Real-Life Discipleship: Building Churches that Make Disciples
Overview
Is your church making disciples . . . who make disciples . . . who make disciples? Is your membership dwindling? Are you growing only at the expense of a smaller church? It’s time to reexamine your methods of discipleship. But how do you effectively disciple an entire body? It’s not about making converts. The responsibility falls to every believer in your fellowship to create intentional followers of Christ, who in turn create other intentional followers.
Real-Life Discipleship explains what should happen in the life of every Christian and in every small group so that the church becomes an army of believers dedicated to seeing the world saved. With the overriding goal to train disciples who know how to make more disciples, this book offers proven tools and strategies from Real Life Ministries, one of America’s fastest-growing churches. Discover what the Bible says about true and effective discipleship with these strategies and practices.
In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
- Offers practical ways to encourage discipleship within the church
- Discusses what a healthy culture of discipleship looks like
- Provides a model for discipleship that is accessible, measurable, and reproducible
- Part I: Setting the Stage for Discipleship
- How Do We Create Churches That Succeed?
- The Invitation Is the Definition
- Intentional: Taking the Accidental Out of Discipleship
- Relational: Making a Way for Real Change
- Strategic: Following a Reproducible Process
- Part II: Mastering the Discipleship Process
- Only Our Part
- Moving the Spiritually Dead Toward Life: Share
- Nurturing Spiritual Infants: Share
- Guiding Spiritual Children: Connect
- Training Young Adults: Minister
- Releasing Spiritual Parents: Disciple
- A Few Warnings
- A Curriculum for Small Groups
- Part III: Letting Disciples Emerge as Leaders
- Finding Leaders for Your Church
- Creating a “Leadership Development Factory”
Top Highlights
“Discipleship is so much more than just sharing the news about Jesus; it is also about teaching people to obey the commands Jesus gave us.” (Page 21)
“The solution, I believe, is to create a clear and uncomplicated way to train disciples to make disciples.” (Page 11)
“We call it the Share, Connect, Minister, Disciple process (SCMD).” (Page 62)
“Great disciple-makers will always take their followers through a process. It starts with ‘You watch; I do’ and moves to ‘Let’s do it together’ and then to ‘You do; I watch.’ Finally, the disciple starts this same process with someone else—someone who watches while the disciple does.” (Page 59)
“A worship service (show) can supplement the discipleship process, but it cannot create disciples alone. Discipleship demands intentionality and relationship—by which each person is invested in specifically. This cannot happen in the worship service.” (Page 23)
If you want practical steps on how to create a culture of discipleship, I highly recommend this book!
—Don Wilson, senior pastor, Christ’s Church of the Valley, Peiria, AZ
Jim Putman’s coaching on discipleship presents a proven model that is truly accessible, measurable, and reproducible. His concepts have revolutionized ministry at The Crossing. Put your seatbelt on—this idea could change everything.
—Jerry Harris, senior pastor, The Crossing, Quincy, IL
You must read this book! Five years ago, I was asked to consult with Real Life Ministries about the Bible-storying component of making disciples. I wondered if it were possible to disciple a whole congregation. Real Life Ministries is the real deal. Jim Putman, in this easy-to-read book about real people, tells the story and shows how they did it and how you can do it. Get it and build your church into a disciple-making church.
—Avery T. Willis, executive director, International Orality Network
- Title: Real-Life Discipleship: Building Churches That Make Disciples
- Author: Jim Putman
- Publisher: NavPress
- Publication Date: 2010
- Pages: 208
- Christian Group: Evangelical
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Topic: Discipleship
Jim Putman is a 17-year ministry veteran, author, and national speaker. He is also the senior pastor of Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho. He holds degrees from Boise State University and Boise Bible College. With his background in sports, he believes in the value of strong coaching as a means to discipling.
Reviews
2 ratings
Dennis Davis
6/21/2017
Bill Shewmaker
8/3/2014
