{"id":28905,"date":"2013-10-03T02:33:10","date_gmt":"2013-10-03T08:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.churchvolunteercentral.com\/?post_type=cvdaily&p=27910"},"modified":"2013-10-03T02:33:10","modified_gmt":"2013-10-03T08:33:10","slug":"3-qualities-of-discipleship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/lead\/3-qualities-of-discipleship\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Qualities of Discipleship"},"content":{"rendered":"

I must admit it.\u00a0 Looking back at the years I was a pastor in the late seventies and eighties, I did little in the area of true discipleship. In those days most of us felt that discipleship centered on simply getting our church members knowledgeable about the Bible. Programs such as Sunday school were centered on helping people understand the Bible.<\/p>\n

Discipleship today needs a whole different approach.\u00a0 Perhaps it can best be defined as:<\/p>\n

Discipleship: <\/i><\/b>Helping someone else learn how to follow Christ and apply his teachings in their everyday lives.<\/i><\/p>\n

There isn\u2019t anything wrong with meticulous Bible study, but it isn\u2019t really what discipleship is all about. Discipleship is helping someone learn how to follow Christ and apply his teachings in their everyday life. Christ\u2019s message was about loving God and loving others.\u00a0 Most of the time during his ministry, he taught and lived a non-judgmental, forgiving, loving lifestyle.<\/p>\n

When we center our \u201cdiscipleship\u201d on just knowledge of the Bible we need to heed what we\u2019re told in 1 Corinthians 13:2\u00a0 – \u201cIf I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.\u201d If we\u2019re the best expert on the Bible\u2014-but do not love others\u2014-we’ve missed the big picture of disciple-making.<\/p>\n

Perhaps we need to reform our discipleship methods to include:<\/p>\n

Mentoring<\/b> – Discipleship is done best when it\u2019s one-on-one. \u00a0I know of some churches that emphasize this method but most seem to miss the boat. Mentoring is the opportunity to come alongside someone to explore God and develop a relationship with Jesus. The goal is not greater knowledge of what the Bible has to say, but how the Bible is real to our lives.<\/p>\n

Application <\/b>– While knowledge of the Bible is valuable and important, it\u2019s the application that helps us with spiritual transformation. \u00a0I\u2019m always a bit dismayed when I see a leader who can quote a different scripture every minute, but fails to help others understand how to save their marriage, deal with stress and depression, or face other life issues.<\/p>\n

Relationship<\/b> – \u00a0Belonging comes before believing. Discipleship happens best when it\u2019s connected to a relationship with a Christ-follower.\u00a0 Discipleship with a relational approach helps us live Christ in the presence of each other. When we eat, drink, walk, talk, and fellowship together, we have the opportunity to apply the teachings of Christ to everyday life.<\/p>\n

What needs to be reformed in your church to be more effective at disciple-making?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[Editor\u2019s note:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Steve Hewitt, founder of Love God, Love People Ministries<\/a>, will be joining the conversation at the Future of the Church\u00a0Summit<\/a> October 29-30, 2013<\/strong> at Group Publishing, Loveland, Colorado. This article is excerpted from Steve’s newest publication, The New Protestant Reformation<\/em>. For a free copy, download here<\/a>.]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I must admit it.\u00a0 Looking back at the years I was a pastor in the late seventies and eighties, I did little in the area of true discipleship. In those days most of us felt that discipleship centered on simply getting our church members knowledgeable about the Bible. Programs such as Sunday school were centered on helping people understand the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":82,"featured_media":8837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[117],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lead"],"yoast_head":"\n3 Qualities of Discipleship - Group Children's Ministry<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I must admit it.\u00a0 Looking back at the years I was a pastor in the late seventies and eighties, I did little in the area of true discipleship. 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