The Disciple Making Essentials

We grow in Christ as we seek him together. Jesus' own pattern of disciple-making was to be intimately involved with others and allow life to rub against life. By gathering in twos or threes to study the Bible and encourage one another, we most closely follow Jesus' example with the twelve disciples. This workbook by Greg Ogden is a tool designed to help you follow this pattern Jesus drew for us. Working through it will deepen your knowledge of essential Christian teaching and strengthen your faith. Each week contains the following elements: a core truth presented in a question-and-answer format a memory verse and accompanying study a field-tested inductive Bible study a reading on the theme for the week questions to draw out key principles in the reading This material is designed for groups of three. It has also been used successfully as an individual study program, a one-on-one discipling tool, and small group curriculum. This expanded and completely updated edition includes a new guide for leaders. Jesus had a big enough vision to think small. Focusing on a few did not limit his influence. Rather, it expanded it. Discipleship Essentials is designed to help us influence others as Jesus did—by investing in a few.

The Discipleship Essentials

Discipleship occurs when someone answers the call to learn from Jesus how to live his or her life as though Jesus were living it. The end result is that the disciple becomes the kind of person who naturally does what Jesus did. How the church understands salvation and the gospel is the key to recovering a biblical theology of discipleship. Our doctrines of grace and salvation, in some cases, actually prevent us from creating an expectation that we are to be disciples of Jesus. A person can profess to be a Christian and yet still live under the impression that they don’t need to actually follow Jesus. Being a follower is seen as an optional add-on, not a requirement. It is a choice, not a demand. Being a Christian today has no connection with the biblical idea that we are formed into the image of Christ. In this ground-breaking new book, pastor and author Bill Hull shows why our existing models of evangelism and discipleship fail to actually produce followers of Jesus. He looks at the importance of recovering a robust view of the gospel and taking seriously the connection between conversion—answering the call to follow Jesus—and discipleship—living like the one we claim to follow.

Leadership is essential. Maybe you've shied away from leadership because you don't know what it will involve, or you feel too unsure of your own abilities. But your leadership is needed! In every sector of society, from families to businesses to churches, leadership roles remain empty, waiting for people willing and able to step up and make wise decisions that bring positive change. And, in a world with priorities vastly different from Christ's, Christian leaders are especially needed to point people to him. Preparation is essential. As essential as the leadership itself is the preparation beforehand, which is why Greg Ogden, a seasoned leader himself, has created this interactive guide that will give you the tools you need to lead well, using your unique gifts and experience. Divided into four sections, this workbook will help you develop character, postures, vision and skills as you participate in the following elements in each chapter: a memory verse a Bible study a reading a leadership exercise By working through these multiple channels of learning you'll be equipped not just with head knowledge about leadership but with true character formation and awareness of your own abilities that will prepare you for the challenges and choices of leadership. Designed to work well on your own, with a partner or with a group, Leadership Essentials by Greg Ogden and Daniel Meyer is the essential preparation tool for those who would be led and shaped by Christ to lead others with strength and wisdom.

Many church leaders, yearning for church growth, look to the latest evangelistic strategies or seeker-targeted worship services. But lack of growth might not be due to lack of concern for new people—it may be because we are not effectively discipling the people we already have. Greg Ogden address the need for discipleship in the local church and recovers Jesus' method of accomplishing life change by investing in just a few people at a time. Ogden sets forth his vision for transforming both the individual disciple and discipleship itself, showing how discipleship can become a self-replicating process with ongoing impact from generation to generation. This revised and updated edition includes a new chapter on discipleship and preaching.

IVP Readers' Choice Award What am I committing to when I say I want to follow Jesus? Using the Great Commission to explore the mission to make disciples as well as the core characteristics that identify us as Jesus' followers, this guide lays the foundation for a life in Christ. Following the popular and effective design of his curriculum Discipleship Essentials that sold over 250,000 copies, Greg Ogden has included the following elements in each of the eight sessions: a core truth a Bible study a reading life application Whether you are mentoring one-on-one or in a small group, this essential guide will serve as an ideal on-ramp into the discipleship journey.

We know the radical difference the gospel of Jesus Christ makes, and we want others to know of it. So often, though, we feel that we are inadequate to the task. The Bible studies, exercises and readings in Daniel Meyer's new book will deepen your faith and equip you to minister to others with a new sense of confidence and calling.

"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.