A Disciple-Making Culture

Pursue God Site

The Pursue God site has three videos on launching a disciple-making culture in a church. It does refer specifically to the Pursue God principles and resources but there are more general nuggets as well. The videos are below but go to the site for more resources.

A culture requires:

1. Values

   1. What motivates us?

   2. What would we die for? What is non-negotiable?

   3. Our values determine our health.

      1. We can multiply but what are we multiplying? Is it healthy?

      2. Are our values Kingdom of God values?

2. Narrative

   1. The stories we tell

   2. The language we use

      1. We have  terminology that church members use that clearly describes the values and behaviours of the church. Everybody is speaking the same language.

   3. Our narrative 100% reflects our values. Out of the heart the mouth speaks.

      1. Listen to the way our people talk. That will reveal our values.

3. Behaviours

   1. How do we implement our values?

   2. We have ways for people to do what we talk about.

   3. Our behaviours 100% reflect our values.

      1. Look at your current behaviours. What do they say about your values?

      2. What are the behaviours that you want to see because they do put legs on your values?

   4. How effective are we?

      1. A honest appraisal of the fruit of all our efforts.

      2. What should we measure? What really indicates the accomplishment of our values?

      3. How can we measure those things?

A disciple-making culture requires:

1. Values

   1. The Great Commandments

      1. Love God with all of our hearts, minds, souls and strength

      2. Love our neighbours as ourselves

   2. The Great Commission

      1. Our mission is to make disciples. This is what we are called to do. This is what it is all about.

         1. If we do not make disciples, we are failing.

         2. This is not optional. There is an expectation that everyone will be a disciple and will make disciples of Jesus.

      2. Of all nations

      3. Baptising = conversion , assumes evangelism

      4. Teaching to obey all of Jesus' commandments

         1. Christ-likeness, maturity, holiness

         2. Growth

      5. Clarity

         1. What is a disciple?

         2. What is the gospel?

         3. What is Christian maturity?

         4. How do we make disciples?

         5. What are the disciple-making principles that are essential and that must be built into every area of he life of the church? For example:

            1. Relationships that are deep and strong.

      6. Realism

         1. Measurement. We know how we are getting on because  we measure it.

            1. We do not glamorise it or exaggerate it.

            2. We rely on data not impressions or wishful thinking.

2. Narrative

   1. As leaders, we are always talking about:

      1. evangelism

      2. conversions

      3. Christ-likeness, maturity, holiness, sanctification

      4. Obedience

   2. Our people talk about these things naturally .

   3. We have a terminology that is understood and widely used.

3. Behaviours

   1. Everything we do as a church contributes to making disciples.

   2. Every leader is accountable for implementing disciple-making in some way.

   3. We provide a pathway, and all of the necessary resources, for people to become and grow as disciples.

      1. It is clear where people should start and, at each point, what the next step is.

   4. We provide the necessary resources (including training) for people to make disciples.

   5. We know how we are doing because we know what to measure and we are measuring it.

   6. We keep improving our culture and methods.

More books on disciple-making.