This topic is adapted from the PursueGOD Video YouTube channel.

As leaders in a church, it’s safe to say that we all understand that our primary goal is to lead people to faith in Jesus. This should be the goal of any healthy church. This is what Jesus says to us in Matthew 28, we are called to “go and make disciples.” But here’s the problem. Many churches, and even Christians, don’t have a clear understanding of what it means to be a disciple and then how to go about making disciples. Getting clarity on these things are very important to be effective in ministry. Start with this question:

Are We Currently Training People to Make Disciples?

Think about what you offer the women in your church. What are you communicating to them by what you offer? For most, the answer is probably a really good Bible study. And, Bible studies are great and have their place. But a Bible study tends to create an inward focused pursuit of God. It’s about making the individual Christian a smarter Christian. It doesn’t create a natural bridge to being outward focused and thinking about how to help someone else in their pursuit.

A good place to start is to define what a disciple should look like.

A Definition of a Disciple

  • We start by trusting in Jesus for salvation (Galatians 1:4; Romans 3:22; 10:9-10). This is just the start for a disciple.
  • We live to honor God: Once someone trusts in Jesus, they need to learn what it means for their everyday life. They need help learning how to incorporate biblical principles into their friendships, entertainment choices, marriage, parenting, and the like. Becoming a disciple is more than just praying a prayer, it’s also living like Jesus wants you to live (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ezekiel 36:26, 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
  • We grow by helping others: This is the part of discipleship that many tend to leave out. Growing in your faith is about knowledge of the Bible but it’s also about helping someone else to become a disciple, too. True maturity in Christ is understanding the outward purpose of serving and helping others. It’s about using your knowledge to help someone else (Mark 9:33-35, John 13:12-15, Galatians 5:13, Matthew 28:18-19).

Ephesians 4:11-12 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

How Can PursueGOD Resources Help Your Ministry?

Our goal is to help you create a discipleship culture where every woman is in the game of making a disciple, not just leaving the leaders or pastors. Every woman should feel empowered to help someone and this is why PursueGOD exists.

The site offers you a curriculum and a reproducible strategy. It’s all about having a meaningful conversation with someone, meeting them where they are in their pursuit of God. The curriculum is a biblically based video library complete with discussion questions that help you to talk about the topic with someone else or in a group. We have topics on faith, theology, and life. You can study why the Bible can be trusted or talk about how forgiveness works. You can tackle marriage issues or parenting issues. The options are endless. And, our resources are completely free. All you need is the internet. And the strategy is simple. Choose the topic, send the topic, meet and have a conversation with someone. Overtime, that person will be ready to disciple someone else and they’ll know how to do it because you’ve been modeling it for them by using the resources.

[Related Series: Foundations for Leaders]

[Related: How to Create a Discipleship Culture]

[Related: Mentor Training]

Discussion Questions:

  1. Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
  2. What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
  3. Evaluate your current structure. What are you offering women at your church? Why have you chosen those things and what do those things communicate about what you value as a ministry/church?
  4. Read Matthew 28:18-20. Why do think Jesus trusted fisherman and ultimately us to fulfill his mission of making disciples?
  5. What are the common reasons people give for not making disciples?
  6. Read Ephesians 4:11-12. What is Paul saying in this passage? How do these insights challenge you as a ministry team in understanding your role in your women’s ministry?
  7. Do you currently have a system for training women to help someone else in a pursuit of God? Explain.
  8. Do you think the PursueGOD resources can help you to create a discipleship culture in your ministry?
  9. Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
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