By guest blogger Dr. Dave Daubert, parish pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Elgin, Illinois and lead consultant for Day 8 Strategies. One of my favorite pot stirrers is the Franciscan priest, Richard Rohr. In his How to Breathe Underwater, he spends a lot of time...
My colleague Colin Noyes in Australia has been working on implementing discipleship with a mid-sized church of about 500-600. They’re working on a template based on Colin’s recent series of three books on the subject. Although believers in Australia are functioning in...
For discipling people, I like to use the analogy of rubber bands and shoelaces. People need both enough stretch (rubber bands) and enough support (shoelaces) to be able to move forward. One without the other is incomplete. People need to be stretched and challenged in...
I realized early on in ministry that I was not smart enough to be the Holy Spirit. The best I can do is to help people listen to what God is doing in their life and then to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to see God’s agenda become a reality. When we are discipling...
We want people to grow as disciples and make other disciples, yet we often never get discipleship efforts off the ground. As I’ve looked at hundreds of different discipleship initiatives, I’ve come across five key mistakes to avoid. These are the elements that prevent...
In conversation with my colleague and professor of Psychology at Texas A&M, Dr. Charles Ridley, we talked about what really gets in the way of personal discipleship growth and process. There are many types of impasses—blind spots, assumptions, patterns,...
Note: This entry by guest blogger Jonathan LaBarge When I think of ego in a pastoral context, I think of Peter. Peter, who was told by Jesus to “feed my sheep” (John 21:17). Peter, who swore he would do anything for Jesus (Luke 22:33). Peter, who was the rock on which...
What is the relationship of discipleship to leadership? Consider someone who desires to become a Christian leader. He may have solid theological knowledge and know how to communicate it in a compelling way. He may have good interpersonal skills and provide sound...
“It is with real delight that I recommend the Dimensions of Discipleship small group studies to you. We have used them this year as the curriculum in our LIFE Groups with great responses. They are challenging, Biblical, thought-provoking, relevant, and practical.” –...
