18 Aug The 7 Steps To a Complete Discipleship Ministry
WE MUST KEEP ALL 7 MARKS OF A COMPLETE CHRISTIAN ON OUR RADAR SCREEN SIMULTANEOUSLY TO AVOID HOLES IN OUR DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRY
The reason is that some of the better discipleship resources that are available today have their roots in the mid-twentieth century when there was a focus on equipping believers to withstand the encroachment of theological liberalism in the church in America.
At that time, if you conformed to modern culture, you did not violate any of the Ten Commandments, you had an essentially biblical worldview, and a foundational knowledge of the Bible. Discipleship could be viewed as a Christian “finishing school”, hitting the high points and counting on American culture to fill in the gaps with biblical truth and values.
In stark contrast, today, if you conform to modern culture, you violate most of the Ten Commandments. As a result, discipleship must target everything that needs to happen in a disciple’s life, assuming that anything that is not targeted will be filled in with beliefs and behavior that violate biblical principles.
Nothing that is important can be left to chance. The 7 Marks of a Complete Christian provide the outline for determining those discipleship goals. The discipler must:
- Facilitate individual worship
- Inspire corporate worship
- Instruct in biblical knowledge
- Nurture in Christlike lifestyle
- Train in ministry skill
- Mobilize for impact in the church
- Deploy for impact in the world
Not one of those seven goals can be omitted or the disciple will not be complete in Christ.
So, in your discipleship ministry, do you know how to lead those you are discipling in individual worship? Do you have the materials needed to help? Same with corporate worship?
Have you determined what the disciple should know in the area of foundational biblical knowledge? Do you have the curriculum necessary to instruct in that biblical knowledge? Do you know what the lifestyle of a disciple should look like? Do you have the curriculum needed to help you nurture that lifestyle? Do you know what the disciple should do? Do you have the curriculum to help equip and train him?
Are you clear on mobilizing disciples to ministry in the church and deploying them to ministry in the world?
These are all huge questions, and probably no one knows the full answer to them. In fact, the full answers will vary depending on the context in which the discipling is done. The answers will be somewhat different for a disciple in New Guinea compared to a disciple in New York.
For over 30 years, I felt frustrated in the ministry because I did not know the answer to those questions. I knew bits of the answer, of course, but I wanted a complete strategy to take a disciple from point A to point B, and have a clear picture of all the steps in between.
That is why I created the Brave New Discipleship System. This “discipleship system in a box” answers all those questions on the most basic level and provides the tools needed. It is not the most you will need, it is the least. It is not the end of discipleship, it is the beginning. It does not replace other “deeper” discipleship resources. It prepares a disciple for them.
If this resonates with you, you can learn more about The Brave New Discipleship System here. I do not know of another resource that can enable a person to learn more, easier, faster than this.
For more information, check out “What Others are Saying” and read the “Open Letter to Fellow Pastors” on that page. In over fifty years of ministry, The Brave New Discipleship System is the most powerful and effective discipleship tool I have ever used.
I discuss more fully the principles and strategies of leading a disciple through The 7 Marks of a Complete Christian in my book, Brave New Discipleship.
If you have questions, contact me at the email link below.
If you know someone you think may find this blog valuable, please forward it to them. I am always glad to hear from readers. Write me at max@maxanders.com. I will not be able to answer all emails, but I will answer some, and I may address in future blogs the questions/issues you raise. And, follow me on http://www.facebook.com/maxanders.author
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