Deep Discipleship

By: J.T. English

ISBN: 978 1535993524

READ: May 2022

RATING: 7/10

Summary: Deep discipleship nails the problem facing the American church and highlights the typical response from churches which is to lower the bar. English’s answer is to go the other way—deep. This is in line with what Jesus did. He didn’t try to tell everyone they could do it now, instead He invited them to be discipled and then to disciple others. I appreciated English’s approach. He refrains from suggesting his formula is good for all churches and yet offers helpful questions for every church to think through. The questions are helpful. I respect English for how he approached this book so much. So why the low rating?

In spite of these strengths the book proposes a solution that is mostly aimed at the mind. Classes and Christian education, the author argues, are the missing link that will make disciples who make disciples. For decades churches have tried this approach and while it’s helpful in some ways, it doesn’t make disciple makers. This approach fails to grow people relationally and holistically. The thing is English seems to be aware of these dangers, but it seems his solution is based around his own experience. This is normal for all of us, but for me, it’s not a book I’d recommend to many—unless they are already in a church culture that is aimed towards education. The other difficulty I had with the book was his over-emphasis on discipleship/making needs to happen within the structure of the local church. I agree it should, and perhaps he was pushing hard because of current reality, but I believe that God is pleased when Jesus disciples are made—regardless of the context.

Chapter titles are: Introduction: Diagnosing the Discipleship Disease, 1. A God-Centered Vision for Discipleship 2. The Church: Where Whole Disciples are Formed 3. Space: Where Does Discipleship Happen in the Church 4. Scope: What do Disciples Need? 5. Sequence: How Do Disciples Grow? 6. Send: Where Do Disciples Go? 7. Strategy: Adopting a Holistic Approach to Discipleship Epilogue

Introduction:

“Getting the treatment right depends entirely on getting the diagnosis right. I believe similarly, that the local church has a discipleship disease. And without the proper diagnosis and treatment plan, we will do more harm than good.” Pg. 7

“The church seems to think our disease is that we’ve gotten too deep.” Pg. 7

“…so we have lowered the bar, and we have settled for a lowest-common-denominator discipleship.” Pg. 8

“Unfortunately, I believe many of us have misdiagnosed the disease and are mistreating the church. Our ministry disease is not that the evangelical church I too deep, but that it is far too shallow.” Pg. 8

“We have adopted philosophies of ministry that focus on growing crowds instead of growing Christians.” Pg. 9

“Perhaps the church should start thinking about what it means to go deeper with fewer instead of going wider with the many. What is our cultural moment is inviting the church to embody the depth and substance of the Christian faith, not a shallow spirituality that appeals to the masses?” pg. 9

“My hope in this book is to introduce a paradigm that will help local churches implement a philosophy of ministry that will grow and mature deep and holistic disciples.” Pg. 10

“The primary way I intend to do this is to reframe the philosophy of ministry by asking better questions. By asking better questions, I think we will also come up with better answers.” Pg. 10

“…we will also look at why the primary context for discipleship is in the local church. Discipleship outside the local church is exploding because discipleship inside the local church is neglected, but we will see that Jesus has commissioned the local church specifically to teach, form, and develop maturing followers of Christ.” Pg. 10-11

“Too many of our ministry philosophies follow a consumeristic mindset that tries to give disciples what they want instead of giving them what they need. In order to make growing and maturing followers of Christ, how should the church intentionally be training their people so they may be equipped to equip others?” pg. 11

Chapter 1: A God-Centered Vision for Discipleship

“Success in ministry is not found in building programs, but in building disciples—disciples who love God with all of their heart, soul, strength, and mind (Luke 10:27.)” pg. 17

“He [Habakkuk] is showing us that the knowledge of the glory of God is the goal of deep discipleship.” Pg. 17

-I disagree that this is the primary goal of our earthly lives. Thus I don’t think it should be the primary focus of disciples. I would suggest that becoming like Him is a better aim.

“Ministry that is not oriented to the presence of God is dead.” Pg. 19 -Offered with no Scriptural support.

“The source of true discipleship is not better programs, better preaching, or better community. All of those, and more, are hugely important, but the source of discipleship is God Himself. Thus, at the heart of everything we do is the desire to grow in our love and knowledge of God.” Pg. 19-20

“The primary pathway of discipleship is God Himself. God is the goal of deep discipleship….IN being reoriented to reality, disciples begin to view everything through a God-centered lens.” Pg. 21

“Without the proper goal and fuel of discipleship, churches may have the most impressive ministries in the world, and they may be able to churcn out disciples, but these won’t be disciples of Jesus.” Pg. 22

“True discipleship can only be measured by a disciple’s ability o connect all of reality to the Triune God.” Pg. 22-23 -Is this measurable??

