Turning your church upside down
By Jim Burnett
I love introducing people to Jesus. But equally rewarding is helping believers, a few at a time, on their journey toward spiritual maturity. In the past four years of my pastoral ministry, God has led me to a radical paradigm shift. I finally get it.
I understand why Jesus strategically poured himself into a handful of disciples. Through a personal relationship with these carefully and prayerfully selected men, He led them to salvation and spiritual maturity. As a result, they turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6).
Creating an “I am my brother’s keeper” mentality
How responsible do your church members feel for the spiritual formation and development of one another? How many members actively and intentionally nurture and encourage at least one other believer toward transformation? The Great Commission is clear: Go make disciples.
At Willow Pointe Church, we take that command seriously by linking people in discipleship relationships. Through different configurations, such as small groups, couple to couple, and one on one, the goal is to grow people to their full potential in Christ.
One of the greatest joys of my ministry has been seeing people move forward, inch by inch, in their relationship with the Lord. It’s exhilarating to watch them transform from their salvation experience into active service and ministry, and then to become incredible and influential leaders.
Sadly, it’s a joy many in the church have never experienced, because so few are enlisted to disciple others. I know some Christians feel intimidated by the thought of helping another believer grow. As church leaders we need to instill in them that having a relationship with Jesus Christ and bearing spiritual fruit makes them completely qualified.
Recently our church conducted its annual discipleship survey. More than 100 people checked the desire to be discipled or to disciple others. We’ve found people are hungry to grow in the Lord and help others to do so.
So how does one go about creating a culture of discipleship in the church? Here are five things that have not only changed our culture but also led our church to a discipleship revolution.
1. Champion the cause
If you want your church to become a disciple-making church, you must model the behavior and personally prioritize discipleship. I’m currently meeting weekly with five men and praying over adding two others. I’ve challenged our staff and elders to do likewise.
Of those five men, I meet with three of them one-on-one and the other two I meet with as a trio. I’ve concluded that I can do nothing greater than pour myself into a few good men.
2. Create a discipleship strategy
Define for your people what transformation looks like and what a disciple looks like, and then equip them to make disciples of others. Discipleship occurs in community, so we encourage our folks to join a small group as well as some type of smaller discipleship relationship. Relationship is the key to discipleship.
Through a relationship the disciple maker invites the disciple into a journey of transparency, self-discovery, and transformation. The journey centers on truth in the form of a topical study or Bible book study of their choosing.
Disciplers then develop those they’re discipling into servants and eventually into leaders by personally walking alongside them, helping them plug into opportunities of ministry and missions.
3. Pray for right connections
Jesus spent a lot of time praying before He chose His disciples, and so should we. It’s been quite an experience watching the Lord pair people at Willow Pointe. Make sure your discipleship strategy is saturated with prayer.
When it is, you’ll be amazed at how God makes the right connections. However, there will be times when people don’t connect well. If that happens, be ready to make adjustments.
4. Measure progress
How do you know discipleship is taking place? Simply put, lives are changing. Someone who once was driven by anger and bitterness now has joy and peace. Someone who once was insecure and afraid is now confident. A person who has never served the Lord is now elbow-deep in ministry.
5. Celebrate the wins
Transformation is the goal of discipleship, and when transformation happens, it needs celebrating. At Willow Pointe, we often have open microphones available for people who want to share their praise and their progress. These testimonies whet the appetites of other believers to go deeper in their own lives and in the lives of others.
A discipleship revolution
The 30-year-old contractor did something he’d never done before and didn’t think was possible: He stood before 200 people and shared his Christian journey. As Jack took the microphone, his voice quavered and tears began streaming down his face.
The Sunday morning congregation was mesmerized as he described in detail how his life had been radically transformed the past few months. The catalyst for such a change was a discipleship connection with two other men in our church. He had no idea life under the lordship of Christ could be so good.
A few months later, Sam, a 25-year-old medical professional who had come to Christ as a child, stood before the same church family and shared a similar testimony.
He told how he had always been a reserved guy who struggled with panic attacks. He kept to himself, and this tendency almost destroyed his life. Then he was invited into a discipleship connection with two other guys—one was Jack.
That discipleship relationship changed Sam’s life. Joy has now taken the place of his anxiety. He has learned, firsthand, the benefits of being discipled and now is committed to pour himself into other men.
Jack and Sam’s story is being played out again and again at Willow Pointe Church. Women are connecting with women and men are connecting with men, and God is renovating their lives and upgrading their faith.
Consequently, more and more of our members are transitioning from the spiritual stages of infancy to childhood, adolescence, and spiritual parenthood.
From small groups to one-on-one connections, we as a church are experiencing a discipleship revolution.
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JIM BURNETT is pastor of Willow Pointe Church in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
