Discipleship That Fits
The Five Kinds of Relationships God Uses to Help Us Grow
Published on 24. March 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
240 pages
978-0-310-52261-4 (ISBN)
Description
For far too long, the church has tried to make disciples using a one-size-fits-all approach. Some churches advocate 1-on-1 discipling, others try getting everyone into a small group, while still others training through mission trips or service projects. Yet others focus all their efforts on attracting people to a large group gathering to hear biblical teaching and preaching. But does one size really fit everyone?
Based on careful biblical study and years of experience making disciples in the local church, Bobby Harrington and Alex Absalom have identified five key relationships where discipleship happens in our lives. In each relational context we need to understand how discipleship occurs and we need to set appropriate expectations for each context.
Discipleship That Fits shows you the five key ways discipleship occurs. It looks at how Jesus made disciples and how disciples were formed in the early church. Each of the contexts is necessary at different times and in different ways as a person grows toward maturity in Christ:
Public Relationships: The church gathering corporately for worship
Social Relationships: Networks of smaller relationships where we engage in mission and live out our faith in community
Personal Relationships: Small groups of six to sixteen people where we challenge and encourage one another on a regular basis
Transparent Relationships: Close relationships of three to four where we share intimate details of our lives for accountability
The Divine Relationship: Our relationship with Jesus Christ where we grow through the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit
Filled with examples and stories, Alex and Bobby show you how to develop discipleship practices in each relational context by sharing how Jesus did it, how the early church practiced it, and how churches are discipling people today.
Based on careful biblical study and years of experience making disciples in the local church, Bobby Harrington and Alex Absalom have identified five key relationships where discipleship happens in our lives. In each relational context we need to understand how discipleship occurs and we need to set appropriate expectations for each context.
Discipleship That Fits shows you the five key ways discipleship occurs. It looks at how Jesus made disciples and how disciples were formed in the early church. Each of the contexts is necessary at different times and in different ways as a person grows toward maturity in Christ:
Public Relationships: The church gathering corporately for worship
Social Relationships: Networks of smaller relationships where we engage in mission and live out our faith in community
Personal Relationships: Small groups of six to sixteen people where we challenge and encourage one another on a regular basis
Transparent Relationships: Close relationships of three to four where we share intimate details of our lives for accountability
The Divine Relationship: Our relationship with Jesus Christ where we grow through the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit
Filled with examples and stories, Alex and Bobby show you how to develop discipleship practices in each relational context by sharing how Jesus did it, how the early church practiced it, and how churches are discipling people today.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Grand Rapids
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 211 mm
Width: 137 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
204 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-310-52261-4 (9780310522614)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Bobby Harrington | Alex Absalom
Discipleship that Fits
The Five Kinds of Relationships God Uses to Help Us Grow
E-Book
02/2016
Zondervan
€8.99
Available for download
Persons
Bobby Harrington is the co-founder of discipleship.org and the founding and lead pastor of Harpeth Christian Church (19 years). He is the chairman of the board for the Relational Discipleship Network and the co-author of DiscipleShift, Dedicated: Training Your Children to Trust and Follow Jesus, and Discipleship that Fits. He has been married to Cindy for over 35 years and they have two adult children who are disciples of Jesus.
Alex is a visionary speaker, consultant, writer and practitioner on mission and discipleship, especially the practicalities of building a movement around missional communities. Originally from England, Alex has served in church leadership for over two decades, and has helped many churches and denominations develop intentional disciple making processes. Married to Hannah and with three sons, the family are part of Grace Church in Long Beach CA, where Alex also leads Dandelion (www.dandelionresourcing.com), an organization that empowers disciple making leaders and churches.
Alex is a visionary speaker, consultant, writer and practitioner on mission and discipleship, especially the practicalities of building a movement around missional communities. Originally from England, Alex has served in church leadership for over two decades, and has helped many churches and denominations develop intentional disciple making processes. Married to Hannah and with three sons, the family are part of Grace Church in Long Beach CA, where Alex also leads Dandelion (www.dandelionresourcing.com), an organization that empowers disciple making leaders and churches.
Content
Introduction - For far too long, the church has approached discipleship with the assumption that there is a single model or context for discipleship. Some churches advocate 1-on-1, others try small groups, while still others emphasize mission trips or discipleship through large group teaching and preaching. But this one-size-fits all mentality doesn't work in real life. We need to understand how discipleship occurs in different relational contexts and we need to set our expectations to match the context. Chapter 1: Our Public Relationships The public context for discipleship refers to the ways in which the church gathers corporately, as a body of Christ followers, and includes people into that community. This is the discipleship context for inspiring people and creating move-mentum through public preaching. In most churches, this typically happens at a Sunday gathering of 150+ people during a worship service. Chapter 2: Our Social Relationships Though we identify corporately with a larger body of believers, most of us can only have social relationships with a group of between 20 and 70 people. This is the context for community, mission, and practicing our faith. It is the ideal context for a missional community. Chapter 3: Our Personal Relationships Who do you look to for support and help? Who challenges you and speaks into your life when needed? These are the relationships that provide support and challenges, and it includes the typical small group gathering of 6 to 16 people. Chapter 4: Our Transparent Relationships These are the relationships where we are vulnerable and intimate---the safe relationships in our life where we can be completely honest. This is the typical gathering for an effective D-Group, a same-gender gatherings of 2 to 5 men or women where more intensive discipleship occurs. Chapter 5: The Divine Relationship Every Christian believer is ultimately a disciple of Jesus, following him through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is an essential relationship where the Holy Spirit empowers our identity, reveals our gifting, and enables us to walk in truth and love. This is the context in which we practice the individual spiritual disciplines like prayer, fasting, silence and meditation. Conclusion Summarizes the content and includes a Q and A section on some of the practical questions.