Two Challenges of Deep Discipleship pgs. 23-25

1. Self-Centered Discipleship

2. Spiritual Apathy

“We have replaced the transcendence of God with the transcendence of self.” Pg. 24

“Jesus’ identity can never be separated from his work, and our identity can never be separated from our call to follow.” Pg. 26

“According to Jesus, discipleship is not about self-actualization or self-preservation: it is about self-denial….True self-knowledge comes not through being true to yourself, but through denying yourself.” Pg. 27

“Our local churches need to completely orient themselves toward the character and nature of God. Self-denial only makes sense if we get God instead of ourselves.” Pg. 28

“Christianity is not a religion of self-improvement; it is a program of self-denial.” Pg. 30

“The Christian life says that the good life starts and ends with God.” Pg. 30

“In the church we are more concerned with apostasy than we are with apathy, but both are deadly to a vibrant walk with Christ.” Pg. 31

“Becoming bored with the true Christ is impossible.” Pg. 31

“It is entirely possible for a church to have a healthy budget, dynamic worship, relevant preaching, contemporary leadership principles, and a thriving family ministry, and still be in danger of failing in its primary mission of making disciples of Christ.” Pg. 34

“The best medicine for a church that has grown apathetic is to introduce them to the awesomeness of Christ, which is exactly what Paul is trying to do for the Colossian church…” pg. 35

“God is the goal of deep discipleship, and God is the means of deep discipleship.” Pg. 37

Chapter 2 – The Church: Where Whole Disciples are Formed

“…evangelistic methods don’t save people; God does.” Pg. 45

“I spent the next few years bouncing around between campus ministry and church, just trying to figure out what it meant to be a Christian.” Pg. 45

“…this conversation revealed one of the most tragic lies most American Christians believe today: that we have to leave the church in order to lead in the church.” Pg. 47

“I did not understand that we had a system in which churches were relying on outside organizations to make deep disciples. Were all churches delegating growth and discipleship to other institutions and organizations?” pg. 47

“It seemed like the church was not simply recommending seminary to supplement the discipleship of the church, but it was delegating its responsibility to make disciples.” Pg. 48

“‘Where can discipleship happen?’ instead of asking the better question, ‘Where should discipleship happen?’” pg. 48

“This is not just my story; it is the story of countless people who came to faith outside of the church and who were primarily discipled outside of the local church.” Pg. 48

“I believe with every fiber of my being that the local church is God’s primary means of making holistic disciples of Christ.” Pg. 49

“The local church is where we are formed, equipped, and sent out to make more disciples.” Pg. 49

“Do you have the conviction and belief that the church is the primary context for holistic discipleship and, if so, do you have a philosophy and practice of discipleship to execute on that conviction?” pg. 49

“Someone should be able to come to faith, grow in the faith, and walk in Christian maturity solely from being equipped by a local church. That is the basic sequence of the gospel. We are orphans who have been adopted into Christ’s family. Then, as adopted infants, we learn how to grow into mature members of the household—all of which can happen in and through the local church.” Pg. 50

“We cannot disconnect the task of deep discipleship from the institution that owns it: the local church.” Pg. 52

“Every local church shares in four distinctives that uniquely set it apart as the primary context for deep discipleship: place, people, purpose, and presence. Deep discipleship is grounded in a specific place (wherever it meets), with a specific people (the church family), for a specific purpose (mission and Christlikeness), and empowered by God himself (presence).” Pg. 53

“We should all participate in expressions of the universal church, but participation must be grounded in participation in the local church.” Pg. 55

“Virtual discipleship cannot create deep disciples. Deep discipleship is intensely local. Formation is meant to be personal, embodied, and incarnational.” Pg. 55

“We are in danger of adopting primary pathways of discipleship that are digital and disembodied.” Pg. 56

“The local church shows that discipleship is not inherently gnostic or disembodied but deeply human and incarnational.” Pg. 57

“Discipleship is not just the transfer of ideas but the transformation of the whole person.” Pg. 57

“However, when we root deep discipleship in the local church, there are no spiritual orphans.” Pg. 59

-This is certainly different from my experience.

