Making & Training Disciples

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Making & Training Disciples

Conservative Congregational Christian Conference

Orlando

2026

SESSION 1

Preparing Your Church To Be Healthy

The Priority Of Church Health

12 Characteristics Of A Healthy Church

They embark on a journey of faith.
They choose influence over success.
They embrace ministries of the head, heart & hand.
They are intentional about making mature and equipped followers of Christ, who make mature and equipped followers of Christ.
They equip their people to appropriate the power of the Holy Spirit.
They emphasize the marriage of grace & duty.
They destroy the ministry idols of tradition and preference.
They don’t compromise spiritual nutrition for the sake of simplicity & growth.
They provide healthy environments for worship and feeding rather than environments for entertainment and self-help inspiration.
They correctly steward the keys to the Kingdom and the sacraments.
They underscore all their teaching with the realities of the authentic gospel and of Christ as the only hope of glory.
They allow their pastor to focus on shepherding through his teaching, leading & equipping.

The Importance Of Identity

Five Identity Options

Educational Identity – Preaching/Teaching

(Feeding The Congregation)

Pastoral Identity – Shepherding/Counseling

(Caring For The Flock)

Attractional Identity – Evangelizing

(Winning The Lost)

Serving Identity – Justice/Mercy

(Caring For The Needy)

Equipping Identity – Leading/Training

(Coaching Life On Life)

Only one of these identities can make the other four ministry areas stronger – an equipping identity.

The Primary Focus Of An Equipping Church

Making Disciples (unbelief to belief)

Training Disciples (belief to maturity)

Developing Leaders (maturity to leadership)

The Importance Of An Effective Plan To Make And Train Disciples

(Optional Seminar)

Becoming A More Outward Facing Church

Taking Believers From Belief To Maturity

Six Observations Regarding Making Disciples

Studies Show That Fruitful Disciple Making Is Very Rare In Most “Gospel-Embracing” Churches In America.

Most “Gospel-Embracing” Pastors Want Their Church To Be Fruitful In Disciple Making.

Most True Followers Of Christ Sincerely Want To Make Disciples, But Do Not Believe They Are Capable Of Doing So.

Most “Gospel-Embracing” Churches Are Not Routinely Equipping Their Members To Make Disciples In A Way That Is Relevant To The Culture In Which They Live.

To Be Adequately Equipped To Make Disciples, Christ Followers Must Have:

1) A biblically sound plan

2) A missionally focused mindset

3) A culturally relevant toolset

4) A frequently visited workshop

Sermons And Seminars Can Adequately Address The Topics Of Biblical “Plan”, Missional “Mindset” And Choice Of “Workshop”. However, Equipping God’s People To Use Culturally Relevant “Tools” Is Rarely Accomplished Without The Use Of Personal Coaching.

A Biblically Sound Plan

The Importance Of Having A Plan

Proverbs 21:5 (NASB95)

The plans of the diligent lead to profit.

– “Lofty ideals are rarely experienced without an outstanding, well thought through plan.”

Jesus’ Plan For Making Disciples

Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB95)

¹⁸And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

²⁰teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

One Imperative – “Make Disciples”

Three Participles

1. “Going”

– “greet”

– “befriend”

2. “Baptizing”

– etymological root – “to identify with”

– “baptizo” represents a believers union with Christ’s death & resurrection (identifying with Jesus)

– “Invite”

3. “Teaching”

– not “teaching them all things Jesus commands”

– rather, “teaching them to observe all things.

Acts 17:1-3 (NASB95)

¹Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.

² And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

³ explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.

Having looked at the plan given to us by Jesus, we can now look at the three remaining prerequisites for becoming effectively, outward facing.

A Missionally Focused Mindset

– Not optional for obedient believers

Matthew 4

“Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men”

Luke 19

“The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost”

Matthew 28

“The great commission”

The many warnings of hell

“Church members develop a missional mindset, in great part, because they see their pastor and leaders embracing this proper mindset, hear their stories of engaging with the lost in their everyday life and accept their invitation to take advantage of their church’s repeated offerings to equip and coach them to share their faith.”

