer/saint. Equipping includes empowering the saints in such a way that they are ensured that mature men and women are in place and given the ability to make Godly decisions, so that the body of Christ may be build up into the fullness of Christ (). Christ taught and empowered the disciples to become leaders with a knowledge that He, would turn them loose to spread His gospel to the ends of the earth.

A pastor’s primary responsibility is that of a teacher, leader, and facilitator with a desire to see those he has led give themselves to the call of Christ in the employment of their talents and gifts (, , ).

The pastor is the leader of the church, not the doer of the church. He needs to facilitate the spiritual growth of the congregation through the application of scripture and provide accountability as they seek to live out the faith they proclaim.

The Saints

One way to define the saints is as those individuals, who through the unified love for Christ, gather together as the church to accomplish the will of God which is that all might be saved. All believers are saints and should have the goal “to become a disciple of Jesus who can make disciples of Jesus.”[20] Saints are to be “not merely converts but also doers, learners, students, Christ followers, or better yet, ‘apprentices of Jesus.’”[21]

Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

exhorts the church to “…let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” In so doing, the saints will experience growth and maturity. When Jesus gave his disciples the Great Commission, Jesus implied that all who follow him, regardless of whether they can teach, can be involved in making disciples.[22] Every believer/saint is to be involved in the act of making disciples. Saints are to be doers of the Word not hearers only as states. As the saints fully follow Christ, they can echo the words of Tozer as he states, “ I want to dwell in that sacred, mystic brotherhood of the ransomed and the redeemed, that fellowship of the saints gathered around the broken body and the shed blood of the Savior!”[23] The saints are the vehicle by which the reconciliation of God and man will become known ().

In so doing, the saints will experience growth and maturity. When Jesus gave his disciples the Great Commission, Jesus implied that all who follow him, regardless of whether they can teach, can be involved in making disciples.[22] Every believer/saint is to be involved in the act of making disciples. Saints are to be doers of the Word not hearers only as states. As the saints fully follow Christ, they can echo the words of Tozer as he states, “ I want to dwell in that sacred, mystic brotherhood of the ransomed and the redeemed, that fellowship of the saints gathered around the broken body and the shed blood of the Savior!”[23] The saints are the vehicle by which the reconciliation of God and man will become known ().

Evangelism/Discipleship

A.W. Tozer stated that, “ The absence of the concept of discipleship from present-day Christianity leaves a vacuum that we instinctively try to fill with one or another substitute.”

Unfortunately, evangelism is sometimes that substitute. The church focuses of achieving the confession of faith without the obedience of it.

Evangelism without discipleship leaves gaps in the spiritual growth of new Christians.

Bonhoeffer states that, “Discipleship is commitment to Christ. Because Christ exists, he must be followed.”

Obedience is required of the believer. Too often in Christian circles, “ salvation is held to be immediate and automatic, while discipleship is thought to be something optional that the Christian may delay indefinitely or never accept at all.”[26]

Evangelism is the “go and tell” and “the baptizing” of the great commission but, discipleship is the “teaching them to obey” part of the great commission.

To be a church that is truly committed to the Great Commission, both practices will need to be present in equal fashion. The church will need to accept the connected nature of these two pieces of the gospel puzzle.

Disciple

A Disciple is one who has confessed Christ as their Lord and savior, believing that he freely gave his live so that they may be forgiven of their sins and redeemed and being made righteous based on the blood of Christ alone ().

The disciple’s answer is not a spoken confession of faith in Jesus. Instead, it is the obedient deed.[27]

The disciple is someone who has surrendered in such a way to Christ that they develop through a series of stages and spheres with the end result of becoming a disciple maker themselves for the glory of the Kingdom of God. Disciples are, as Dempsey describes, someone who ‘knows Christ, Grows in Christ, and Goes for Christ’.[28] A Disciple understands that following Christ is not giving up life, it is gaining life. A disciple treasures the Word in a way that permeates their entire lives. states this meditation and treasuring of the Word as:

Deuteronomy 6:5–9 ESV

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates

Leadership

Christian leaders are “ servants who use their credibility and capabilities to influence people in a particular context to pursue their God-given direction.”[29]

Blackaby states, “ Leadership occurs when you move people from where they are to where they ought to be.”[30]

Leadership, in discipleship, can be defined as moving people from sitting for Christ to standing for Christ and from standing for Christ to moving for Christ.

