Today's Disciple


Book Description




Discipleship that Fits


Book Description

For far too long, the church has tried to make disciples using a one-size-fits-all approach. Some churches advocate 1-on-1 discipling, others try getting everyone into a small group, while still others training through mission trips or service projects. Yet others focus all their efforts on attracting people to a large group gathering to hear biblical teaching and preaching. But does one size really fit everyone? Based on careful biblical study and years of experience making disciples in the local church, Bobby Harrington and Alex Absalom have identified five key relationships where discipleship happens in our lives. In each relational context we need to understand how discipleship occurs and we need to set appropriate expectations for each context. Discipleship That Fits shows you the five key ways discipleship occurs. It looks at how Jesus made disciples and how disciples were formed in the early church. Each of the contexts is necessary at different times and in different ways as a person grows toward maturity in Christ: Public Relationships: The church gathering corporately for worship Social Relationships: Networks of smaller relationships where we engage in mission and live out our faith in community Personal Relationships: Small groups of six to sixteen people where we challenge and encourage one another on a regular basis Transparent Relationships: Close relationships of three to four where we share intimate details of our lives for accountability The Divine Relationship: Our relationship with Jesus Christ where we grow through the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit Filled with examples and stories, Alex and Bobby show you how to develop discipleship practices in each relational context by sharing how Jesus did it, how the early church practiced it, and how churches are discipling people today.




The Rise and Fall of Movements


Book Description

A ministry is what you can do with the help of others. A movement is what God can do when you let go of control and multiply disciples and churches. Drawing on the life and ministry of Jesus, and with reflections on past and present movements, Steve Addison provides a roadmap for leaders who want to multiply disciples and churches to the ends of the earth. Whether pioneering on the edge, riding a wave of expansion, or stuck in suffocating decline, The Rise and Fall of Movements addresses each phase in the movement lifecycle, helping leaders identify their stage and align themselves with God's purposes.




Spiritual Connection


Book Description

'Spiritual Connection: Understanding the Dynamics of Guru-disciple Relationship' Discusses the following important topics: Who is a Guru? Why do I need a Living Guru? Why am I not satisfied in my relationship with my Guru? How to internalize the sacred Guru-disciple relationship? How to be a Progressive Disciple? “Spiritual Connection” answers the above and many more questions with much depth and clarity. Presented in a very simple and lucid manner, this book is a collection of various case-studies taken from Vedic literature's such as Srimad-bhagavatam, Caitanya-Charitamrita, Mahabharata and Ramayana. Herein, the subject of Guru-disciple relationship is explored, explained and churned into valuable lessons to help all the levels of spiritual seekers— from novice and seasoned—to have their spiritual connection established, enhanced or rejuvenated.




Growing Up


Book Description

If you are serious about being a disciple of Jesus Christ—really, truly serious—a discipleship group can help you achieve that goal. Jesus established this model for us by forming and leading the first discipleship group—and it worked. The men who emerged from that group took the gospel to the world and ultimately laid down their lives for Christ. Discipleship groups can create an atmosphere for fellowship, encouragement, and accountability—building an environment where God can work. In Growing Up: How to Be a Disciple Who Makes Disciples, Robby Gallaty presents a practical, easy-to-implement system for growing in one's faith. This guide offers a manual for making disciples, addressing the what, why, where, and how of discipleship. D-Groups, as Gallaty calls them, can teach you and others how to grow your relationship with God, how to defend your faith, and how to guide others in their relationships with God. Growing Up provides you with an interactive manual and resource for creating and working with discipleship groups, allowing you to gain positive information both for yourself and for others as you learn how to help others become better disciples for Christ.




Dynamics of Discipling


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Leading Small Groups


Book Description

Leading a small group can literally change the world. We have been commissioned to make disciples who make disciples, and Jesus showed us that the best way to carry that out is through small groups of believers. Just like the first-century church, small groups form the foundation to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Chris Surratt, Discipleship and Small Groups Specialist for Lifeway Christian Resources, and author of Small Groups for the Rest of Us, wants to help you get from here to there. Regardless of whether you have never lead a small group or have been leading one for years, all of us want to know how to create environments where spiritual growth takes place and communities are changed. Leading Small Groups walks the reader through the stages of gathering, launching, leading, and multiplying a gospel-centered small group. There are also follow-up questions for discussion and reflection at the end of each section, and practical resources that can be implemented immediately by the small group leader. Jesus left his followers with a task—the Great Commission. This book will help small group leaders and churches in their obedience to this task.




Motus Dei


Book Description

Discover Your Place in the Movement of God An incredible breakthrough in missions history is taking place as disciples of Jesus make more disciples of Jesus around the globe, particularly among the least-reached. But what exactly are these church planting or disciple making movements? Where are they occurring and what are their unifying features? How are they manifesting in diverse populations? And can you or your organization be instrumental in catalyzing more movements? Motus Dei, Latin for “movement of God,” seeks to answer these questions and more. Warrick Farah has expertly synthesized an extensive conversation between mission practitioners, scholars, and seasoned movement leaders from around the world. The resulting in-depth analysis of movements provides a multi-disciplinary, academic investigation of an emerging “movements missiology,” highlighting the importance of theology, social sciences, ethnology and anthropology, communications theory, leadership theory, and statistical analysis. Motus Dei locates the current Church Planting Movement (CPM) phenomenon within modern history, while tracing its roots back to the first century, and articulates a missiological description of the dynamics of Disciple Making Movements (DMMs) in Asia, Africa, and diaspora contexts in the Global North. Offering over thirty firsthand accounts of indigenous churches planting churches among the nations, Motus Dei provides a seedbed for growing movements in diverse contexts. There are lessons to be learned here by anyone seeking to participate in the movement of God.




Discipleship Essentials


Book Description

We grow in Christ as we seek him together. Jesus' own pattern of disciple-making was to be intimately involved with others. This expanded 25-session workbook by Greg Ogden, perfect for small groups or individuals, helps us influence others as Jesus did—by investing in a few. Working through it will deepen your knowledge of essential Christian teaching and strengthen your faith.




Leading Small Groups That Thrive


Book Description

Nearly every church is trying to help their congregants build relationships with others, grow as disciples, and/or engage in meaningful service through small groups. Many have argued that these small groups are the preferred vehicle for relationship building, disciple making, and membership assimilation in the local church, especially in large, multisite churches. Leading Small Groups That Thrive shows small group leaders, step by step, how to plan for, launch, build, sustain, and multiply highly effective, transformational, healthy small group experiences where people grow spiritually together. Based on a large-scale research study of small group pastors, leaders, and members, Leading Small Groups That Thrive gives church leaders both what they want--practical, straightforward, actual small group member voices and experiences, and compelling guidance on how to build transformational groups complemented with real-life examples and data of successful small groups--and what they need--substantial, challenging insights and a data-driven model grounded in the latest research on church small groups.