Last month Deborah and I were in Indonesia, Singapore, and Taiwan teaching Asian pastors, church planters, and missionaries about discipleship and leadership. Same ole boring strokes, again. After our Sunday night session, a young Indonesian leader asked, “how do you define discipleship?” Good question. Here’s my answer, and more.
1. A disciple is a person who follows Jesus.
2. Every Christian should be a disciple.
3. Every disciple should make disciples.
4. Discipleship is the process of helping others follow Jesus.
5. Discipleship is a life-long journey, not a six-week class.
6. Discipleship happens best in community (small groups).
7. Men disciple men; women disciple women.
8. Evangelism and discipleship should not be separated.
9. Discipleship is relationship.
10. Jesus wants all nations to be discipled.
Making disciples is the job of every Christian every day.
Cultivating a relational discipleship culture, creating discipleship systems, and over-communicating discipleship principles were the core of my job description for over two decades as the pastor of Victory Manila. And I recommend that all of the above should be in every pastor’s job description.
Discipleship is not supposed to be complicated or confusing. In fact, it is so simple that a fisherman explained it to uneducated fishermen in two words: “Follow me.”
Are you following him? Are you helping others follow him? In other words, are you a disciple, and are you making disciples?
My top 5 recommended books on discipleship:
Making Disciples by Ralph Moore
The Master Plan of Discipleship by Coleman
The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoffer
The Lego Principle by Joey Bonifacio
WikiChurch by Steve Murrell