Introduction
This is a personal plan of developing discipleship for Jesus Christ and getting more people to come to the church. The Great Commission was an order for all Christians to share the love of Christ and get more people into the church. 1 In this ministry, discipleship is built by embracing all members of the congregation and forming a lasting relationship. However, there is a need to improve on the church’s plan to develop more disciples for Jesus Christ, with this more focus placed on getting more young people to the church. The project will include an in-depth evaluation of the vision, principles, philosophy, practices, and verifiers. Developing this action plan will help the ministry to revitalize the evangelistic mission by examining how to increase the number of disciples in the church.
Passages
This disciple-making plan will be guided by a vision and discipleship passages that provide the foundation of its functioning. The vision of this ministry is to advance the body of Christ in fulfilling the Great Commission by targeting more young people and getting them to church. The passage is to strengthen young people through biblical principles and promote evangelism through outreach ministries. 2 According to Proverbs 29:18, a ministry is built around a vision, without which a nation is dead. The bible is the central item when creating a vision for the ministry as it guides on walking with Christ.
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In this discipleship-making plan, the target is young people who are unchurched but have the potential of serving Christ with their lives. It focuses on reaching out to the young people who may not have a church background by spreading the message of the good news and equipping them on how to walk in Christ. Those who will come to the church will then be trained and equipped on how to win more souls for Christ. This vision looks towards establishing a strong army of young people who can collaborate with the other congregation to spread the gospel across the whole community. Religious scholars have pointed out the importance of laying a solid foundation with young people as the first step in building a healthy growing church. 3
Principles
The ministry will be guided by several policies and values which are vital for the functioning of the church. The laws are the lifeblood of this ministry as they form the structure to uphold the church. The values of the church are to live a righteous life that is congruent with biblical and moral guidelines as well as spiritual enrichment. 4 Contributions should exemplify the fellowship through tithes and offerings, time for service, prayer, and worship.
The discipleship plan is built around the element of youth ministries and training them in the right direction. According to Ecclesiastes 12:1, children who are trained and raised in the right way will continue to live a righteous life in their adult years. Providing youth ministries is crucial in building a strong foundation for young people and guiding them in the right direction before being swallowed in the evils of the world. After reaching them at an early age, the ministry will continue to monitor their journey as they gradually become full-time servants of God. The idea is to make them feel safe and welcomed in the church, by embracing and developing a long-lasting relationship with them.
1st John 2:14 also speaks on the importance of youth focus for church ministries. The body of Christ needs active, vigilant, and vibrant soldiers who can preach the gospel and spread the word. Most young people are bold, courageous, and willing to go greater heights and depths in preaching the gospel. They are also energetic and enthusiastic to carry out the Great Commission when guided by the knowledge and wisdom of older people. 5
Acts 2:17 is another scripture in the bible that speaks on the importance of youth discipleship and its necessity in the church. The scripture describes how young people will usher in the final move of God in the last days before the second coming of Christ. God said he would pour out his Spirit on all flesh, with the sons and daughters prophesizing while young men see visions. 6 This shows the importance of youth ministry and their role in speaking forth the word of God. Older men shall be dreaming dreams and help prepare young people for the work ahead of them. The target is to win young people to Christ before the world swallows snatches and ensnares them up.
Philosophy
The most important philosophy of this ministry is to win young people to the church and make them part of the larger body of Christ. However, young people comprise of a different generation in the 21st century and might need using different methods of discipleship to get them into the ministry. The ministry has to come up with suitable means of reaching out to young people and engage them in understanding the world of God. This entails speaking the same language and being plain right in the message of the gospel. Regardless of the change in times, fundamentals of the church, such as holiness, repentance, and prayer, will not change when setting up a youth ministry. 7 The philosophy is vital for the overall understanding of the church. This discipleship making plan will utilize the following terms used in the change to ensure consistency. According to Habakkuk 2:2, the only way to accomplish a vision in the organization is, to be frank, and speak the same language for all members of the congregation.
The church is defined as a place where Christians go for fellowship and prayer. It is a holy place where believers assemble to meet God in the society of other believers. The church does not refer to a specific location, meaning it can be anywhere provided individuals gather together with one purpose of focusing on God. Whenever two or more people gather together for the sole purpose of focusing on Christ, then the Holy Spirit will be present to guide them. 8
A pastor is a believer in the church who has the final authority on what happens within the fellowship of believers. This is someone who is in charge of events such as game night, youth retreat, or a Sunday service and is given responsibility for the overall activities of the church. However, a person does not have to be ever-present, as he can delegate duties to someone else in his absence.
Saints are the congregation of the church, referring to everyone who attends church services. In a youth ministry, saints are individuals who set themselves apart for the Lord and who change their lifestyles to walk in the ways of God. However, the saint is not a common word in youth ministry, as young people prefer to serve God without being designated as saints.
