Making Disciples Through Home Assemblies

Statistics on church growth reveal some startling facts: Overall church attendance in America is declining. The number of those who claim they are done with churches is growing. Those who list "none" as religious affiliation are increasing. After COVID-19, some are reluctant to return to church services in buildings. What if you had a way to make disciples for Jesus in your neighborhood? Is there a way to reach those who have left the churches or who will not go back to a church building? Yes. Making Disciples Through Home Assemblies can show you how. The book is based on the biblical patterns of the first-century disciples who were highly effective in disciple-making in obedience to Jesus' command to make disciples and be His witnesses (Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8). Studying Acts and other New Testament verses, the authors show that those disciples believed that making disciples and growing the Kingdom of God was the number one priority. The authors also show that individuals met in homes in the absence of church buildings and that any believer can become a disciple-maker for Jesus. Making Disciples Through Home Assemblies contains biblical rationale for home assemblies, material that can be used for training yourself and others to lead a home assembly, and the biblically based study guide for your home assembly meetings is included. The material in this book has been extensively tested for over two years with audiences of diverse ages, and many individuals have been successful in creating their own home assemblies and making disciples for Jesus across the United States. Now you too can start a home assembly and teach others how to become disciples for Jesus.

Statistics on church growth reveal some startling facts: Overall church attendance in America is declining. The number of those who claim they are done with churches is growing. Those who list “none” as religious affiliation are increasing. After COVID-19, some are reluctant to return to church services in buildings. What if you had a way to make disciples for Jesus in your neighborhood? Is there a way to reach those who have left the churches or who will not go back to a church building? Yes. Making Disciples Through Home Assemblies can show you how. The book is based on the biblical patterns of the first-century disciples who were highly effective in disciple-making in obedience to Jesus’ command to make disciples and be His witnesses (Matthew 28:18–20 and Acts 1:8). Studying Acts and other New Testament verses, the authors show that those disciples believed that making disciples and growing the Kingdom of God was the number one priority. The authors also show that individuals met in homes in the absence of church buildings and that any believer can become a disciple-maker for Jesus. Making Disciples Through Home Assemblies contains biblical rationale for home assemblies, material that can be used for training yourself and others to lead a home assembly, and the biblically based study guide for your home assembly meetings is included. The material in this book has been extensively tested for over two years with audiences of diverse ages, and many individuals have been successful in creating their own home assemblies and making disciples for Jesus across the United States. Now you too can start a home assembly and teach others how to become disciples for Jesus.

Encourage your assembly to fulfill their baptismal mission of helping to form new Christians with Disciples Making Disciples: Print and Digital Resources for Forming the Assembly. To help bring people to faith and welcome them into the Catholic Christian community parishes need an engaged assembly. They need disciples ready to welcome and support the newcomers in their journey, to share their faith, and to fully, consciously, actively participate in the initiation rites.

"Every believer in Jesus Christ deserves the opportunity of personal nurture and development." says LeRoy Eims. But all too often the opportunity isn't there. We neglect the young Christian in our whirl of programs, church services, and fellowship groups. And we neglect to raise up workers and leaders who can disciple young believers into mature and fruitful Christians. In simple, practical, and biblical terms, LeRoy Eims revives the lost art of disciple making. He explains: - How the early church discipled new Christians - How to meet the basic needs of a growing Christian - How to spot and train potential workers - How to develop mature, godly leaders "True growth takes time and tears and love and patience," Eims states. There is no instant maturity. This book examines the growth process in the life of a Christian and considers what nurture and guidance it takes to develop spiritually qualified workers in the church.

Those in the church and ministry are familiar with the Great Commission – the call to go forth and make disciples. However, for many, it isn’t that easy in a world increasingly influenced by doubters and distractions. Many Christian leaders may talk about it, but few really do it. Making disciples isn’t a complicated program, but a simple plan that comes only from Jesus. Now a diverse group of pastors, representing urban and rural communities, secular and Christian areas, as well as diverse multicultural backgrounds, and all known for successfully making new disciples, have gathered these sermons to encourage others to be disciple makers too. Discover: How Jesus practiced the Great Commission before He ever preached it Why discipleship begins with a whole-life understanding of worship When disciple-making gets confused with church growth efforts These and countless other insights will help guide you in a faithful, deliberate effort to fulfill the Great Commission – no matter where you live or what communities in which you minister. Included in the book are: The sermon texts and their outline formats. 12 study guides, one for each sermon, that can be used in small group or one-on-one settings in the week following the preaching of the sermon. A final appendix providing a self-evaluation tool that helps each person being discipled to evaluate the progress they are making in their walk with Christ.

