The 5 Essential Functions of the Church

Lesson 6

Function 4 :: Discipleship

(The Teaching Correlation)

This lesson addresses the fourth essential function of the church: discipleship.

For discipleship to fulfill its essential function in the church, the following actions should be taken:

  1. Establish a teachable spirit in the culture of the church.

  2. Establish a love for the Word of God among the people.

  3. Establish mentoring relationships.

  4. Celebrate those who serve in discipleship ministries.

The video touches on these actions, and it also offers questions for assessing the health of the discipleship function in the church. Those assessment points will be listed toward the end of this lesson page.

After viewing the video, read the short section below concerning "The Role of the Teacher."

The Role of the Teacher

[Based on content from Dr. Turpin's book entitled, Essentials for Spirit-Empowered Ministry]

Teachers who function in the five-fold framework for church leadership have an extraordinary understanding of divine truth and have the anointed ability to communicate that truth in a way that transforms people.

The teacher is first and always a student—a lifetime learner. He or she is a student of Scripture, a student of the Spirit and a student of the world around them.

They are not just people who astound others with their amazing knowledge or intellect; they are gifted in the area of spiritual formation. They help people make the connection between cognitive knowledge and experiential knowledge.

Their gifting is not limited to instruction in the Scriptures. The teacher is also gifted to impart understanding related to practical and even logistical aspects of ministry.

Because they follow the lead of the apostle and the prophet, their teaching is focused on making the church’s apostolic direction and prophetic vision comprehensible and applicable to the life of the believer.

Ultimately, the teacher empowers the church to be a community of disciples consumed with a passion for insight and understanding. The teacher also empowers God’s people to be instructors of others—disciple-makers, in other words. For the teacher, it is all about the Scriptures, truth, insight, understanding and the making of disciples.

It's Time to Assess

Consider the following assessment questions pertaining to the function of discipleship in your local context. (Make sure that you have viewed this lesson's video before going any further.) If you are taking this course as part of a group study, discuss these points together.

  1. Do you understand the IMPORTANCE of this discipleship function?

  2. How are you stewarding TIME for this function?

  3. How are you stewarding TALENT for this function?

  4. How are you stewarding TREASURE for this function?

  5. Are you making room for 5-FOLD MINISTRY in this function?

  6. Are those who are serving in the discipleship function HONORING the essential role of the other functions?

  7. How do you help people TRANSITION from discipleship into being deployed in some area of service?

  8. What creative discipleship STRATEGIES can you and your church implement within the next thirty days?

© 2020 J. Randolph Turpin, Jr.