2 Reasons We Should Expand Our Definition of Discipleship

The post advocates for a broader understanding of discipleship, one that starts even before faith and extends to those distanced from God and the church. This holistic discipleship journey begins where individuals are and resonates with their perception of the church’s relevance and likability.

10 Questions to Better Understand Your Discipleship Pathway

WHO IS THIS FOR: This post is specifically for church leaders struggling to reach new people and grow those in their congregation…

WHAT YOU’LL GET: 10 Questions to help you and your church team evaluate your approach to discipleship.

How successful is discipleship in your church? 

If you lead a church, no doubt you’ve repeatedly asked this question over the past two years. Or two decades.

I suspect Christians and church leaders have questioned discipleship pathways since the beginning of discipleship. Come to think of it, some of the original Disciples debated and argued discipleship at the Jerusalem council. So we’re in good company.

If you’re like most church leaders, you have a discipleship pathway answer, but you’re unsure if it’s the right answer. Or the best answer.

Making it worse, the answer keeps changing. Our two-year pandemic crisis certainly made everything in the church more complex – including discipleship.

Every church I am working with is asking discipleship pathway questions.

Every church that reaches out to me is asking discipleship pathway questions.

Perhaps we’ve never met, but I have an inkling you’re asking discipleship pathway questions, too.

Discipleship is critical to the mission of our churches. I’d suggest it’s central to the mission. If I can press a little further, I’d say discipleship IS the church’s mission.

In this NEW POST, I attempt to redefine discipleship based on the Great Commission and give you 10 questions to ponder as you rethink your approach to discipleship.

Tip 6. Effective Discipleship (Shutting The Back Door in Your Church, Blog Series)

In this blog series, I’ve identified 9 tips to help keep people from leaving your church (i.e., shutting the back door). I believe all 9 are important. In this post, I’ll address tip number six:

TIP 6. Effective Discipleship.

What’s your discipleship strategy?

Hopefully you’re not stumped by the question. If so, you’ll definitely want to read on!

This question is one of a few that must be answered by every church. It’s one of the primary reasons we EXIST as a church. It goes back to that whole “go and make disciples” bit from Jesus!

Within the context of this blog series, we would say evangelism brings people into the church, but discipleship is what grows their faith. Beyond spiritual growth, however, discipleship plays a big part in keeping people at your church (i.e., shutting the back door).

Lack of effective discipleship is one of the primary reasons people church hop. We hear excuses like, “I’m not being fed,” which is often a cop-out, but behind that excuse is often a discipleship system issue.