You might have given up hope of ever finding the right discipleship program that suits the unique needs of your church community… This post will offer you our rundown of only the top resources for discipleship training within the sphere of the church. We did the research to be able to connect church leaders with the very best discipleship programs to utilize in their churches’ discipleship ministry. The five discipleship programs given below can serve different churches depending on their needs: Individual / Group / New believer / Mature Christians.
"Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”" - John 8:31-32 NIV
The danger of ministry programs is that they come to an end, and then your flock is often left going in circles. Even worse than that, congregants might say things like: “Oh, remember 2013? We had a good discipleship program back then. This new one sucks.” Wise church leaders do not tie themselves to programs that do not last. With the Word of God as your discipleship program, your church will have spiritual growth that lasts.
“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” – Ephesians 4:14-15 NIV
There are amazing tools at your disposal to help your church’s small groups and new believers go deeper in their Bible studies – which brings us to our second and third resources.
Discipleship Program #2
The Bible Project has the aim of helping people experience the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus. They do so by sharing theologically sound videos and teaching materials, breaking down difficult concepts in very simple ways. The best part of all? Everything is available for free.
Within the Bible Project, you can find audio lessons and videos about any topic of interest from both the Old Testament and New Testament. They cover a wide array of topics which is why it can become a discipleship curriculum. Finding the right content might still be quite time-consuming, especially if you are not in full-time ministry.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said that Christianity without discipleship is Christianity without Christ. Our modern interpretation of the term ‘discipleship’ is complicated, but the very foundational teachings of Jesus reveal what it means to be a follower of Him. Starting your discipleship program with a deep dive into God’s Word and biblical principles will lead to meaningful conversations and foster spiritual maturity in the daily lives of your church members.
The Youversion Bible app has countless Bible study plans and tools that can help anybody from new converts to mature believers in biblical discipleship. It is filled with daily devotions and other online discipleship resources that will help a disciple of Christ grow and mature. They offer beautifully designed and valuable tools for spiritual formation.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. If you use any of these free discipleship resources, you can always encourage group discussions too. These resources should not remain 100% online but will do best when done in a youth group, discipleship group, or small group Bible study. As mentioned earlier, the benefit here is that your church community is growing in their love for the Word, not some specific author or expensive program.
Let’s move on to discover more concrete discipleship programs that you can run at your church. Even though discipleship is a deeply personal matter as one develops on their faith journey; there is also value for a more mature Christian to walk with the next generation and guide them into the knowledge of God. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:35 NIV. No one is better set up than local churches to start up a great disciple-making movement.
"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it." - Luke 9:23-24 NIV
Discipleship is about a whole life change. The Christian life goes past Sunday and all through the believer’s week. Therefore, the discipleship process has to seep into every area of a person’s life. Practicing The Way developed free resources to help churches apprentice in the Way of Jesus. Their program is simple. It is based on three pillars: be with Jesus, become like him, and do as he did.
Their focus is not just on Jesus’s teaching, but His practices or way of life. Their resources cover 9 practices for apprenticeship to Jesus: scripture, solitude, generosity, sabbath, prayer, fasting, community, service, and witness. Young adults will be drawn to this kind of discipleship course more than the traditional kind since young people are more focused on experiential spirituality (a holistic approach). Practicing The Way is focused on the practical applications of Christianity.
"You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others." - 2 Timothy 2:1-2 NIV
Another great discipleship tool is The Alpha Course. It is geared towards exploring the meaning of life with others. Alpha offers 10 sessions that cover a variety of topics within the Christian faith. It was designed to cover all the bases for a new believer. Alpha’s logo is a question mark, and that explains their approach really well, actually. They aim to answer existential questions with the Gospel message.
If you are looking for a more traditional type of resource to run in big groups, this might be the one for your church.
Discipleship programs are for churches what fuel is for a car – without it, you won’t get very far.
Discipleship programs for churches are definitely trending right now, but have you wondered where the idea of discipleship comes from? Just because something is popular does not mean it is something that the church should strive towards… However, in the case of discipleship, the Bible is clear.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
Eljoh Hartzer is combining theology and art to nurture faith journeys across generations. She is a Masters-level Practical Theologian with the University of Stellenbosch. She is also a writer and editor in the niche of Christianity and children's content and she illustrates children's books. Eljoh resides in the Swartland area in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
You can follow Eljoh on LinkedIn or Instagram.
