2012 Great Commission
Discipleship Leadership Seminar
with Greg Ogden
Sponsored by
Ambassadors for Christ, Inc.
About Greg Ogden
Recently “redeployed” from Christ
Church in Oak Brook, IL
Now living in Monterey, CA
Married for 42 years to Lily,
retired elementary school principal
Father to Aimee, married to Adam,
both pediatricians in Salt Lake City, UT
Hopelessly doting grandfather to Claire, 5 years old and
Dylan, 2+ years old
Overview of our Time
• Biblical/Theological Foundations for
Discipleship
 The Pastors’ Role as Equipper for Ministry

The Pastor’s Role as Disciple-Maker
• Vision for Biblical Discipleship
 Why small reproducible discipleship groups are a key
environment for making disciples
• Practical Considerations for
Implementing a Discipleship Strategy
 Need for Discipleship Curriculum

Coaching strategy for implementing and sustaining group
life mulitiplication
Biblical/Theological
Foundations for Discipleship
The Pastor’s Role as
Equipper and Discipler
The Goal of Equipping:
The Priesthood of All Believers
Ephesians 4:11, 12
II Tim. 3:16-17
Apostles
Prophets
Evangelists
PastorTeachers
Work of
Ministry
Do
One
Thing
Equip the
Saints
Which
in turn
Unto
Builds Up The
Body
Of Christ
The Biblical Model of
Disciple-Making
Jesus called his disciples (Luke 6:12-13)
What were the strategic reasons for the
selection of the twelve in the light of…


Why would Jesus risk the dynamics of
jealousy?
Why not just expand the crowd?
Reasons for Focus
on a Few: Internalization
Distrust of the populace
John 2:23-25
 Palm Sunday to Good Friday

“But for the twelve, the doctrine, the works,
the image of Jesus might have perished
from human resemblance, nothing
remaining but a vague mythical tradition, of
historical value, of little practical
importance.”--A. B. Bruce
Reasons for Focus
on a Few: Internalization
b.
Disciples not mass produced
“This careful, painstaking education of the
disciples secured the teacher’s influence on
this world should be permanent; that His
kingdom should be founded on the rock of
deep and indestructible convictions in the
minds of a few, not on the shifting sands of
superficial impressions in the minds of the
many.” -- A. B. Bruce
Reasons for Focus
on a Few: Internalization
c.
Causes of Superficiality
•
Diverted leaders from equipping
•
Focus on programs
Reasons for Focus
on a Few: Internalization
Characteristics of Programs:

Content or knowledge based

One preparing for the many

Regimentation or synchronization

Low Accountability
Reasons for Focus
on a Few: Internalization
“Disciples cannot be massed produced.
We cannot drop people into a program
and see disciples emerge at the end of
a production line. It takes time to make
disciples. It takes individual personal
attention.” (Leroy Eims, The Lost Art of
Disciplemaking)
Reasons for Focus
on a Few: Multiplication
Have Enough Vision to Think Small
A.
Jesus had a heart for the multitudes
“Jesus it must be remembered,
restricted 9/10 of His ministry to 12 Jews
because it was the only way to reach all
Americans.” --Eugene Peterson
The Letter from Jane
What are the
significant disciplemaking principles or
practices reflected in
this letter?
(circle them)
The Disciple-Making Challenge:
Three Years of Ministry
“Perhaps today’s pastor should imagine that
they are going to have three more years in their
parish as pastor--and that there will be no
replacement for them when they leave. If they
acted as if this were going to happen, they
would then put the highest priority on selecting,
motivating, and training lay leaders that could
carry on the mission. The results of three
sustained years of such an approach would be
quite significant. Even revolutionary.” --George
Martin
Reflection Exercise
(in groups of 3; 1 pastor with 2 lay leaders)
1. How do we take seriously the pastoral role
as equipper/discipler and then translate this
into an actual strategy?
2. If we were to follow Jesus’ model and plan
to turn leadership over to those in our
church after we were gone, how would you
best spend your time now getting people
ready? What might the laity come to expect
of themselves?
Vision for Biblical
Discipleship
The Power of Small,
Reproducing Discipleship
Groups
From One-on-One
Discipleship to Small,
Reproducible Groups
Frustrations with Discipling
 Meet one on one weekly
 Mutual sharing
 Teach basics of faith
 Apply faith to family, work, ethics, etc.
 Study together
 Pray together
 ...but no multiplication…why?
What Do YOU Think?
 What are the obstacles to reproduction?
 Why don’t we see more multiplication?
Biblical Models of Disciple-Making
 Paul--Timothy
 Father-Son
 Teacher-Student
 Mature-Immature
 Motivator-Motivated
 What pressure does the discipler feel?
 What does this model foster?
Traditional Model of Disciple-making
Limitations…
One-on-One
 Discipler carries the weight of responsibility
 Leads to hierarchy which creates dependency
 Two-way dialogue; limited interchange
 One-model approach; limited to the discipler
 Generally does not reproduce
Alternate Model of Disciple-making
Important Shifts…
Triads/Quads
 From pressure on discipler to natural
participation
 From hierarchical to relational
 From dialogue to dynamic interchange
 From limited input to wisdom in numbers
 From addition to multiplication
The Power of Threes/Four
• The Trinitarian God (Matthew 28:19)

Genesis 1:26: “Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness. What does the plural tell us
about God? What does it tell us about being made
in the image of God?
• Jesus had 3 as an inner core (Peter, James
and John)