-The necessity of coaching (Ken Blanchard) *

*Situational Leadership Paradigm

“To go from ‘directing’ to ‘delegating’ creates ‘disillusioned learners.’ And I know of no organization more notorious for producing disillusioned learners than the church.” – Ken Blanchard

A Culturally Relevant Toolset

“Without an effective toolset, Christians rarely share their faith. But when they are given the right tools, they usually become fruitful.”

Types Of Tools

1) Introductory Tools

2) Three Primary Tools

(1) A “Reading” Tool

– The Answer

(2) An “Attend” Tool

– An Investigative Forum Group (IF Group)

(3) A “Meet” Tool

– Life Issues Booklets

3) Support Tools

(1) For anyone

(2) For nominal believers & close friends

(3) For those in other religions or cults

(4) For Jewish people

4) Follow-Up Tools

– Next Step Booklets

Characteristics of Effective Investigative Tools

1) Tools designed with the belief that God does the converting, using His tool, The Bible

2) Tools which are relevant to the culture in which they are used

(1) Tracts

(2) Monologues

– A single appointment presentation designed for prepared people

(3) Dialogues

– A multiple appointment conversation designed for unprepared people

3) Tools which address the questions that non-believers are asking

(1) How can Christians believe The Bible is God’s Word without error?

(2) How can Christians believe that God allows all people, including good, moral people outside of Christianity, to be separated from God for all eternity?

(3) How can Christians believe that of all the religious leaders who have lived, Jesus is the one and only way to God?

and assuming there is merit in the answers to the previous question

(4) What does Jesus say is required to have eternal life?

4) Tools which respect the two greatest desires of interested non-believers

(1) Brevity

(2) Privacy

A Frequently Visited Workshop

Workshops Which Are Chosen With Kingdom Intentionality

Workshops Which Are Visited Routinely

Resources

To Purchase The Answer

Single book orders (1-9) – Amazon, $15 per copy

For bulk orders (10 or more) – contact Rachael Hamilton

Website – rppresources.com

Email – rppresources@gmail.com

Pack of 10 (minimal order) – $8 per book + shipping
1-2 boxes (50 per box) – $7 per book + shipping
3 or more boxes (50 per box) – $6 per book + shipping

Inviting Faith Foundations Videos

Randypope.org/foundations26 (password: foundations)

SESSION 2

Taking Believers From Belief To Maturity

The Program

(The Absence Of The Correct Target)

The Mature And Equipped Follower Of Christ

Is Living Consistently Under The Control Of The Holy Spirit, The Direction Of The Word Of God, And The Motivation Of The Love Of Christ,

Has Discovered, Developed And Are Using Their Spiritual Gifts,

Has Learned To Effectively Share Their Faith, In A Winsomely Engaging Way,

Gives Evidence Of Being

□ a faithful member of God’s church

□ an effective manager of life, relationships and resources,

□ a willing minister to others including “the least of these”, and

□ an available messenger to non-Kingdom people, and

Demonstrates A Life Characterized As

□ gospel driven,

□ worship focused,

□ morally pure,

□ evangelistically bold,

□ discipleship grounded,

□ family faithful, and

□ socially responsible.

The Solution

The Discovery Of The Appropriate Target

Mature and Equipped Followers Of Christ

Embracing A Plan That Enables The Church To Hit Its Target

Life-on-Life Missional Discipleship is defined as:

“Laboring in the lives of a few with the intention of imparting one’s life and God’s truth in such a way as to see them become mature and equipped followers of Christ, committed to doing the same in the lives of others.”

Life-on-Life Missional Discipleship requires:

a qualified leader,
a faithful few, willing to follow,
intentionality regarding making mature and equipped followers of Christ, and
doing the right things to make mature and equipped followers of Christ.