Leadership happens from the front.

It cannot happen by standing at the back and yelling orders. Leaders must be willing to demonstrate what is expected. This demonstration is leadership. Jesus demonstrated how and what He expected His disciples to do. Christ created intentional relational situations to foster growth and change in the disciples and everyone He chose to interact.[31] Jesus displayed what the disciples needed to do and then, stepped back and allowed them to do so. Jesus nurtured the hidden talents of the disciples and developed them into world changers.[32] Leadership is not for the faint of heart or “ those who seek stable benefits and upscale working conditions.”[33] If one examines scripture they will find Jesus’ master principle that true greatness, true leadership, is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you. True service is never without cost.[34] Leadership that builds discipleship is leadership that practices discipleship.

Practices

Church/Organization Structure

The church is a traditional model that begin to move in a more hybrid direction.

This will include regular “LifeGroups” on Sunday morning where larger groups focus on fellowship and mild discipleship.

Then on Sunday evenings, and various other times throughout the week, there will be “D-Group” gatherings where much smaller groups of 6-10 people gather to delve more deeply into what it means to be a disciple of Christ.

These two opportunities for growth will be supported from the pulpit by the pastor as Fairlawn echoes the words of Rob Gallaty in his book, Growing up, when he said, “ I am convinced that those who are serious about discipleship will be a part of a D-Group, and that churches that are serious about making disciples will both provide and promote D-Groups in the assembly.” To further exhibit the commitment to this process, the pastor will also lead one of the D-Group meetings on Sunday evenings.

D-Group Philosophy

Robert Coleman states, “One must ask, why are so many professed Christians today stunted in their growth and ineffectual in their witness?”[35] A genuine lack of discipleship is the answer. As he goes on to state, “ Jesus did not have the time nor the desire to scatter himself on those who wanted to make their own terms of discipleship.”[36]

Therefore,

D-Groups at Fairlawn Baptist Church, will seek to discover the model and application of Jesus in the discipling of saints to grow in their obedience and service to Christ.

The focus of these groups is to grow them in the knowledge and application of the Word of God with the intention of multiplications of disciples and groups.

D-Groups will address theological and topical issues that face the believer in his walk with the Lord. They will seek to strengthen the saints to stand against the lies of the devil and the philosophies of the world that directly contradict the Word of God (, , and ).

They will be scheduled and planned as the need arises and will take place during various times and in various places throughout the week. Lay leaders and/or the pastor will lead these groups. Each leader will be instructed to seek out an apprentice to mentor and develop to promote the growth of new groups. A specific timeline will be established to begin the new groups created from the mentoring process. Each new leader will remain in close contact with their mentor so that the relationship can serve as motivation and accountability for both parties.

Curriculum

Each Sunday morning, during LifeGroups, a quarterly curriculum will be utilized that takes the disciple through the Word of God in a three-year span.

This material will be such that a new person could join the study at any time.

The D-Group meetings will be on a 6-8-week duration with a small break in between to allow for new materials to be obtained.

The groups will meet with a specific intent of moving people along to progress them on the discipleship scale. Where the LifeGroups on Sunday morning has a more “in it for the long haul” mentality, the D-Groups will be a more “ready, set , go” mentality with the intention being that people will move to another group or create a new one at the completion of their time with the original group.

Proofs

Knowing/Growing/Going

The ministry will concentrate on the Knowing/Growing/Going philosophy.

Groups, programs and ministries will be evaluated on their ability to engage, get to know, new people and the people they are in group with.

Are new relationships being created that will aid people in their walk with the Lord?

They will be evaluated on whether true biblical growth is occurring.

Are they seeing people grow in their depth of understanding and application of the Word to their lives?

Finally, they will be evaluated on the sending, going, nature of their ministry.

Are they seeing people go out from their ministry to make disciples on their own and/or in a ministry?

As the answers to these questions are answered, they will begin the conversation as to the effectiveness of the ministry. Adjustments can be made to help those ministries that may be struggling and celebrate those that are having success.

Ratios and Numbers

LifeGroups and D-Groups will be tracked for attendance and the number of new groups started. Fairlawn will then use these numbers to determine what is working and what is not. We will meet quarterly with the leaders of the groups to determine where struggles exist and to help with correcting the course where needed. Also, once a year, we will hold a “state of the church” meeting where the numbers are delved into even further.

