What Is Discipleship?
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be addressing the idea of discipleship at threadsmedia.com and in our upcoming newsletters. Last week, we started the conversation by establishing that discipleship is much more than a program we add to our already busy calendars. Instead, it’s a way of life. You can read that article HERE.
Although we have opinions as to what successful discipleship looks like, we certainly don’t have all the answers. As you know, discipleship is one of those things that everyone wants but many struggle to pursue or even understand.
With this said, we’d like to open up the dialogue. We’ll be responding as you comment. In addition, we’ve recently surveyed some of the nation’s best collegiate and young adult ministry leaders about their opinions on this topic. Our plan is to use those results and this forum to help shape our future discipleship posts.
Let’s begin:
In one sentence, how would you define successful discipleship?
What is your greatest obstacle in successful discipleship?
About the Author
Jason Hayes is the young adult ministry specialist for Threads. His primary role for Threads is to serve as a speaker, church consultant, and writer. He is the co-author of Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and the Churches That Reach Them and the author of Blemished: How the Message of Malachi Confronts Empty Religion. Jason earned a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Prior to coming to LifeWay, he served at Long Hollow Baptist Church in north Nashville. He is also happily married to his beautiful wife, Carrie, and is a proud dad to their two sons. Learn more at jasonhayesonline.com.
There have been 16 replies so far
Successful discipleship is an open book test in which the teacher’s life is the open book.
Greatest obstacle is listening to influences that may not be from God, even though they may be from God’s children.
1 | Regina Pasour
Tuesday, December 15, 2009, at 4:39pm
Successful discipleship is helping folks fall in love with Jesus and learn to identify where He is showing up and doing things around them.
The biggest obstacle are the programs that focus on skill mastery (what-to or how-to), or completion of a curriculum, in order to “be” a disciple.
2 | Rob Edwards
Tuesday, December 15, 2009, at 5:10pm
Successful discipleship is making YOU want what I have (which is Jesus Christ).
Greatest obstacle is watching YOU NOT want Him and trying to figure out why!
3 | Theresa Haskins
Tuesday, December 15, 2009, at 5:36pm
Successful discipleship is the natural outcome of following, listening, internalizing and acting on the advice of the one you are following: it’s a relationship with action. My greatest obstacle in successful discipleship is listening and internalizing what I hear. Getting through to me is sometimes like breaking through the shell of a chestnut, but once the Word’s made it in, I will easily follow. Thankfully, my Leader’s very patient!
4 | Karen Smith-Will
Tuesday, December 15, 2009, at 6:14pm
Discipleship is living life alongside someone, reaching for them when they fall, teaching them how not to fall, and occasionally kicking them in the rear before they fall.
The greatest obstacle to discipleship is being dishonest with yourself, and therefore, one another.
5 | Matt Pritchett
Tuesday, December 15, 2009, at 8:51pm
I would define successful discipleship as helping someone towards the completion of a determined desired goal.
My greatest obstacle in successful discipleship has been asking for the one being discipled to create a desired goal.
6 | Sheri Kaetzel
Tuesday, December 15, 2009, at 9:10pm
I would define successful discipleship as being able to see a person’s spiritual growth and maturity through an intentional commitment of personal Bible Study.
For me, my greatest obstacle would be, being able to get all of my Small Group Leaders (SGL) to see themselves as MORE than just a SGL…but instead, as a Small Group ‘Minister’.
7 | Jim Whaley
Wednesday, December 16, 2009, at 12:27am
Successful discipleship is spiritual multiplication. Making disciples who will make disciples who will make disciples… who have the passion and ability to take the message of the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Greatest obstacle? Selection. Pouring into someone who isn’t faithful available and teachable, then realizing later that the individual doesn’t desire to multiply his or her life.
8 | Leah
Wednesday, December 16, 2009, at 9:15am
The Technical Stuff:
The best ‘handles’ linguistically I have come across in reference to discipleship are Dallas Willard’s acronym V.I.M. which stands for Vision, Intention & Means (Renovation of the Heart). Vision: We need to have a clear vision of the person God is inviting us to become. We have a clear example in Jesus’ life of how we can grow into intimacy and obedience with God. Intention: this is the part that can only be owned by each of us individually. We have to have the desire to become the person God created us to be and the intention to walk in that direction. Means: through the centuries of the Church we have acquired numerous spiritual disciplines that equate to ‘space-makers’ . . allowing us to engage with God on deeper levels, such as Scripture reading, prayer, silence, solitude, fasting, service, etc. Dallas Willard describes these as our ‘means’ for discipleship and spiritual formation.
Another ‘way of understanding’ discipleship which was described to me in university was Structured and Spontaneous modeling. Structured modeling are those formal moments of instruction / information sharing that we create, such as the classroom/church experience. Spontaneous modeling are those ‘teachable moments’ that happen on the road of life. When a circumstance presents itself to communicate some truth of life with God, either through deed or word, we move on it. These moments can be instigated through questions expressed by those we are with. Both of these methods are clearly seen in Jesus’ ministry in the Gospels.
The Practical Stuff:
Distilled, discipleship is the life of a Christ-follower opened to another. The two values that begin that journey with someone else are availability and compassion - to be present to and to ‘suffer with’(share life) with another.
9 | Shane Tucker
Wednesday, December 16, 2009, at 11:25am
I would define discipleship as helping people become like Christ.
The greatest challenge to discipleship is that it’s not a formula. For some, it’s caught, for some it’s taught, and for others it’s a variety of other factors. Because it’s so messy, it’s hard!
10 | Cory West
Wednesday, December 16, 2009, at 1:02pm
Discipleship is walking alongside someone in their walk with Christ to help them become more like Christ.
The biggest obstacle I have faced would be making time to be discipled and finding someone that you can disciple. So often I’ve seen people try to find someone on their own when we need to learn that it is God who leads us to someone, whether it’s someone who he wants us to disciple or someone he has prepared to disciple us. Discipleship is important and we need to make the time in our busy lives for it.
11 | Amber Hesse
Wednesday, December 16, 2009, at 1:25pm
Discipleship is successful when what you produce are multiplying transformed followers of Jesus Christ.
My greatest obstacle to reaching successful discipleship is my own self. If I’m not living and multiplying disciples, how can I expect others to follow?
12 | Jason Fletcher
Wednesday, December 16, 2009, at 1:27pm
Discipleship is successful when you are seeking God and doing as He instructs.
The greatest obstacle to successful discipleship is one self…ever distraction in life that takes your focus off God and on to something else.
13 | Mary Craig
Wednesday, December 16, 2009, at 1:46pm
Wow. Thanks for the great response, everyone. Your thoughts are insightful and so helpful as we seek to make disciples. It’s obvious each of you took some time to give thoughtful answers and really reflect on these questions.
Be looking for a future post about these very issues later this week on our LEAD section.
14 | Jason Hayes
Wednesday, December 16, 2009, at 2:41pm
P.S. - Jason Fletcher, you are the winner of the Blemished Leader Kit and 5 books. All of your answers were great, so I was forced to choose using the very modern “close my eyes and stick my finger on the screen” method. I know, it’s impressive.
For the rest of you, if you’ll send your name and mailing address to jason.hayes@threadsmedia.com by the end of this week, I’ll put a copy of the book in the mail for you. It’s on me. Merry Christmas.
15 | Jason Hayes
Wednesday, December 16, 2009, at 2:48pm
Thank you so much Jason! I already sent my mailing address - and love being chosen to serve our Savior every day of my life!
16 | Theresa Haskins
Wednesday, December 16, 2009, at 2:56pm
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