“Holistic disciples are not only seeking their own spiritual health but the spiritual health of the whole family.” Pg. 60

“Discipleship that happens in the context of the spiritual family is healthier than discipleship that happens in the context of a spiritual orphanage.” Pg. 62

“So how do you have all members of the family pursuing maturity together, without falling back into the habits of comparison, competition, and frustration? We need to see one another as family.” Pg. 65

“The local church is the visible and situated (place) adopted family of God (people), that is being equipped for mission and Christlikeness (purpose).” Pg. 67

“Ministers and pastors and leaders aren’t called to do all the ministry for the congregation but to serve and prepare the congregation so the so-called amateurs can carry out the work of the ministry.” Pg. 70

“God is not interested in creating an audience; he wants participants. Paul is insistent that one of the main purposes of the church is to invite all people into the work of ministry—not reserve it for a select few.” Pg. 70

“Churchless discipleship is purposeless discipleship.” Pg. 71

Chapter 3 – Space: Where Does Discipleship Happen in the Church?

“We had a lot of environments that had the highest stated purpose of community and almost no environments where the highest stated value was learning.” Pg. 77

“What kinds of environments does your church need to adopt in order to form holistic disciples? Answering this question is essential because creating healthy and vibrant spaces for discipleship is one of the main contributing factors to people growing in Christ. One question local churches ask is, ‘Where can we make disciples?,’ but the better question is, ‘Where should we make disciples?’” pg. 79

“Community is indispensable to discipleship, but community is not discipleship.” Pg. 83

“Just because we get people into community does not mean we are discipling them. In other words, it is not enough to connect people to community; it must be a community that is committed to learning the way of Jesus together.” Pg. 83

“We must retrieve education-driven discipleship spaces in the local church in order to form whole disciples.” Pg. 84

“According to Jesus, discipleship is all about learning and teaching; it centers on being taught and becoming a teacher. To disciple means to make students of, bring to school, educate, mentor, apprentice.” Pg. 85

-NO! Matt. 28:19-20 puts the emphasis on learning to obey, not learning to understand. It’s practical more than theological or academic.

“Conversion is not the touchdown of the Christian life; it is the kickoff. Adoption into the family is not the end of life; it is the beginning.” Pg. 85

“A culture of deep discipleship is birthed in the local church that has spaces where learning is the highest stated value and spaces where community is the highest stated value.” Pg. 86

“…the primary space where Christ builds his church is in the weekend gathering.” Pg. 87

“It does not matter how many community groups people are in, how many Bible studies or classes they participate in, or how many books they read if they are not gathering regularly with the whole church body.” Pg. 88

“Perhaps nothing is more formative than a few decades of regular church attendance.” Pg. 88

-If this is true then why are we in the discipleship crisis we are in?

“In addition to our weekly gathering, one discipleship space we reintroduced into the life of our church is men’s and women’s Bible studies.” Pg. 88

“Another discipleship space we implemented is core classes—three particular classes dedicated to the essentials of the faith….We also implemented a one-year discipleship Training Program.” Pg. 89

“We also introduced a one-year residency program with two tracks—ministry and marketplace.” Pg. 90

“Another regular question about the relationship between these two spaces is: Can we just have one space and accomplish both learning and community? Honestly, the answer is no.” pg. 91

“Since most churches are overly reliant on small groups as a discipleship strategy, they should work toward retrieving learning spaces in the life of the church.” Pg. 92-93

“Like the four legs of a table, active learning spaces have four important characteristics.” Pg. 93

1. Prework

2. Gather in smaller groups to discuss prework

3. Attend the large group teaching environment

4. Articulate what was learned to someone else. Pgs. 93-95

“We had to show people that small groups are not indispensable to discipleship—community is, but small groups are not. Likewise, classes are not indispensable to discipleship—learning is, but classes are not. All disciples are called into community and into learning.” Pg. 96

Chapter 4 – Scope: What do Disciples Need?

“A Frankenstein philosophy of ministry is a ministry creation that is the result of a lot of ministry experiments that don’t fit well together but end up being one big monster.” Pg. 100

“Just like an either/or approach to ministry, a Frankenstein philosophy of ministry cannot produce whole disciples. Usually this philosophy of ministry is birthed by asking the better question, ‘What do disciples want?,’ instead of asking the better question, ‘What do disciples need?’” pg. 100

“What are the indispensable and unique characteristics of discipleship the church is responsible for embedding into the hearts, souls, minds, and bodies of their members? Scope is all about what is indispensable and necessary.” Pg. 102

“You need to think about what virtues, characteristics, or learning outcomes the disciples in your church must have.” Pg. 105

“The three topics, or buckets, that I think present a comprehensive picture of discipleship are Bible, beliefs, and spiritual habits.” Pg. 105