Gospel s a term used to refer to the good news of Christ’s love and death for man’s sins. It is the good news of Christ’s love for humanity and His redemptive work that was done to save all people who believe in him. In the youth ministry, the gospel is crucial for all people to understand, as it lays a foundation for discipleship and spreading of the world. This is because young people need to know that Jesus died for all humanity, which will be the foundation of Christianity. 9
Evangelism refers to the intentional reaching out to people who have not yet met Jesus or experienced His love. Evangelism is different from missions, as it focuses on reaching people with the love of Christ while presenting them with the gospel. It describes various ways in which believers can reach out to others in the community and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are several ways of engaging in evangelism, which can involve service evangelism that entails giving out food to the needy in society and using the opportunity to preach to them. 10 The purpose of evangelism is to show love to non-believers that resemble Christ, and not necessarily teach to them regarding salvation. Servant evangelism is an excellent form of reaching out to young people in society, who would love to experience Christ as opposed to listening to preaching.
Discipleship in the church refers to the act of being a Christian and following in all the doctrines of the ministry. Disciples are expected to follow Christ and accept to be a student in learning about the word. At the same time, disciples grow alongside one another and help each other towards spiritual maturity. 11 Discipleship is also the process of preparing and equipping believers for learning process through acquiring the necessary prerequisite competencies
A leader is any person in the church with a role to play in influencing others in the same direction. Every disciple is supposed to be a leader with their lives setting examples for Christianity. Young people will follow a particular lifestyle when a leader influences them in the church. This makes it essential for all disciples to be role models and act as examples to non-believers, which is one way of influencing them to come to salvation. 12
Practices
Every project needs a plan to be successful and achieve its objectives. In the book of Exodus 26-27, God gave models detailed ideas regarding how to build the tabernacle with emphasis on the measurements and the materials used. This highlights the importance of having a plan for the discipleship process that will act as a vehicle for implementing the plan. Several methods will be used in driving the discipleship process and bring more young people into the ministry. They will comprise of youth panels, training programs, and outreach ministries targeting young people in the community. Developing these methods within the existing church structure and processes will allow the church to achieve its objective of bringing more people into the church
There are numerous examples in the bible that describes how to deliver the gospel effectively. Paul, in 1st Corinthians 15:3-5, said the church could never compromise the scriptures despite changes in the method of delivery. There are different ways through which a church can bring more people into the ministry. The purest form of discipleship is by inviting people to church by explaining the importance of being in Christ. Creating small group fellowships can be another means of implementing the discipleship plan in the church. 13 The small group fellowship may include Sunday school classes and discipleship training; which helps to promote discipleship within the church members. The church will also have a session of training church members to make them ready and equipped to lead a class.
There are several curriculums and classes that the church can explore when looking to deliver the gospel in a new and existing manner. The best curriculum is using the inerrant word of God b selecting church members who will teach class lessons at church. The curriculum closely aligns with the bible as it looks towards empowering youth into walking in the way of God. 14 The training is also needed to develop other leaders in the church who will take over the mantle in the future.
The youth panel will be the first vehicle to develop in the ministry to make them disciples. The panel will comprise of youth in the church who are part of the focus group targeted by the discipleship. They will be placed in advisory committees to advise on how to reach broader audiences. The youth training program will also be crucial in driving the discipleship process. This will involve training the youth to become disciples and place them in departments where they can effectively serve the Lord. Outreach ministries will also be used as a vehicle to drive the discipleship process for this ministry. The outreach services entail involving young people in all church activities and helping them to experience the love of Christ in their lives
In essence, numerous means within the church structure will help in driving the discipleship process. The organic church model will be used in this discipleship plan since it is limitless without a specific organizational structure. This natural church model can comprise of a simple gathering of people meeting systematically to share love, without necessarily preaching or spreading the word. 15 The essence is to show no-believers of the love of Christ and the importance of being in salvation. It can be done in the form of creating a sports event to build a relationship with the people with the hopes of intentional evangelism.
How the church communicates with the community during the discipleship process is crucial in getting more people to come to church. The communication plan will increase the number of people participating in the program. Using technology such as social media groups will help in the communication plans, as it will create a forum to communicate the message to a large group of people. Young people are into technology and will be well placed to share the gospel of Jesus Christ through the use of social media. This can help influence more youths into coming to church or attending fellowships. 16
Proof
There will be a need to track the progress of this plan, which will be facilitated by collecting data on the number of youth participating in various activities. This data can be collected through simple observation of the congregation, as well as holding quarterly counts of the total number of the congregation in the ministry, and the percentage of young people coming for fellowship. For example, the ministry will determine the number of young people taking part in the church choir, ushering services as well as prayer and fasting.
