5 Key Compenents of a Disciple Making Church
5 Key Components of a Disciple Making Church:
The Bible alone gives a clear and complete picture of what God wants done (His mission) and how He wants it done (His methods). The following five key components of a disciple-maker are built on a biblical foundation. These are applied as we follow Jesus in our HOME, GROUP, and CHURCH.
1. BIBLICAL FOUNDATION:
Our Vision, Mission, Process, and desire to impact the world is rooted in what Jesus did and how God has revealed himself through his Word, the Bible. It is on this foundation that we want to base everything we do. It is through this filter that we want to evaluate what we are to do.
2 Timothy 3:16, 17 (NIV) All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2. INTENTIONALITY:
Being intentional we understand that part of our role is to reach the lost, make disciples of Jesus, and create Christ-centered environments where disciple-making can happen. Where all the people in the church can be equipped and enabled in the relational process for discipleship.
3. RELATIONAL ENVIRONMENT:
We believe in the biblical foundation that we are designed to be in relationship with God first and foremost, and secondly we are designed to be in relationship with others.
The people involved are doing life together with a kingdom mindset. The relationships go beyond just the group time. They move from strangers to friendship. These relationships press into areas of privacy, transparency, and vulnerability.
4. REPRODUCIBLE DISCIPLE-MAKING PROCESS:
This is the process for developing people towards Christ likeness. This includes three parts. “MY PART” (the disciple), “THEIR PART” (the disciples), and “GOD’S PART”. We start to understand the 5 stages of spiritual growth.
5. CHURCH ALIGNMENT:
There are 3 key areas of alignment to equip the Church in its purpose of making disciples of Jesus:
● Relational Alignment- moving together toward the culture being able to disciple each other and anyone who might join in the future.
● Theological Alignment - The Mission needs to agree on its “no compromise” issues as well as its “this is what we believe but we don’t expect everyone else to necessarily agree with us” issues.
● Organizational Alignment- The Mission church is dedicated to making disciples above all else.
The 6 Ministry Essentials:
1. Abiding in Christ
Our Goal is that every person in our church will have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that transforms the way they live in the church, home, and world (4 spheres).
This is not only one of our core values but it is a commitment to minister out of the overflow of a life abiding in Jesus.
2. Reach The Lost
Our goal –every person in our church can and does share their faith with those who do not know Jesus. In order to accomplish this we understand it must start with us as leaders.
3. Connect the Unconnected
Our goal --every person will be connected to Jesus in relationship, to an intentional relational environment for the purpose of becoming a disciple of Jesus, and they will be connected to the congregation as a whole as they consistently worship together on the weekend.
4. Intentionally Shepherd Our People Towards Spiritual Maturity
We feed the sheep and care for them in a way that enables them to be all they were created and saved to be. Every person is a disciple and should be a disciple maker.
Our desire is to intentionally help our people learn to feed themselves so that their individual needs are met (Jude 20-21), and so they can learn to feed those they disciple until they reach maturity and so on.
5. Equip, & Release Disciples
Everyone is a Minister – We believe that every person is saved for a reason. Our role as disciple makers is to help them figure out what gift God has given them to use in the church and to help them start to use it effectively.
6. Function As A Team
We will work with each other and collaborate with others. Every member is important and must be supported and protected.
Essentials for Salvation
The Mission seeks to be unified on salvation beliefs while permitting differing opinions on non-salvation beliefs. Jesus said that the world would know that we are His because we love one another and because we are one (John 13:35; John 17:21-22). Therefore, these Statements of Faith are our non-negotiable statements of belief.
GOD: We believe God is self-existent, and by nature He is eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, and everywhere. God has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in agreement and unified with each other's role in the Godhead. We believe these three are co-equal and are one God.
Supportive Scripture: Genesis 1:1, 26-27; 3:22; Deuteronomy 6:4; Job 38, 39, & 40; Psalm 90:2, 139:1-4, 7-10; Isaiah 40:13-17,45:18; Matthew 19:26, 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; I Peter 1:2 John 1:1, Colossians 1:15
FATHER: We believe that God the Father holds all the attributes of God while exercising a unique role in the Godhead. He is the father of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and yet still one with both as God. God the Father adopts believers in Jesus Christ into a relationship with Him as their Father (see Salvation).
Supportive Scripture: John 15:1-4; Deuteronomy 32:6; Isaiah 9:6, 63:16; John 20:17; Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 4:6
JESUS: We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He is God. He is coequal with the Father and Holy Spirit, present and participating in creation. Jesus took on human flesh in the fullness of time so that He could live a sinless life and offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. He was raised from the dead, after three days, victorious over the power of sin and death. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead and to make all things new.
Supportive Scripture: Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1-5; 8:58; 14:10-30; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 1:3-4; I Corinthians 15:3-4; Colossians 1:15-23; I Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 4:14-15; Revelation 1:8.
HOLY SPIRIT: We believe the Holy Spirit is coequal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make all people aware of their sin and their need for Jesus Christ. His purpose in our time is to bring glory to Jesus and to intercede with God the Father on our behalf. He dwells in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He gives gifts to believers providing them with power to grow in
Christlikeness, to understand spiritual truth, and to serve the mission of the church. Supportive Scripture: Genesis 1:1-2; Psalm 51:10-12; John 14:16-17, 16:7-13, 17; Acts 1:8; Romans 5:5; I Corinthians 2:12; 3:16; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 1:13, 5:18; 2 Peter 1:19-21.
SALVATION: We believe that all have sinned (willful disobedience to God). We believe that the wages of sin is death and eternal separation from God. Salvation is a free gift of God. Jesus Christ's death and his resurrection is the only sufficient payment for our sins. It's only by grace through faith that one can receive this free gift. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their life. This is evidenced by repentance, baptism by immersion, and a life submitted to Christ. We believe a baby or a young child cannot understand sin or the need for Christ and are under God's grace until an age of accountability determined by God (2 Samuel 12:23; Matthew 18:2-3; 19:13-15). Supportive Scripture: John 1:12, 14:6; Romans 5:1, 6:23; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, Romans 10:9-13, Acts 2:38-40.