Leadership

Construction: Building Disciples

By jgiroux ⋅ July 10, 2008 ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

This is Part 6 of the Construction series on Thursday Leadership Lesson- Building Community. Last semester, we talked about laying a solid Foundation. This semester, we are focusing on the skills and resources needed to build teams, ministries, and groups. It’s about making disciples. Today, we are going to talk about that very topic- building disciples.

In Matthew 28:19-20, we receive our marching orders as followers of Christ. It’s always struck me that Jesus said we are to go “make disciples.” Not find them, but make them. There’s some assembly required.

Colossians 2:6-7 says,

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Ephesians 4:11-13 says that leaders in the church are responsible for equiping the church so that they body of Christ will be “built up.”

Discipleship is a building process. There’s some assembly required. In order to assemble properly, we’ve got to know the disciple blueprint, we’ve got to personalize it according to our unique group environment, and we’ve got to make detailed drawings for individuals.

Know the Blueprint

Before you begin building disciples, you need to know the blueprint. What should the finished product look like? What are the pieces to the puzzle?

At NCC, we define disciples as people who are become life-long seekers of God, learners of his truth and ways, investors in his kingdom, and influencers of culture.

A disciple is constantly seeking after God through prayer and the spiritual disciplines. They are filled with the Holy Spirit and developing his fruit in their lives. They are discovering their spiritual gifts and engaging in spiritual warfare. Disciples are constantly learning to love God with all their minds. They read, study, meditate, and memorize the Word of God. They strive to understand the core doctrines of the faith. Disciples influence those inside the church walls through their involvement in community and discipleship. They influence neighborhoods through service and marketplace evangelism and they influence nations through missionary outreach. Finally, disciples invest their time, gifts, talents, resources, and finances into the Kingdom of God.

Personalize the Blueprint

Every group leader should personalize the blueprint according to their unique small group environment. It will help you build leaders at the corporate level of your group experience. Here are some things to think about:

• What is your discipleship focus this semester- seeker, learner, influencer, or investor?

• What study will you do in your group to drive that focus? If you are not study-oriented, then how will you advance that focus within the context of your group?

• Describe a plan for developing community in your group. What will be the balance of discussion time and connecting time in your group? How much effort will be made connecting outside of the group? How many social activities do you want to have?

• Make a list of your potential leaders.

• What outreaches will you do this year?

• How can you improve your relationship with your zone leader or team leader? What is one thing your zone leader can do to help you in your role?

Detail Drawings

Another thing you can do to build disciples is to focus on the detail drawing level– or the individual level. Pick out 2 or 3 individuals in your group and help them develop a personal spiritual development plan. Components of a spiritual development plan include the following:

• What discipleship relationships will you pursue in the next 6 months? What activities will be included?

• Seeker
  • List specific goals for developing spiritual disciplines such as prayer, worship, fasting, confession, etc.
  • List a Spiritual Discipline you would like to try for the first time:
    • Target Date:

• Learner
  • Outline your Bible reading and supplemental reading plan for the next 6 months:

• Influencer
  • List your personal ministry and outreach plans for the next 6 months.
  • What unchurched friends will you be investing in and inviting to church?

• Investor
  • List your goals for giving for the next 6 months.
  • List the needs that you are asking God to meet:

Action Steps

Building disciples requires a plan. Today, we’ve talked about a plan for your group and a plan for individuals. But it also takes time, patience, and a tremendous amount of personal investment. There’s some assembly required.

What are some other things you have learned that will help others build disciples?

About The Author: Heather Z. is the Pastor of Discipleship at National Community Church in Washington, DC.

Tags: Christ Jesus, Colossians 2, Construction Series, Core Doctrines, Disciples, Discipleship, Ephesians 4, Finished Product, Followers Of Christ, God Learners, Group Environment, Holy Spirit, Influencers, Learning To Love God, Solid Foundation, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Gifts, Spiritual Warfare, Thankfulness, Word Of God