CULTURE OF DISCIPLESHIP
Who is a disciple?
A follower of Jesus.
What is Discipling?
Intentionally helping others follow Jesus.
What is a culture of discipleship?
When the whole church discipling the whole church is normal.
Putting it all together
Discipling is not another thing we do. It is the way we do everything. More than a program or a curriculum, discipleship is the normal way we live together as a church. This is lived out in corporate and personal contexts.
Corporate DISCIPLESHIP
In the Great Commission, Jesus instructed his disciples to make disciples by baptizing and teaching everything that he commanded. The command to baptize means that the main context of discipleship is the local church. In a broad sense, discipleship happens in the life of the church as we worship and serve together. Here are a few examples of how we disciple one another in this way.
Attend Sunday Morning Gathering - We encourage, exhort, and edify one another when we gather to hear from God. Sing whole-heartedly and loudly! Pray fervently with the church. Come ready to hear from the Word of God. Stay a while and talk to others.
Attend First Hour Classes and Sunday Night Service - These are great opportunities to build more relationships in a context of teaching, prayer, and singing. First Hour classes are a great opportunity for discipleship! Bring someone with you and plan to discuss the material after the class.
Pray - The Hinson Directory is set up as a tool to pray for each person in the church once a month. If you don’t know the person, pray the Scripture you read that day over them. You could even send them an email or invite them over to get to know them.
Initiate Hospitality - Bring others into your life. Invite a visitor, new member, or member you don’t know to your home to get to know them. Hospitality could also be initiating coffee or a lunch.
Evangelism - We want to help people follow Jesus even if they don’t know him. Look for ways to engage your neighborhood, coworkers, and friends with the gospel. Let others in the church know how they can pray for your evangelistic efforts.
Serve in a Ministry - Serving in ministry is not driven primarily by a desire to express our gifts, but to love and edify others. Click on the link if you want information about ministries.
personal DISCIPLESHIP
While Jesus drew large crowds in his ministry, he also focused his discipleship with a few. The relationships we build in broad discipleship should move towards a focused discipleship with a few. In a focused sense, a culture of discipleship is marked by initiating intentional relationships centered around the Word, transparency, and prayer. This won’t always be easy! But this is what gospel ministry is all about. If you are not sure who to meet with, we want to connect you with others to get the ball rolling.
Join a Small Group - Our Small Groups are not intended to be filled people that look just like us, but are diverse in make up. These groups are for men and women of different ages that spend time applying God’s Word to their lives and praying.
Join a Discipleship Group - These are smaller groups of 3-4 people of the same gender. These might be driven more by location, work, subject, or schedule. These do not have to be organized by the church. You can start these on your own.
We hope the above structures will encourage you in your discipling relationships, but please don’t feel limited by them. We encourage you to initiate these relationships on your own.