CDM Archive

Discipleship Ministries of the PCA

Equip Tips

Equipping and the Future of Discipleship

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Nothing will ever take the place of one-on-one discipleship, and this article will not attempt to prove otherwise. Right now, I want you to just dream about what lies ahead for training in the future, the near future.

A number of years ago, I saw a cartoon where a preacher says to the congregation. “Now would you all key in … ” They all had laptops. I just laughed, but how far-fetched is that today? How many colleges don’t require them as standard equipment?

I have argued for years that the paper and ink book as we know it will begin fading away in my lifetime. Everyone then says to me that they do not like reading a book on a computer. Neither do I, but picture this: a handheld device that has a screen about the size of a book. It reads clearly. Beyond that you can change the font, its size and color, highlight the text, dog-ear the pages, and even make space to write in your own notes. Does this sound like science fiction? Well, I saw my first device like this in 1997! Today they are beginning to appear on the market. You don’t think this will take off for years? I was sitting on a ferry in Seattle a few weeks ago, and a woman in her forties was sitting across from me reading a book she downloaded from Amazon.

How does this affect discipleship? I am 57 and have used a computer since 1985, but I am not really what you would call a techno guy. However, I do know that times are changing – fast. The younger generation we want to reach knows nothing but computers, and they expect them to do everything.

Now, picture this for a Bible study. Your whole group has a device like I mentioned. They are doing the recently published study of Genesis, written by PCA pastor Will Hesterberg. There are many questions in the study that require students to write in their answers, and they can do it right on the screen – in class or at home.

CEP is working very closely with Logos Bible Software to begin producing such material in the near future. It will not only be student material. The package will contain video segments, PowerPoint presentations, notes for the students, and everything else needed to teach the course. But there will be one more feature for the teacher. Using Logos Bible Software, the teacher will be able to do research through their own, affordable library which may contain 300, 700, or more than 10,000 theological books. The teacher will not waste time trying to find things in several different books. All he or she will need to do is type in the reference (Bible text, word, or topic) and the software will search and open every source available in that library. You have got to see the power and ability of this system to believe it.

Am I promoting Logos Bible Software? You bet I am. Working with Logos, CEP will be able to expand its training and resources in incredible ways. You will begin to see more and more materials being produced by us in conjunction with them.

PS. In the future, don’t be surprised if you begin to get Equip to Disciple sent to you electronically with the capability of taking the articles and doing further research in Logos.

Organizing Discipleship

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In Winnie-the-Pooh, Christopher Robin says, “Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it’s not all mixed up.” It has also been said this way, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Both statements express great truth. Unfortunately, the church has a great reputation for not planning. Instead we live on activity and hope it is accomplishing something. Remember the last seven words of a church? “We’ve always done it that way before!”


For all the success stories that make their way through the Christian community, the reality is that the church is reaching fewer people. The famous Willow Creek Church has shown that in many congregations it is only the newer Christians who are being discipled. Those who have been in the church for any length of time feel they are not being fed. Planning and organizing is needed if we are to grow true kingdom disciples.


The Search Institute in Minneapolis in their published findings said, “Of all the areas of congregational life we examined, involvement in an effective Christian education program has the strongest tie to a person’s growth in faith and to loyalty to one’s congregation and denomination…. This is as true for adults as it is for adolescents…. Done well, it has the potential beyond any other congregational influence to deepen faith and commitment.”


Read entire publication in PDF (Acrobat Reader Required)


Some people love to organize. Their schedules are governed by Day-Timers. For others, it can be a terrible burden. Volunteers are hard to find, enthusiasm wears thin, and programs–even those already in place–can weigh heavily on the people “in charge.”


Organization is a tool.


In the hands of the craftsman, it can make the job easier and the product better. But when it takes the place of the craftsman, it becomes ludicrous. There is nothing intrinsically good or spiritual about trying to decide what a group will study two weeks before it is scheduled to meet. At the same time, a three-year program of study (approved by all the appropriate individuals, committees, and boards) can become deadening if it fails to adjust to the needs and resources of the group. In one case, it is like a person trying to work without the needed tool. In the other, the tool may take the place of the person. Can you imagine how little discipleship would take place if your pastor did not plan his sermons a year ahead?


Organization is a means to an end.


That end, in this case, is discipleship. Without a stated purpose and goals, there may be significant differences in what leaders are trying to accomplish. So before there is serious discussion regarding the organization of your structure and programs, there must be a careful consideration of your purpose. Organization will then provide the structure for you to tackle the job to which you are committed. Without some organization, there is no defined way for a group to work together; and the larger and more diverse the group, the greater the need for organization.


