Disciple like Jesus

by Phil Maynard, Eddie Pipkin

For many congregations, there is a lack of clarity about what a disciple is and what a disciple does. Your congregation might find it helpful to have a larger conversation in worship or as a small group series around this theme. Disciple Like Jesus could provide the framework for this conversation.

At the conclusion of each section, you will find a set of discussion questions that could support this conversation.Small Group StudyThere are many small groups of different varieties meeting at thousands of churches every week. They are forming bonds, supporting each other, often studying, and sometimes serving together. And yet, many people in many congregations sense there is something missing. They just don't know what that might be.

Disciple Like Jesus could launch them on a new way of engaging life both within and outside of the Church.

Accountability Group

Each of the dimensions of discipleship described in this book includes specific suggestions for behaviors that help develop the "life of" ways of living like Jesus. Accountability is vital to this process. Whether through mentoring, apprenticing, coaching, small groups, or triads, partners can and should process this resource together. They should commit to specific behaviors, and hold each other accountable for progress.

Leadership Training

The greatest form of leadership in the Church is the leading of disciples toward maturity in becoming more like Jesus. There are skills, presented in Disciple Like Jesus, that can help develop more effective leadership toward this goal. In a strong sense, every disciple is called to be this kind of leader. But those publicly identified as leaders (in whatever role) have a biblically mandated special responsibility to be modeling this kind of discipleship development.

Personal Study

Disciple Like Jesus provides many tools for exploration for individuals into the ways in which they can become more like Jesus and disciple like Jesus did. There are also many references for further study and personal growth. We do believe, however, that while this is a great resource for individual study, it is even better to study with a friend or two.

204 pages, Paperback

Published May 18, 2020

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the whole, I really like what Maynard has put together. He throws the kitchen sink approaches toward a full force congregational focus on discipleship.
Every congregation or at least the leadership should take a slow slog through this book.
Where I diverge is his misappropriating the term hospitality and pushing it to represent evangelism and faith sharing. It feels forced, let alone not jiving biblically or theologically with the classic definition of hospitality. I firmly believe faith-sharing evangelism should be part of a disciple of Jesus. Where I diverge is the forced, cloaking, misappropriation, and cliched crunching the author has done. Evangelism and hospitality are separate focuses and to make evangelism an end product of hospitality seems like a bait and switch, which plays into many nones complaints about Christianity.
I'm going to reread again just to be sure. this is my first reading and had an immediate visceral reaction. Also, each section could be a further exploration with several books. I can also excuse the self-marketing as the author cites his own works.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Methodist, I know our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. But I never fully understood what that meant. This book breaks it down very effectively. There is so much to process, especially because it reframes some ideas I had held. I really like the shift in thinking about small groups and believe there’s such a potential for mentoring, apprenticing and coaching. It seems timely and appropriate for the way church attendance is shifting post pandemic.

[M Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few helpful examples and ideas to help churches make discipleship understandable and simple - just like Jesus did.