Conclusion

This disciple-making plan has been established for use in the current ministry of Fairlawn Baptist Church in Parkersburg, WV.

Our launch date for the D-Group meetings described is September 15th, 2019.

The LifeGroups described have been in existence since the church began and have been called by several different names. The evaluation process will begin at the start of the new year.

The reason for this plan is that discipleship cannot be an after-thought of ministry.

It also cannot be viewed as some automatic process that will occur without the church being intentional in its progress.

As Robert Coleman put it, “ Christian disciples are sent men and women—sent out in the same work of world evangelism to which the Lord was sent, and for which he gave his life.”[37] This gives gravity to the call to be disciples and the purpose of those called. The church is clearly called to “make disciples” () and to do so in such a way that those we teach, teach others ().

This gravity and commission necessitate a plan. Sanders states, “ It is not without significance that the word disciple occurs in the New Testament 269 times, Christian only 3 times, and believers 2 times. This surely indicates that the task of the church is not so much to make “Christians” or “believers” but “disciples.”[38] The churches job is to discover Jesus’ plan for discipleship and then implement it. It is the hope that the plan laid out in this paper will facilitate that.

[1] Robert E, Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism (Grand Rapids: Robert E. Coleman, 1993), 21.

[2] Rod Dempsey, “What Is Discipleship? Lecture” (lecture, Liberty University Online, Lynchburg, VA, Retrieved from, https://learn.liberty.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-28260510-dt-content-rid-342565003_1/xid-342565003_1. Accessed August 10, 2019.

[3] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1888). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

[4] J.P. Louw, & E. A. Nida, (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 470). New York: United Bible Societies.

[5] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1888). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

[6] J.-M.Wong, (2010). Opening up Acts (p. 19). Leominster: Day One Publications.

[7] Dave Earley, Disciple Making Is . . . (p. 40). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[8] Ibid., p. 41

[9] Darrow L. Miller. Discipling Nations: The Power of Truth to Transform Cultures . YWAM Publishing. Kindle Edition.

[10] A.W. Tozer. Discipleship (p. 9). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[11] Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, Discipleshift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, IL: Zondervan, 2013), 20.

[12] Ibid

[13] Dave Earley. Disciple Making Is . . . (p. 173). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[14] Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, Discipleshift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, IL: Zondervan, 2013), 23.

[15] Aubrey Malphurs. Strategic Disciple Making (p. 10). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[16] Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, Discipleshift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, IL: Zondervan, 2013), 23.

[17] Aubrey Malphurs. Strategic Disciple Making (p. 14). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[18] Jim Putman. DiscipleShift (Exponential Series) (p. 31). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

[19] Ibid., p. 239)

[20] Jim Putman. DiscipleShift (Exponential Series) (p. 239). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. 29.

[21] Ibid., p. 32.

[22] Ibid., p. 191.

[23] A.W. Tozer. Discipleship (p. 54). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[24] Ibid., p. 10

[25] Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Discipleship DBW Vol 4 (Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works) (p. 59). Fortress Press. Kindle Edition.

[26] A.W. Tozer. Discipleship (p. 9). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[27] Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Discipleship DBW Vol 4 (Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works) (p. 57). Fortress Press. Kindle Edition.

[28] Earley and Dempsey, Electronic.

[29] Aubrey Malphurs. Building Leaders . Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[30] Henry T. Blackaby. Spiritual Leadership (p. 34). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[31] Alice Fryling, Disciplemaker's Handbook: Helping People Grow in Christ, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1989), WORDsearch CROSS Ebook, 27.

[32] Greg Ogden, Unfinished Business: Returning the Ministry to the People of God, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), Loc 320-323. Kindle.

[33] J. Oswald Sanders. Spiritual Leadership (Sanders Spiritual Growth Series) (p. 12). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[34] Ibid., p. 14

[35] Robert E. Coleman. The Master Plan of Evangelism (p. 59). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[36] Ibid., p. 52

[37] Robert E. Coleman. The Master Plan of Evangelism (p. 89). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[38] J. Oswald Sanders. Spiritual Discipleship (Sanders Spiritual Growth Series) (p. 8). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.