Those who know CEP Training Consultant Bob Edmiston know his favorite phrase is, “Go with the flow.” By that he means, “Be flexible. Without flexibility there is little sensitivity to the situation or to the Spirit. At the same time, it is imperative that ‘Go with the flow’ is said in the context of a structure.” Bob has written a manual he would not willingly tell you about himself – so I will. The aim of Organizing Your Christian Education Program is to give you the tools necessary to put together a structure for you to accomplish the Great Commission. It is designed for any size church that is willing to put the time into investing in a full discipleship program for all ages and for more than just Sunday school. Much of what you have been reading here was taken out of the introduction.


Make no mistake about it, planning takes work. But if you are not willing to take the time to plan for discipleship, you will still have made plans, but they won’t be to carry out the Great Commission.

Children in Communion

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Children in Communion

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]This may sound like a dangerous topic in our circles, but there is so much we are missing. We do not allow children to take the elements, but why do we ignore them while the rest of us participate? Let’s think through some history.

In Jewish homes throughout the centuries, the Passover was one of the most important celebrations of the year in which a family participated together. While it is the father who would review Hebrew history and tradition on this night, a very unique responsibility was given each year to the youngest child, remembering that at least for one year each child would have been the youngest. It was a treasured position for the youngest child to be able to ask this most important question: “Why is this night different from all the others?” The father would then tell the family the story of Israel’s history from the time of Abraham.

Click here to read entire publication in PDF (Acrobat Reader required)

This tradition serves several purposes. It teaches the family every year about who God is and what He has done for His people. It keeps sacred the traditions that hold a family together. It utilizes a teaching method of question and answer. The meal, and all that goes on at the Passover, teaches the truths of who Christ is and what He has done (even though the Jews do not see that). It also places the children in a position of honor; they are given the privilege of asking this all-important question.

What does this have to do with the church today? There is a big emphasis currently on “intergenerational worship,” but what does that mean? What place do children have in worship, other than feeling like ignored spectators? Communion can be one of those important times when a child can be made to feel a part of the service while being taught what it is all about. Think of it this way, can you imagine the excitement each child in the church would have as they anticipate some upcoming Lord’s Supper when they would have the privilege of asking the question before the congregation: “Why is this celebration different from all the others?” This then becomes the opportunity for the pastor to teach again the truths of what communion is and why we do it as we do. This teaches not only the children, but also the adults. It helps the children to understand how important they are to God and also helps them to understand that one day they too will be able to participate fully in the elements as full members of the covenant community, of which they are already a part.

Why not try this for a few months and see if it does not give a deeper meaning to this important part of our worship.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Interconnected Discipleship

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Dennis.jpgIn the last Equip Tip, we emphasized the need of the church’s educational ministries to remember and return to the basics. Now, we address what those basics are. The goal of all our ministries is to make kingdom disciples. But what does that mean? A full-grown kingdom disciple would have two main characteristics. He would look, act, and think like Jesus and would be actively helping others become kingdom disciples.

Our theme in this edition of Equip to Disciple, as was the last, is the church. There is no kingdom disciple outside the church, because the church is the heart of God’s kingdom. In a similar manner we say there is no salvation outside the church because the two are inseparable. No individual has ever been saved to be unconnected to a church. Understand that the Bible never says Christ died for individuals. He obviously did. He did give himself to be a ransom for us, but not that we should remain individuals. The phrases used in the Bible say that Jesus died for His people, His body, His church, but never for individuals apart from the corporate body. Today more than ever, we need to instill in our students of all ages their need to be connected to something bigger than themselves, even beyond their immediate families. The church is God’s covenant family where we are members of one another, according to the apostle Paul.

When we teach the doctrine of the Trinity we teach the interconnectedness, the interdependent, and the reality of a close personal relationship. No member of the Trinity exists apart from the others. Being made in God’s image, we have those same relational characteristics. God said that it is not good for man to be alone (Gen. 2:18). He made us to be part of a community – interdependent and joined to each other for mutual love and support. Some of my friends involved in ministries often boast of their being independent. However, while they have good ministries, they are very lonely and isolated with no one to share ideas and accountability. I have been able to involve some of them in our denominational ministry training. While they might argue for independency, they welcome being connected to something bigger than themselves.

Greg Ogden, in his book Discipleship Essentials, says that Christians readily identify themselves as “Christians,” but are quite reluctant to call themselves “disciples.” An interesting observation because they see being a Christian as living a simple life with no demands placed on them. Whereas, being a disciple requires work!

What does all this mean for our educational ministries? Our goal is to make kingdom disciples. This means helping our people develop in three areas: their knowledge of the Bible and our doctrines, an ever deepening love for our Lord, and their abilities to do the work of the ministry. This “transformational” discipleship approach, as described in the book Making Kingdom Disciples, requires all three areas to be constantly addressed. The Holy Spirit’s job is to make us like Jesus. Our role is to help each disciple know and understand what that means and how it can be developed within them.

