Disciple Making Reminders
As one year closes and another opens, I generally take some time to reflect on a number of areas of life and ministry. This year, one of the topics that has been most on my mind is disciple making. In the course of prayer, contemplation, and reading, I stumbled back upon a now ten-year-old document produced by Discipleship.org. Following a gathering in January 2015, a series of affirmations and definitions were drafted and published as a guide to church leaders. While I commend the entire document to you, what follows are five paraphrased items that are timely to remember as we begin a new year.
- Disciple Making Gospel. The gospel we preach dictates the kind of disciples we create; a “discipleship optional” gospel will not produce Christlike disciples.
- Disciple Making Calling. Jesus took non-disciples and made them disciple makers – and then charged us to do the same.
- Disciple Making Motive. Love is the driving motive and the signature card of all true disciples. Disciple making cannot happen apart from loving relationships, thus disciple-making is inherently relational.
- Disciple Making Fruit. We are not making disciples until they are following Jesus’ model of love and helping to make more disciples.
- Disciple Making Church. A church in which it is expected, and indeed clear even to newcomers, that every member makes disciples who make disciples.
I trust that these are as helpful to you as they have been to me. If you want to view the full document, you can find it here. As always, I am available anytime to talk or help in any way that I am able.
Together with you,
Chris
ctweedy@rmdcma.com or (406) 647-2764