Explores the dynamic process and progressive steps of Christ's strategy for revitalizing our lives, our witness, and our church's effectiveness.

What if miracles, healings, and deliverances were normal occurrences in your home? Imagine Jesus walked through your front door and sat down on your couch. What would you expect to happen? Who would you invite? What if this happened every week? This is what it's like to have a gospel house. As you and other Christians gather in your home, Jesus reveals himself through a conversation where you and your friends are free to express spiritual gifts, explore the Scriptures, share insights, and more. Together, you share communion, worship God, and pray for one another. You might even share a meal. Miracles become normal, lives are transformed, and disciples are made. This is church in its simplest form-an encounter with Jesus, expressed through his gathered people-and you can host such a meeting in your own home. You don't need permission to make disciples; you were already commissioned to go. Discover the joy and simplicity of learning from Jesus in your living room. With a few friends, a Bible, the Holy Spirit, and place to meet, your house can be a gospel house. Experience revival in your living room. Are you a Spirit-filled Christian who longs for more than just Sunday services and surface-level teachings? Do you desire to make a real impact and fulfill Jesus's mission of making disciples? If so, Gospel Houses will show you the path forward. In Gospel Houses, church planter and missionary-evangelist Art Thomas, shares time-tested insights and experiences to guide you on a remarkable journey of encountering God, building Spirit-filled house churches, and effectively making disciples. This book unveils the secrets to: Making Disciples: Learn how to effectively make disciples and gather them in your home to encounter God together. Discover the joy of partnering with Jesus and His people in fulfilling the Great Commission. Facilitating Powerful Gatherings: Unlock the full potential of your meetings by creating an environment where spiritual gifts, miracles, deliverances, salvations, baptisms, and transformed lives are the norm. Following the Holy Spirit: Whether you feel confident or hesitant in leading others, this book provides practical guidance on following the Holy Spirit's leading with humble confidence, pointing people to Jesus. Leading Spirit-Filled Believers: Gospel Houses offers invaluable principles and guidance for leading a group of Spirit-filled believers through interactive meetings where everyone has something to share. Growing and Organizing: Discover how to navigate the challenges of organizing and serving a growing network of house churches while maintaining the focus on small, disciple-making churches that gather in homes. This book provides you with the tools and knowledge to create a vibrant lifestyle of making disciples who make disciples. Discover how to welcome Jesus into your home, allowing Him to reveal Himself, teach you and your friends, and transform lives. Be part of this transformative movement. Order your copy of Gospel Houses today and start your journey toward authentic discipleship, Spirit-filled community, and a life devoted to fulfilling the Great Commission. With endorsements from: Daniel Kolenda (Christ for All Nations) Doug Clay (Assemblies of God USA) Heidi Baker (Iris Global) Chris Overstreet (Compassion to Action) and many more.

