Discipleship through Mentoring
Groups:
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to
the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped
him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "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
WHY: Job, family,
friends and other duties of life all clamor for your attention and your
devotion. Life-on-life missional discipleship is the most effective means of
progressing toward spiritual maturity. This is the model Christ used with His
disciples.
Christianity without
discipleship is always Christianity without Christ. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
WHAT: Discipleship
is the process where growth, maturity and development happen as a follower of
Christ. It's not a Bible study, a social circle or a small group. Throughout
the Bible, the lesson of discipleship is evident as we see leaders taking a
small group of people around him or her and pouring his or her life into them.
The most recognizable model of discipleship is Christ as He spent three years
walking alongside of and experiencing life with His apostles. What separates
discipleship at Messiah from other small groups is an intentionality towards
life-on-life missional discipleship and focus on the process of maturity.
HOW: Discipleship
groups begin in the fall and continue until the beginning of June. Each group
is overseen by a qualified leader who disciples 3-4 mentees. The
curriculum is a three-year process and mentees make a new commitment
each year to enter the next phase of discipleship training.
We use the following
acronym of TEAMS to describe the 5 things that happen in the discipleship
process to make and deploy loving, mature, equipped followers of Christ:
T for Truth; E for equipping; A for
accountability; M for mission and S for supplication or prayer.