Why did Jesus single out this group of 3 from
within the 12?
• The three-fold cord is not easily broken
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
The Environment for
Transformation
Why small groups of 3 or 4
provide the right environment for
transformation into Christlikeness?
Ingredients for Transformation:
1. Intimacy/Transparency
2. Truth in Community
3. Life-change Accountability
Ingredients for Transformation:
When we…
 open our hearts in transparent trust
to each other
 around the truth of God’s word
 in the spirit of mutual accountability...
…we are in the Holy Spirit’s hothouse of
transformation.
Transformation involves:
1. Transparent Trust
Principle: The extent to which we are willing to
reveal to others those areas of our life that need
God’s transforming touch is the extent to which we
are inviting the Holy Spirit to make us new.
 Affirmation
 Walking Through Difficulties
 Being Reflective Listeners
 Confession
Transformation involves:
2. Truth in Community
II Timothy 3:16, 17--profitable for…
 Teaching
 Reproof
 Correction
 Training in righteousness
 Need for systematic teaching and a tool
 Mosaic Image
 25 lessons
 Written to implement
small, reproducible
discipleship groups
 Built in covenant
 Relational tool
 Leads to transformation
 Precedent for the book
Leadership Essentials
THE ESSENTIAL COMMANDMENT
 12 lessons on The Great
Commandment
 2 lessons each on
loving God with all
our… heart, soul, mind
and strength
 3 lessons on loving our
neighbor as ourselves
 Takes us to the core of
following Jesus
Transformation involves:
3. Life-change Accountability


What is accountability?

Submission to mutually agreed standards

Giving partners authority to call you to account
What are the standards? (p. 14)

Minimum commitments

Recommitment to the standards (p. 80, 146)
Power of the
Discipling Model
Intimacy
Small Groups
Truth

Teaching

Preaching

Discipling
Accountability



Importance and Characteristics
 Transferable
tool
 Progression: create a sense of movement
 Simple without being simplistic
 Easy to use format
 Highly interactive: egalitarian (everyone participates
equally)
 Personal (application oriented)
 Content
can be used and reused
 The framework for teaching
 Gives discipler the confidence. Do not need to
know it all
 Someone who is new to the faith can use and
master
 Overcomes a hit and miss approach
 Gives
a sense of movement
 Mosaic Image
 Four Parts with two lessons as intro




Growing Up In Christ
The Message of Christ
Becoming Like Christ
Serving Christ
 25 lessons
 Written to implement
small, reproducible
discipleship groups
 Built in covenant
 Relational tool
 Leads to transformation
 Precedent for the book
Leadership Essentials

Lesson 1 and 2



What is discipling?
Who is a disciple?
Lessons 3-6: Personal and Corporate Disciplines




Quiet Time
Bible Study
Prayer
Worship
Trinitarian: Father, Son and Holy Spirit flow
 Lesson
7-8: The 3-Personal God and Being Made in His
Image
 Lesson 9: Sin as broken relationship
 Lesson 10: Grace: restored relationship
 Lesson 11: Redemption: Person, death and resurrection
of Jesus
 Lesson 12-13: The Benefits of the Work of Christ
 Justification
 Adoption
Lessons 14-15 Holy Spirit
 Filled with the Spirit
 Fruit of the Spirit
 Lesson 16 Trust: what is faith?
 Lesson 17 Love: key characteristic of the life
in Christ
 Lesson 18 Justice: love on a societal basis;
God’s heart for the poor and disenfranchised
 Lesson 19 Witness: Being connection of
God’s love to those who don’t know it

Lesson 20 Church
 Lesson 21 Ministry Gifts
 Lesson 22 Spiritual Warfare
 Lesson 23 Obedience
 Lesson 24 Sharing the Wealth
 Lession 25 (Bonus Lesson) Money


Format is repeatable and consistent





Core Truth
Memory Verse
Scripture Readings
Contemporary discussion of the issues.
Question are not insultingly simple



Observation: Q 3 and 4 a (p. 89)
Interpretation Q4b (p. 89)
Application Q. 5, (p. 89)
Questions are laid out to make for a progressive
use.
 Created a simplified way to cover the content.

Group size keeps everyone participating.
 The tool is the teacher. Stay away from an
answer person.
 If an unorthodox thought is uttered, take people
back to what the Scriptures say.
 Everyone has a voice and brings their life
experience.


Life change does not occurred until truth
intersects the real issues of our life and leads to
change…





Attitudes
Behaviors
Values
Relationships
Life Direction
The Practicalities
of Disciple-Making
Role of the Leader
Recruiting the Discipling Triad
•
•
Pray for discernment
Invite the potential partner
• State you were drawn to them in
prayer
• Review Table of Contents
• Talk through the Disciple’s Covenant
• Ask the person to prayerfully
consider
• Seek a third/fourth person
Role of the Leader (Cont.)
•
•
•
•
Set the first meeting time
Guide the partners through the first
session
Complete all lessons and participate
Model transparency
First Few Meetings
Review the Covenant
 Get to know each other
 Share your faith journey
 Lead the first 4-6 lessons, then rotate
facilitators
 Keep alive the vision of reproduction

Growing a Disciple-making Network
Develop a small oversight group
 Also a place for problem solving
 Keep track of those in the network
 Create a network newsletter
 Articles
 Testimonies
 Stories of second/third generation
leadership
 Hold semi-annual gatherings of all in
the network

Closing Exhortation
• We have made an unbiblical distinction between
being a Christian and being a disciple as if
discipleship is largely optional
• Growing disciples is a longer process of personal
investment. There are no short-cuts to growing
people.
• A person has turned the corner to maturity when
they start taking responsibility for the spiritual
health of others.
• Leadership Shortage is really a discipleship
shortage
• II Timothy 2:2: Our legacy is the transformed
people we have left in place.