Date

8-9-2024

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

Glenn Stone

Keywords

disciple, discipleship, mission, lay leaders, discipleship training

Disciplines

Practical Theology | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

Discipleship may not be a requirement for salvation. However, it is a requirement for spiritual development and a command that Jesus has given all His disciples to obey. Christians must understand that they are Jesus' followers with a calling to bring others to Christ. Jesus makes it clear when He calls His disciples to follow Him. He calls them to follow so that they can become disciple-makers (Matt 4: 19). However, some members, mainly lay leaders at the church, whose responsibility is to disciple others, were not trained to disciple others, which creates a burden for the pastoral ministry in the church. The DMIN action research project's purpose is to urgently implement a discipleship program to equip lay leaders, who are the backbones of the church, with the necessary skills and knowledge to enhance their involvement in the church's discipleship ministry. If Redemption Baptist Church implements this discipleship training for lay leaders, they will be equipped to disciple others for Christ and help the pastor carry the church's discipleship load. The intervention comprised an eight-week discipleship training consisting of a one-hour and 30-minute teaching session each week that was crucial in guiding and teaching the participants the necessary characteristics of a genuine disciple of Christ. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected before and after the intervention. The results revealed a significant increase in the participants' knowledge and commitment, demonstrating the potential of discipleship training to engage in the church's discipleship ministry actively.

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