What Are The “Right Things” Necessary To Make Mature And Equipped Followers Of Christ?

Truth

Equipping

Accountability

Mission

Supplication

Without Life-on-Life Discipleship, We Run The Risk Of Producing Immature Believers, At Best, And Disillusioned Learners, At Worst.

*Ken Blandhard’s Situational Leadership Paradigm

Ken Blanchard

“I know of no other organization as notoriously guilty of producing disillusioned learners than the Church.”

SESSION 3

Life Learnings Regarding Training Disciples

1. Selection

2. Multiplication

3. The Hardware

The Operating System – T.E.A.M.S.^TM

4. The Software

The Curriculum – “The Journey”

3-year overview (Click to view)

5. The Process – A 2-Year Cohort

Three Workshops

1. Foundations Of Discipleship

2. Discipleship In Practice

3. Discipleship – Leader Development

Coaching Zoom Calls

1. 12 Weekly Calls – “Ignition Guide”

(Between workshops 1 & 2)

2. Monthly Calls – Pastor’s Leadership Community

(Between workshops 2 & 3)

(Click below to expand the images)

SESSION 4

Challenges The Church Must Face

1. Being Firmly Committed To The “One Thing”

The One Thing – Bishop J.C. Ryle

“A zealous man in religion is pre-eminently a man of one thing. It is not enough to say that he is earnest, hearty, uncompromising, thorough-going, whole-hearted, fervent in spirit. He only sees one thing, he cares for one thing, he lives for one thing, he is swallowed up in one thing; and that one thing is to please God. Whether he lives, or whether he dies, –whether he has health, or whether he has sickness, –whether he is rich, or whether he is poor, –whether he pleases man, or whether he is thought offensive, –whether he is thought wise, or whether he is through foolish, –whether he gets blame, or whether he gets praise, –whether he gets honour, or whether he gets shame, — for all this the zealous man cares nothing at all. He burns for one thing; and that one thing is to please God, and to advance God’s glory. If he is consumed in the very burning, he cares not for it, –he is content. He feels that, like a lamp, he is made to burn; and if consumed in burning, he has but done the work which God appointed him.”

3 legs

My Recommendation

Sincere Worshipper
Faithful Disciple Maker
Effective Disciple Trainer

2. The Church’s Leadership’s Willingness To Divide Their Human Resources Between Two Types Of Small Groups.

Small Group	Journey Group
1. Leader moderates / teaches	1. Leaders labor in the lives of members to take to maturity & equipping
2. Members can come without preparation	2. Members must show up prepared
3. Members don’t have to come if inconvenient	3. Members show up, prepared, even when inconvenient
4. Members come to get	4. Members come to get in order to give away to others
5. Members don’t have to be missional	5. Members are held accountable to me missional
6. Members have no obligation when they leave the group	6. Members are expected to lead others when they leave the group
7. Members can be in a group as long as the group exists	7. Members are in a group up to three years max
8. Group uses ever changing curriculum	8. Group uses the same curriculum repeatedly

3. The Church’s Leadership’s Willingness To Free Their Pastor To Focus On His Primary Responsibilities.

4. The Church’s Leadership’s Commitment To Refuse To Settle For Nothing But The Ideal.

Good	Traditional Discipleship Ministry (a preaching/program focused ministry) A church with many important ministries but no identifiable equipping and coaching of people to make and train disciples.

Excellent
	Life-On-Life Discipleship Ministry (a heavy emphasis on Life-On-Life discipleship) A church with a well thought-through, identifiable life on life discipleship ministry which is one ministry among many other important ministries within the church (but it does not equip & coach its people to make and train disciples.

Ideal
	Life-On-Life Discipleship Ministry As The Central Focus Of The Ministry (an equipping ministry supported by gospel centered preaching and programs) A church which uses its foundational centerpiece ministry (LOLMD) to shape, influence and fuel all of its other ministries. It equips its people to make and train disciples, who make and train disciples …