Clarifying Words
Challenging words to help make prepared, confident, and skilled followers of God.
Discipleship Theory
The Holy Spirit Doesn’t Work for Us!
I remember the day when we realized that we were running the disciple-making show. And it wasn’t working. We couldn’t get more people in life-changing discipleship, and only 20% (the national average) were getting it, sticking to the deal, and seeing their lives change. Maybe you have been there too. ...
Discipleship Science
Witch Doctor Discipleship
Do you know the difference between a witch doctor and a doctor doctor? Doctor doctors have spent their lives researching why what they do works. And that research increases their success. Whereas witch doctors have no idea why what they do does what it does. And no one else in ...
Discipleship Science
Three Needs Every Disciple Has
There are those “aha” moments when you realize you are on to something big. I had one of those when I read Joël Malm’s book Fully You. Joël put words on something that I knew but didn’t fully realize. Joël explains three needs humans have: safety, connection, and empowerment. It ...
Discipleship Theory
One Great Reason to Make Disciples
Mark Crull at Northview Church is leading his team to make 1,000 disciples in 2024. As we were helping with the messaging and marketing, one of his team members asked, “What would you say, in one line, is the reason you should make disciples? I stopped for a moment and ...
Discipleship Science
The best time to start making disciples.
Do you know the best time to start making disciples? The philosophical answer is, “Right now!” The practical answer is often different. There are a crazy number of factors that affect the success of a discipleship group. If you are doing a formal plan (especially the most effective one-year plan), ...
Are You Ready?
Our Role as Guides
Sustainable Discipleship leverages several principles from Scripture when making disciples. We recognized, How do those principles affect how we guide disciples toward a life of following God? When Jesus said, Go unto all the world and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the ...
How to Make Disciples
Doug’s First Meeting Template
I have six goals for my first meeting: Establishing Trust Trust comes by knowing that we are in this together. Trust comes with transparency. Trust begins by you trusting the disciples you will make. I begin establishing trust by asking two questions: Even when folks know me, I still ask ...
Discipleship Science
The Power of a Question
The U.S. and internet culture wants quick answers. Just Google it. Just ask. Just tell me what to do. And the church culture isn’t too different. Most everything is designed to deliver quick, “relevant” answers to a crowd. Even Biblical education is designed to provide quick answers in group guides, ...
On Discipleship
What does 95% success mean?
We get a bit of pushback on the 95% success claim. Some of our early adopters have even said, “It’s so unbelievable you should stop saying it. Even though it is true.” And we hear other comments like: The other day, I talked with Justin Gravitt with Navigators (one of ...
Discipleship Science
Six Thinking Hats
When Chris Barras, the pastor at Area 10 Church, and I talked the other day, he said, “I heard you talk about Six Thinking Hats by DeBono. I read it, but I can’t figure out how to use it in disciple-making?” It was a great question. DeBono’s book is incredible ...
Discipleship Theory
The Holy Spirit Doesn’t Work for Us!
I remember the day when we realized that we were running the disciple-making show. And it wasn’t working. We couldn’t get more people in life-changing discipleship, and only 20% (the national average) were getting it, sticking to the deal, and seeing their lives change. Maybe you have been there too. ...
Discipleship Science
Witch Doctor Discipleship
Do you know the difference between a witch doctor and a doctor doctor? Doctor doctors have spent their lives researching why what they do works. And that research increases their success. Whereas witch doctors have no idea why what they do does what it does. And no one else in ...
Discipleship Science
Three Needs Every Disciple Has
There are those “aha” moments when you realize you are on to something big. I had one of those when I read Joël Malm’s book Fully You. Joël put words on something that I knew but didn’t fully realize. Joël explains three needs humans have: safety, connection, and empowerment. It ...
Discipleship Theory
One Great Reason to Make Disciples
Mark Crull at Northview Church is leading his team to make 1,000 disciples in 2024. As we were helping with the messaging and marketing, one of his team members asked, “What would you say, in one line, is the reason you should make disciples? I stopped for a moment and ...
Discipleship Science
The best time to start making disciples.
Do you know the best time to start making disciples? The philosophical answer is, “Right now!” The practical answer is often different. There are a crazy number of factors that affect the success of a discipleship group. If you are doing a formal plan (especially the most effective one-year plan), ...
Are You Ready?
Our Role as Guides
Sustainable Discipleship leverages several principles from Scripture when making disciples. We recognized, How do those principles affect how we guide disciples toward a life of following God? When Jesus said, Go unto all the world and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the ...
How to Make Disciples
Doug’s First Meeting Template
I have six goals for my first meeting: Establishing Trust Trust comes by knowing that we are in this together. Trust comes with transparency. Trust begins by you trusting the disciples you will make. I begin establishing trust by asking two questions: Even when folks know me, I still ask ...
Discipleship Science
The Power of a Question
The U.S. and internet culture wants quick answers. Just Google it. Just ask. Just tell me what to do. And the church culture isn’t too different. Most everything is designed to deliver quick, “relevant” answers to a crowd. Even Biblical education is designed to provide quick answers in group guides, ...
On Discipleship
What does 95% success mean?
We get a bit of pushback on the 95% success claim. Some of our early adopters have even said, “It’s so unbelievable you should stop saying it. Even though it is true.” And we hear other comments like: The other day, I talked with Justin Gravitt with Navigators (one of ...
Discipleship Science
Six Thinking Hats
When Chris Barras, the pastor at Area 10 Church, and I talked the other day, he said, “I heard you talk about Six Thinking Hats by DeBono. I read it, but I can’t figure out how to use it in disciple-making?” It was a great question. DeBono’s book is incredible ...
Challenging words to help make prepared, confident, and skilled followers of God.
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Recent Articles
Discipleship Theory
The Holy Spirit Doesn’t Work for Us!
Discipleship Science
Witch Doctor Discipleship
Discipleship Science
Three Needs Every Disciple Has
Discipleship Theory