Discipleship Tools for Leaders

“Who taught him to do that? This question has been asked time and again by parents who see their children imitating something that one of the parents did. Sometimes the invitation is to and sometimes it is not. When considering the act of disciple-making, this same dynamic comes into play. As a matter fact Jesus used this model what he called his disciples to come follow Him. As the disciples spent three years the Savior, they observed his every action, words, and values. After the resurrection, Jesus left the final charge to these disciples. This command, found in Matthew 28, gave the disciples the fundamental engine that would build the church. From that time, many systems and processes have been designed to fulfill that command. Many of these are very good, many are actually counterproductive, promoting attitudes, actions, and values that have very little to do with the Gospel.

Two discipleship models, the LifeShapes model developed by Mike Breen (2011), and the Disciplines model, designed by Richard Foster (2003), were compared and contrasted regarding their closeness to Jesus’ original model, and their effectiveness in carrying out the directive. Upon examining the details of two discipleship models presented, the need for a new discipleship model was confirmed; the new design adapted select components of each system, incorporated unique features, and was aligned to both biblical principles and the Christian worldview.

Components of Two Discipleship Models

Although both discipleship models aim at the same goal, they take vastly different approaches. The differences between these two systems became evident as each was dissected to determine their inner workings and the philosophies behind them. The LifeShapes model incorpora...

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... and improved discipleship process was designed to help move God’s people closer to Him.

Works Cited

Breen, and Cockram. (2011). Building a discipling culture [Kindle version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com.

Cosgrove, M. (2006). Foundations of Christian thought: Faith, learning, and the Christian worldview. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications.

Cronshaw, D. (2012). Reenvisioning theological education and missional spirituality. Journal Of Adult Theological Education, 9(1), 9-27.

Foster, R. (2003). Celebration of discipline [Kindle edition]. Retrieved from Amazon.com.

McWilliams, W. (1993). Winds of Grace, Ways of Faith: Expanding the Horizons of Christian Spirituality. Perspectives In Religious Studies, 20(2), 202-205.

Plummer, R. (2009). Are the spiritual disciplines of "silence and solitude" really biblical? Journal Of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care, 2(1), 101-112.