“What does every disciple need? They need Scripture, doctrine, and spiritual habits.” Pg. 105

“Under the scope of the Bible you could offer: Equipping on how to read the Bibl, A class on the story of the Bible, Studies on specific books of the Bible, OT and NT Survey. Under basic beliefs you may decide to teach: Your church’s doctrinal statement, a historic creed or confession like the Apostles’ Creed, a class in systematic theology. In the bucket of spiritual habits, you could train toward: Sabbath, evangelism, prayer, healthy emotions, and vocation and calling.” Pg. 106-107

“Our entire philosophy of ministry should be guided by developing ministry environments that guide people into greater affection for Christ and the gospel through these three buckets.” Pg. 108

“It is impossible to be a follower of Christ without being a student of His Word.” Pg. 108

“Deep and holistic discipleship is birthed, sustained, and preserved in Scripture.” Pg. 109

“Biblical illiteracy is devastating to discipleship.” Pg. 110

“The goal of biblical literacy is faithful participation in God’s mission.” Pg. 111

“Most of us have a doctrinal confession of biblical authority that does not line up with our application in ministry.” Pg. 112

“The Bible is not an accessory in discipleship; it is a necessity.” Pg. 112

“Doctrine is for everybody. Basic Christian beliefs are the most practical thing the church can give disciples….Doctrine and discipleship go hand in hand.” Pg. 113

“Basic Christian beliefs are essential for deep and holistic discipleship in the local church, and holistic disciples know they are theologians.” Pg. 114

“Doctrineless disciples cannot love God because they do not know Him.” Pg. 119

“The heart cannot love what the mind does not know.” – Jen Wilkin pg. 119

“Christians need to be less focused on what separates us from one another and more focused on what separates us from the world.” Pg. 121

“Doctrine makes suffering tolerable because it reorients u to the Creator and his purposes in the world.” Pg. 124

“Churches that only focus on forming the mind will not be successful in shaping holistic disciples.” Pg. 126

“Doctrine should be integrated into disciplines.” Pg. 128

“An integrated disciples loves God with her whole self, not just her mind.” Pg. 128

Chapter 5 Sequence: How Do Disciples Grow?

“One of the most important things you can do is start raising the bar for your people.” pg. 133

“Disciples will never rise to an expectation the church does not set.” Pg. 133

“Usually churches are more accustomed to asking the question ‘How do we maintain disciples in the local church?’ Instead, we should ask the better question, ‘How do we grow disciples in the local church?’” pg. 134

“…you are developing and implementing different stages of training that are appropriate to different ministry levels.” Pg. 134

“The sequence of deep discipleship is motivated by the bottomless riches that are in Christ. Disciples take next steps not to graduate from a process but to enjoy more of God.” Pg. 134

“Before we start talking about ways for the local church to help disciples gow, it is essential to remember that, biblically speaking, the Holy Spirit alone sanctifies and matures disciples.” Pg. 135

“The New Testament gives us the paradoxical picture that the Christian life is entirely of grace but that we are also called to grow in that grace.” Pg. 137

“No amount of ministry effort and no amount of ministry excellence can bring about sanctification in the life of a believer—that is the responsibility of God and God alone.” Pg. 138

“A ministry philosophy that things effort is opposed to grace can never grow holistic disciples.” Pg. 139

“Sequence is ultimately the question of how we grow people by giving them increasingly challenging steps, information or commitment.” Pg. 140

“You also need to have active learning spaces that sequence discipleship outcomes for increasing maturity levels.” Pg. 141

How can a local church develop next steps for a sequence of deep discipleship? Make a learning space for everyone, a learning space for disciple makers, and a learning space for disciple making movements. Pg. 143

“To go deep you have to start at the surface. The first part of your discipleship sequence should target everybody.” Pg. 144

“When you start training your people you are going to see that they are not going to ask, ‘When are we done?’ They are going to ask, ‘What is next?’” pg. 146-147

“The best discipleship spaces do not satisfy our desires; they shape our desires and create a hunger for more.” Pg. 147

“The second level of a discipleship sequence should move participants from consumption to contribution.” Pg. 147

“Do not miss this: when you give people the tools fro deep discipleship, they will begin discipling others.” Pg. 151

“One of the biggest misses is that our most committed discipled in the local church, those who want to lead churches and ministries, usually have to look outside the local church to learn how. Discipleship should never have to leave the church in order to lead in the church.” Pg. 152

“If you do not have mature disciples, it is because you have not trained them.” pg. 154

Chapter 6 Send: Where do Disciple Go?

