Date

4-7-2026

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership (EdD)

Chair

Deidra Jackson

Keywords

Image of God, Servant Leader, Mentor, Disciple, Relationship, Holy Spirit, Teach

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

Discipleship is a directive handed down through generations for the last two thousand years, as provided in Matthew 28:18-20. It has contributed to the growth of the universal church. As the church progressed, a recurring issue from within was recorded in the Bible. The ideology of traditions and culture being placed above the Scriptures is not foreign to the church; the Bible reflects this in the Gospels, like Matthew 23 (NASB, 1971/2020, Matthew 23). Jesus provided a visualization of discipleship that would aid the church in redirecting its trajectory back to focusing on him. Biblically, God has always provided senior mentors to his disciples, like Moses, who had Jethro (New American Standard Bible, 1971/2020, Exodus 18). Moses mentored Joshua, and Elijah mentored Elisha. Discipleship has been reflected throughout the Bible, but not as clearly defined as with Christ teaching and mentoring his Disciples. No greater example of discipleship is that which was practically applied in finite detail by Christ Jesus. This proposed praxis project, as part of the fulfillment of the Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership, with a cognate focus in Strategic Christian Ministry, sought to utilize senior members of Cornerstone Church as mentors in discipleship, returning to its fundamental biblical foundation as provided in Acts 1:1-5 and Acts 2:42-47. This contributes to the revival in Gadsden, Alabama.

Download

Share

COinS