The proof of progress will also be measured by considering the number of young people that are part of the evangelism program to bring more people into the church. The goal of this discipleship plan is to have many young people attending the church and actively participate in church activities. Mathew 7:16 speaks on knowing people by their fruits, which comprises of their actions and behaviours while in the church. 17
The effectiveness of this plan will be determined by having more young people coming to the church. In essence, the proof of the success of this plan will be in numbers of people coming to the ministry and those getting involved in church activities. In case the effectiveness of this plan is not available, then an advisory committee will be created to provide feedback on where to improve as a ministry and provide further suggestions. 18 The youths who have come to the church will be part of the advisory committee, allowing them to teach new ways of reaching out to the rest of the community.
It is possible to take attendance of people during a Sunday service that will be used to gauge the effectiveness of the ministry. The efficacy of the discipleship program is measured by an increase in the number of the congregation, and especially of young people in the church. This will show how the plan is changing the lives of people and whether the church is maintaining youth while adding them.
Conclusion
Developing a disciple-making plan is crucial for the church looking to reach more people for Christ. This disciple-making plan focuses on the youth who are a core part of the ministry. It looks at adding more young people to the church who can extend the work of the gospel. Young people are needed for the ministry, and form a ripe mission field for harvest. The church needs to reach out to young people in the community early enough before the world swallows them up in all evil deeds. The discipleship plan will help in raising a strong army for Christ through advising, training, and outreach, equipping them with skills to continue with the evangelism. In any type of ministry, every disciple should have a desire to always deliver the gospel in truth and love while not being ashamed of the gospel of Christ. The focus of this disciple-making plan is to train believers to become Disciples of Christ using the 5Ps of discipleship model, and the philosophy of winning and growing more souls to Christ. 19
Bibliography
Barna, George. Growing true disciples: New strategies for producing genuine followers of Christ . Waterbrook Press, 2001.
Earley, Dave, and Rod Dempsey. Disciple-Making Is...: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence . B&H Publishing Group, 2013.
Hull, Bill. The complete book of discipleship: On being and making followers of Christ . Tyndale House, 2014.
Koessler, John. True Discipleship: The Art of Following Jesus . Moody Publishers, 2003.
Maxwell, John. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007.
Mitchell, Michael. Leading, Teaching, and Making Disciples: World-Class Education in the Church, School, and Home. Bloomington, IN CrossBooks, 2010.
Shirley, Chris. "It takes a church to make a disciple: An integrative model of discipleship for the local church." Southwestern Journal of Theology 50, no. 2 (2008): 207-224.
Walton, Roger. "Disciples together: The small group as a vehicle for discipleship formation." Journal of Adult Theological Education 8, no. 2 (2011): 99-114.
Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Church: Growth Without Compromising Your Message & Mission. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1995.
Willard, Dallas. "Spiritual formation in Christ: A perspective on what it is and how it might be done." Journal of Psychology and Theology 28, no. 4 (2000): 254-258.
1 Earley and Dempsey. Disciple-Making Is...: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence (B&H Publishing Group, 2013)
2 Bill Hull. The complete book of discipleship: On being and making followers of Christ (Tyndale House, 2014).
3 George Barna. Growing true disciples: New strategies for producing genuine followers of Christ (Waterbrook Press, 2001).
4 Dallas Willard. Spiritual formation in Christ: A perspective on what it is and how it might be done ( Journal of Psychology and Theology , 2000): 254-258.
5 Earley and Dempsey. Disciple-Making Is...: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence (B&H Publishing Group, 2013)
6 Chris Shirley. It takes a church to make a disciple: An integrative model of discipleship for the local church ( Southwestern Journal of Theology , 2008): 207-224 .
7 Bill Hull. The complete book of discipleship: On being and making followers of Christ (Tyndale House, 2014)
8 Chris Shirley. It takes a church to make a disciple: An integrative model of discipleship for the local church ( Southwestern Journal of Theology , 2008): 207-224 .
9 John Koessler. True Discipleship: The Art of Following Jesus (Moody Publishers, 2003).
10 Roger Walton. Disciples together: The small group as a vehicle for discipleship formation ( Journal of Adult Theological Education , 2011): 99-114 .
11 Dallas Willard. Spiritual formation in Christ: A perspective on what it is and how it might be done ( Journal of Psychology and Theology , 2000): 254-258
12 John Maxwell. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You (Thomas Nelson, 2007)
13 Michael Mitchell. Leading, Teaching, and Making Disciples: World-Class Education in the Church, School, and Home (CrossBooks, 2010).
14 John Maxwell. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You (Thomas Nelson, 2007)
15 Roger Walton. Disciples together: The small group as a vehicle for discipleship formation ( Journal of Adult Theological Education , 2011): 99-114
16 John Koessler. True Discipleship: The Art of Following Jesus (Moody Publishers, 2003).
17 Rick Warren. The Purpose Driven Church: Growth Without Compromising Your Message & Mission. Grand Rapids (Zondervan, 1995).
18 Roger Walton. Disciples together: The small group as a vehicle for discipleship formation ( Journal of Adult Theological Education , 2011): 99-114
19 George Barna. Growing true disciples: New strategies for producing genuine followers of Christ (Waterbrook Press, 2001).