“Churches are used to asking, ‘Where do some disciples go?’ But we shold ask the better question, ‘Where do all disciples go?’” pg. 160

“…a church that focuses on discipleship feasts on the Bible but fasts from mission.” Pg. 160 -offered as what it should NOT be.

“A deep discipleship church, therefore, is also a missional church. A church that trains is also a church that sends. Christian maturity does not hinder mission; it fuels mission. The multiplication of churches starts with the multiplication of mature disciples.” Pg. 161

“The picture the Gospels gives us is that Great Commandment Christians are called replication themselves int eh Great Commission.” Pg. 161

“…you need to be equally focused on training and sending. A church that focuses on training without sending is missionless. A church that focuses on sending without training is purposeless.” Pg. 162-163

“One of the most overlooked aspects of sending is intentionally sending disciple back into the local church to serve and lead. I know that sounds a little counterintuitive to think of the local church as the first place to intentionally send people, but I also think it is deeply biblical. Ephesians 4: 12 reminds us that one of the primary purposes of disciple sin the local church is to build more disciples who build up the body of Christ.” Pg. 164

“Rather than staffing all discipleship spaces, send people into those spaces whom you have already trained, and give them the responsibility of equipping others.” Pg. 167

“People don’t graduate from discipleship; they are commissioned into further discipleship.” Pg. 171

“Your members are the local church, so they are meant to impact it, not just be impacted by it.” Pg. 173

“The people we eventually send to the nations are the people who are already sent to their neighbors. We should not send anybody to make disciples of the nations who is not already making disciples of their neighbors.” Pg. 175

“One of the most important things you can do for your people is to remind them of the importance of their work, to reinfuse gospel meaning into their everyday lives.” Pg. 179

“Churches that are committed to deep discipleship are also committed to missions and church planting among the unreached.” Pg. 179

“There is no dichotomy between training and sending or equipping and commissioning. Train every person in your church and send every person in your church—that is deep discipleship.” Pg. 181

Chapter 7 Strategy: Adopting a Holistic Approach to Discipleship

“…one of the key elements of local churches making disciples is the retrieval of learning environments.” Pg. 185

“What do disciples need? Too many churches have not answered the essential questions around the learning outcomes and competencies related to discipleship.” Pg. 186

“Churches that are focused on making holistic disciples train and send everybody.” Pg. 187

“…the vision of deep discipleship, we have covered so far is scalable to any church, sustainable to any church, and strategic for any church.” Pg. 187

“Space: Where does discipleship happen in the church? Scope: What do disciples need? Sequence: How do disciples grow? Send: Where do disciples go? These essential questions apply to any and every ministry context, and the answers are scalable to whatever context you are applying to them.” pg. 188-189

“But he did intentionally give more in-depth teaching to his closest followers, and he eventually sent them out to proclaim the message of God’s kingdom (Matt. 10:7).” Pg. 192

“I have not tried to give a prescription for how every church can do this, but rather I’ve allowed every church to answer these questions for themselves.” Pg. 195

“The following are principles I would encourage you to adhere to as you implement this philosophy of ministry: structure, predictability, accountability, community, excellence (SPAACE).” Pg. 195

“A structured approach to ministry is not rigid,; it is reliable.” Pg. 197

“We will never make deep disciples if we apologize when we ask people to make commitments—commitments that are often less significant then the other things in life they’ve already committed to doing. People are not afraid of committing to things; they are afraid of committing to unreliable things.” Pg. 197

“Every one of your discipleship spaces…must set clear expectations in terms of what you are expecting from each participant. Then hold them accountable to them.” pg. 200

“We often lower the bar so much that participation loses its value. We should lower obstacles to entry, but not expectations.” Pg. 200

“Every discipleship space should have some standard for attendance. Every discipleship space should have some kind of prework—like reading or working on a curriculum.” Pg. 201

“Deep discipleship will flourish in the local church when we align ourselves with this strategy:

1. STRUCTURE: Offer structured discipleship spaces that honor the participants’ commitment.

2. PREDICTABILITY: Operate with predictable rhythms, not changing our discipleship offerings too frequently.

3. ACCOUNTABILITY: Hold people accountable in ways that are consistent with the discipleship space.

4. ACCESSIBILITY: Make our discipleship spaces accessible to participants through accessible content and by removing obstacles for people.

5. COMMUNITY: Center all learning and discipleship around community.

6. EXCELLENCE: Pursue excellence in the local church for the glory of Christ.” Pg. 206