It is only as a denomination with a church and kingdom focus that we can effectively develop kingdom disciples who can and will think beyond an independent mindset. We need each other. We also need those resources that a denomination working collectively can provide that fit with our theological system. This includes a proper love for and involvement in the church’s discipleship ministry.

Let’s Not Lose the Basics

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The great football coach, Weeb Eubank, had a tradition at the beginning of every season. He would take all the new and seasoned players, sit them down, and then begin his lecture. He would take a football, stick it in their faces, and say to them, “Gentlemen, this is a football! Get to know it all over again.” He would go on to explain that unless they remembered the basics of the game of football, they could not win.

The same is true of the church. Unless we keep going back to the basics of who we are and what we believe, we will not continue to grow in the truth, for the truth starts with the basics.

When I was teaching in South Africa, I would tell the students the same thing every year. No matter what aspect of Christian work you go into, when you start in your new position always start by going back to the basics. If the people a l ready know them and can explain them, you are not wasting your time because we all need to keep going over them. If the people don’t know the basics, then you can only succeed, because to not teach the basics to your people means that you will have no foundation on which to build.

We are part of a denomination with many great traditions, but it is not our traditions which make up our foundation – it is the Bible! Our people have either grown up in our churches, or they have come from other churches and traditions where the basics may or may not have been emphasized. We are witnessing, even in the PCA, a weakening of our understanding of the Bible’s doctrine of the church. Because of this, some of our churches are accepting the teachings and practices of the Emergent Church Movement without even realizing what they are doing. We must never allow our churches to lose our understanding of the Bible or our traditions. In the day that happens, we will be like all the other churches who have stepped onto that slippery slope, moving further and further away from the truth, unaware of what is happening.

Here is my suggestion for pastors as well as teachers. Presume nothing! Find out exactly where your people are in their belief system. If they can articulate the basics, then you can move on. I emphasize articulate because if you simply ask people if they believe the Bible is the Word of God or that Jesus was born of a virgin, most of them will say yes. But if you ask them to explain and prove from the Bible these truths, you might be shocked by how little they really know. Read the lead article and ask your people if they understand the issue Charles is bringing out. Did you know that 60% of those that are won to the cults are won out of born again, Bible teaching churches? How can this be? This statistic occurs because we have wrongly presumed that our people truly know the basics.

THE BASICS: Teach them again for the very first time!

Time: The Gift that Can’t be Re-gifted!

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MEMORIZE THIS STATEMENT: God has not given us more things to do in a day than He has given us the time to get it done.

I served as Academic Dean at a Bible college in South Africa. I told the students at the beginning of each year if they felt a teacher was giving them more to do than was expected they could come to me to complain. The only provision was that I would ask them to show me proof for how they spent their time during the week. In nine years I heard much grumbling, but not one student ever came to me with their accusation. This either meant that no teacher was giving too much work (which I don’t believe), or the struggling students were not using their time well. Which do you think was the case?

Time is the most precious commodity God has given to us, and it is not renewable! Once it is gone you can never make up for lost time. No one has more, or less, time than you do. You have 1440 minutes per day and 168 hours each week in which to offer faithful service. Even Jesus had the same amount of hours in His day, but think about the ways He invested that time. Peter said to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18). Growth takes place over time. Your personal growth, or lack of it, is dependent upon the best use of your time. Time will not wait for you; it will simply pass you by.

We will be held accountable for the way we use our time. Paul says, Make the best possible use of your time (Col. 4:5, Phillips’ paraphrase), and, Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil (Eph.5:15). Jesus tells us, We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over (John 9:4, The Message). God promised to supply our every need: Is time not one?

Sermons are often preached on the stewardship of wealth and possessions. Far fewer sermons are heard that hold us accountable for the use of our talents. Fewer still, if any, are ever heard concerning the stewardship of our time.

Where do you begin?


Set Goals -Decide what you want to accomplish. Or better, what God wants you to accomplish.

Prioritize – Take your list of goals and order them according to importance.

Plan – Develop strategies for how you will reach each goal.

Schedule -Set a date by which you will check your progress. Also set a date by which you hope to fulfill each goal.

Set a goal to set your goals – The most effective leaders set aside time at least weekly to lay out what they want to accomplish that week. One thing they have in common is the confirmed belief that the more time they spend planning, the less time they have to spend implementing. They argue that it is 90% inspiration and 10% perspiration. It may sound strange, but once you try it you too will become a believer.

Tithe – We often hear about tithing our money, but have you ever realized that we should also tithe our time? There are 168 hours each week. Do you give God at least 10% of your time?

If we agree that all good things are from God, and that He never asks us to do more than He has given the time to get it done, then time management is really managing His time!

God’s sixth commandment could read, “Thou shalt not kill time.”