The Kingdom-Focused Church: A Compelling Image of an Achievable Future for Your Church
Discipleship: a lifelong journey of obedience to Christ that transforms a person's values and behavior and results in ministry in one's home, church and the world. Discipleship is bringing the total life under the control of Christ.
The best thing that can happen to any student is to become a growing disciple of Jesus Christ. Likewise, one of the best things that can happen to a church is to have a group of teens who are growing as disciples.
Churches need a strategy for leading students to receive Christ as Savior and to follow Him as Lord. This strategy should include a plan for helping teenagers to begin a lifelong process of growing in discipleship. We don't have to invent such a strategy. Our Lord has already given it to us. Our task is to fine-tune the strategy so that it fits the church we serve.
Imagine the teenagers of your church saved and confident of their salvation and practicing daily disciplines of personal devotion. Envision them enthusiastically involved in the activities of the church and consistently living the Christian life. View them witnessing to unsaved friends in a natural way and cheerfully serving others. Such realities are not hard to imagine, because many students are already involved in these ways.
One leader said, "Being a disciple maker is in obedience to the call and command of Christ. You are engaged in the most important calling on Earth."
In "Kingdom Principles for Church Growth," the 1•5•4 Principle describes the Great Commission as the one driving force behind church growth. All that occurs in a church's student discipleship ministry should focus on a balance of five essential church functions:
As student discipleship extends its witness and ministry to bring all people to Christ, the function of missions is also fulfilled. There are four end results of this work:
From the beginning, Jesus' commission led to discipleship. As Jesus' followers committed themselves to making disciples in obedience to His commission, they engaged in evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, ministry and worship. As a result of what they did, churches sprang up everywhere. These churches became filled with increasing numbers of people who were committed to spiritual growth, ministry and missions - a group of ordinary people involved in the process of becoming disciples and making disciples.
© 2001-2009
Blink
Del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Simpy
Spurl
Y! MyWeb