We know that the goal of the Christian life is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. While this is God's ultimate plan, does he have a particular purpose for the cell-based church? I've been wrestling with this question for the past twenty-two years. This question confronts me every time I coach a pastor or pastors. In preparation for coaching, I ask myself, "What is my principal objective in helping this pastor?" "Where am I guiding this church?" "What am I trying to do?" I've come to the conclusion that the primary goal of cell ministry is to make disciples who make disciples. Christ's last command to his disciples was for them to repeat the process and to reproduce new disciples. But how were they supposed to do that? This book answers these questions.The early church followed Christ's pattern by making disciples through the house churches that periodically celebrated together in public worship. In 2 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul tells Timothy to continue the discipleship process by passing on the pure gospel message to faithful men and women. Even though the term "disciple" is later replaced by words such as "brothers," "sisters," "Christians," and "saints," the concept remains the same. We in North America and the Western world often project our own cultural bias into Christ's great commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Most discipleship books, in fact, assume that discipleship is an individualistic endeavor--between me and God. And yes, there is an important individual aspect (e.g., personal devotions, etc.). Yet in Matthew 28, Jesus was talking to a group of disciples. He wanted them to follow his example by making disciples in a group. Jesus molded twelve disciples in a group and then sent them house to house. So how does the cell church make disciples? In this book, I show how the cell (small group) works together with the cell system to make disciples who make disciples. In the cell, a potential disciple is transformed through community, priesthood of all believers, group evangelism, and team multiplication. In the cell, potential disciples are formed through learning how to love one another, exercising their gifts, evangelizing together as a group, and then sent forth as teams to start new groups. Discipleship is a group process in the New Testament, and God is calling his church to re-emphasize this truth. The cell system ensures each leader has a coach and that training (equipping track) happens. Then the cells gather together to worship and grow through the teaching of God's Word. All three aspects are essential to form disciples. Training is needed because disciples won't learn all they need to know in the cell. Coaching ensures that each leader is cared for and receives shepherding. The celebration service brings the cells together to hear God's Word, worship, and receive fresh vision. The goal of the two-wing cell church is to make disciples who make disciples. The cell church today makes disciples by following the early church pattern of cell and celebration. Recommendations: I’ve read all of Joel Comiskey’s books, but Making Disciples in the Twenty-First Century Church is his best work yet. In this book Joel reminds us that the real call and challenge of the Church is not developing leaders or numerical growth, but "making disciples who make disciples." He also helps us understand why that is best done in a cell or small group context, and gives us great insight about how to make that happen. I’m looking forward to having all of our Pastors, Coaches, and Cell Leaders and Members read this book in the near future. Dennis Watson Lead Pastor, Celebration Church of New Orleans ____ I am so excited about Joel Comiskey’s new book, Making Disciples in the Twenty-First Century Church. When I’m asked what makes a cell church thrive, I always say, “discipleship.” Thank you, Joel, for unpacking discipleship; not just as an endeavor for individuals, but as the critical element for creating a church community and culture that reproduces the Kingdom of God all over the earth. I pray this book won’t only be read, but lived out as we were made to make disciples. Jimmy Seibert Senior Pastor, Antioch Community Church President and Founder, Antioch Ministries International ____ I really like that Joel asked the Why question before the How question. He even takes on the What question which is just as important. The interest in discipleship is greater now than anytime in the last fifty years. I fear however that we are using the same words but are not speaking the same language. I recommend this work, I cheer Joel on, he joins many of us who are masters of the obvious. It seems so obvious that our purpose is to be disciples and make disciples. I cheer him on because he goes beyond the What and Why and does address the How. This will help any person who reads it and I pray that there will be many. Bill Hull, Author of Jesus Christ Disciple Maker, Disciple Making Pastor, Disciple Making Church, and The Complete Book of Discipleship, Adjunct Faculty at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University __ The history of the cell church movement in Brazil has many names of great man of God. Joel Comiskey certainly is one of them. We see how over the years his understanding of the New Testament Church has deepened. Again Joel surprises us with this jewel. He covers many aspects of cell church life, showing us how discipleship relates to the broader scope of it, and how to shape followers of Jesus. He takes us to the heart of the matter of the cell church as he states it: “The purpose of cell ministry is making disciples who make disciples.” Excellent book. The movement in Brazil, certainly, will be blessed through this book. Enjoy it. Robert Michael Lay Cell Church Ministry in Brazil Pioneer in the cell movement in Brazil, and publisher of Joel’s books __ In his tremendously helpful new book, Making Disciples in the Twenty-First Century Church, Joel Comiskey cuts directly to the core purpose of cell ministry, which is “making disciples who make disciples.” Then he tells us how to do it through the Cell-Based Church. Like Joel’s other books Making Disciples in the Twenty-First Century Church is solidly biblical, highly practical, wonderfully accessible and is grounded in Joel’s vast research and experience. Great job Joel! Dave Earley, Lead Pastor, Grace City Church of Las Vegas, Nevada Author, Eight Habits of Highly Effective Small Group Leaders Adjunct Professor, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary __ For more than twenty years Joel Comiskey has served the cell church movement. He has helped scores of congregations move from being traditional churches to communities where edification and harvest occurs. Twenty years! Now he combines two decades of observation as his capacity as a researcher. He has scoured many books to assemble wise counsel for us. His discussion of how community varies from culture to culture is indeed penetrating. As I read through the pages I mentally noted specific Christian workers who need to read these pages. Thanks, Joel, for the way you allow the King to speak through you to enlarge His Kingdom on earth! Ralph Neighbour, Jr, key pioneer of the cell church movement. ____ “Joel Comiskey continues to deepen our understanding of the cell-based church. In Making Disciples we are equipped to carry out the Great Commission at maximum capacity. Get ready to have your vision for ministry strengthened and expanded!” Andrew S. Mason, Small Groups Pastor Thrive Church, Elk Grove, CA Founder, SmallGroupChurches.com ____ As one of the world's leading experts on cell-based churches, Joel Comiskey is well placed to show how New Testament-style disciple making works. His decades of experience in fields of ministry all over the world confirm that every-member ministry and personal investment in disciples are God's pathway to true maturity and expansion of the kingdom of God. This well-written book deserves attention from every serious Christian! Dennis McCallum, Author, Organic Discipleship