Discipleship News

You and Your Church

We are pleased to announce the release of the newly revised, You and Your Church. 

You and Your Church presents a concise review for those who want to know what it means to be a member of the Church of God. It is designed to serve as an informational resource and program of instruction for those who desire to unite with the church in membership. Part One describes the Church of God as a church for the 21st century. Part Two reviews the financial system at all levels of the church. Part Three describes the management functions at all levels of the church. Part Four affirms the imperative of the Church's mission and vision.

You and Your Church will help members discover who they are, what they believe, and how they can effectively fulfill the call and commission of Christ.

You and Your Church, An In-depth Look at the Church of God, was written by Dr. Michael L. Baker. Dr. Baker serves as Administrative Bishop for the Church of God in North Georgia.

You and Your Church is scheduled for release on June 1, 2013.

Brought to you by Men's & Women's Discipleship.

$10.95

10 or more $9.99

To order:

Click Here - You and Your Church (ISBN 978-1-59684-767-5)

or call Men's Discipleship at 1(888)766-9009

Release Date: June 1, 2013

Outstanding Discipleship Resource

It is a pleasure to recommend WIKICHURCH to every pastor and discipleship leader. Steve Murrell, the reluctant leader, serves as pastor of a church of over 50,000 in Manila, Philippines. This great church is not the result of human ingenuity but the fruit a discipleship.  The mission is not to build a great church.  Jesus said, "I will build My Church."  The mission is to obey the great commission, "Go into all the world and make disciples."  The results of discipleship are amazing. Order today at discounted price of $10.00.

WIKICHURCH
Making Discipleship Engaging, Empowering, & Viral
By Steve Murrell

Most Christians agree that discipleship is important, even essential for Christian maturity; few understand biblical principles and even fewer apply a biblical process when it comes to discipleship. Discipleship isn’t complicated, but it can at times be difficult. The difficulty lies in applying the following four principles to your specific context. Simply put, here’s how anyone—young or old, male or female, pastor or entrepreneur—can make disciples.

1. Engage culture and community—When Jesus told His original twelve to go and make disciples, they did not interpret His command to mean, “Find people who are already following Me and help them become better followers.” They interpreted His “great commission” to mean that they should go and find people who were not yet followers and help them know and follow Jesus. The starting line of the disciple-making process must be evangelism that engages both our community and culture.

2. Establish spiritual foundations—If we want our disciples to survive the storms of life, we must help them establish strong biblical foundations.

3. Equip believers to minister—The biblical job description for professional ministers is to equip the “non-pros” for ministry, then get out of their way.

4. Empower disciples to make disciples—Jesus expected all of His original disciples to make disciples. He empowered them, knowing they would make mistakes. Because Jesus expects all His disciples to make disciples, we must not only equip them, but we must also empower them.

Featured Downloads

Pastor's Prayer Partners Program Download

Ministry of Elders Manual

Ministry of Assimilation, A Process to Help People Find Their Place In Your Church

Bible Study - Discipleship: Its Program, Process, Priority, and Productivity

Resurrection Breakfast Planning Guide

Resurrection Breakfast Poster 11 x 17

Resurrection Breakfast Poster 81/2 x 11

Resurrection Breakfast Program

Resurrection Breakfast Tickets

Resurrection Breakfast Commitment Card

Resurrection Breakfast Full Page Ad

Resurrection Breakfast Small Ad

Resurrection Breakfast Half Page Ad

LifeBuilder's Organizational Guidelines

Church of God Partnership with My Hope With Billy Graham 

My Hope with Billy Graham is a grass-roots effort to reach people across the United States and Canada with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Following a simple biblical model, My Hope with Billy Graham combines the reach and excitement of a nationwide media event with the power of personal relationships. Under the guidance of their local pastors, Christians across these two countries will open their homes to share the Gospel message with friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors using different media programs featuring Billy Graham, dynamic music, and testimonies.

The campaign is local church driven, and combines the best of crusade, personal, and lifestyle evangelism. Each sponsoring pastor trains “Matthews” in the congregation to do as Matthew in Scripture, and invite people into their homes for a presentation of the Gospel. Pastoral training venues are being conducted across the nation, and training is available online or by DVD. Complete information can be secured at www.myhopewithbillygraham.org. Extensive support, promotional, and follow-up materials are provided to each local church by BGEA without charge (a freewill offering is requested).

The MY HOPE campaign has been endorsed by the General Overseer and the International Executive Committee to be administered to the Church of God via USA Missions. The USA Missions Board has approved the campaign as a Strategic Partner for the purpose of assisting local churches in the evangelization of their communities.

Adult Discipleship (Men's and Women's Discipleship) will provide discipleship training and resources to followup the My Hope Campaign.

My Hope With Billy Graham is a Kingdom Opportunity for churches to partner together to win souls and make disciples. For free training and promotional resources, click on the banner below.

James, A Path to Discipleship

James: A Path to Discipleship is an exciting, “hands on” approach to studying the Bible. During this twelve week course, the student will be immersed in God’s Word and will commence a life-changing journey through one of the most challenging books of the Bible. Presented in a highly devotional format, this study is committed to the spiritual formation of everyone who has a passion for the Kingdom of God. Upon completing James: a Path to Discipleship, the student will be able to:

• Discover the rich truths of God contained in the Epistle of James.

• Discern the key elements found in each and every verse of this great epistle.

• Devote oneself to the many spiritual challenges that James speaks into our lives.

• Disciple oneself and others to not only know God’s Word, but also to put God’s Word into practice.

In short, James: a Path to Discipleship is dedicated to making disciples for the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt 28:19-20). It seeks, through the help of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, to enable each believer to clearly hear the Word of God and also to boldly do what the Word says (James 1:22).

James, A Pentecostal Approach to Bible Study is the first in the Enliven Bible Study Series and is designed to be used with, "A Pentecostal Approach To Bible Study Leader's Guide."

William A. Simmons, professor of New Testament Studies and Greek at Lee University, Cleveland, TN, received his Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. His published works include Peoples of the NT World, A Concise Background for the NT, Paul and Jesus: A Theology of Inclusion, NT Survey, and a commentary on Galatians. Bill has also published articles in the Evangelical Dictionary of NT Theology and the Lexham Project for Logos Bible Software. He has also done teaching and mission work throughout Europe, Latin America, and the Far East. Bill resides in Cleveland, TN with his wife, Lenae, and their three children: David, Nathaniel, and Laura.

Brought to you by International
Adult Discipleship Enliven Inductive Bible Study
in partnership with Pathway Press.

$16.95

James, A Path to Discipleship (ISBN 978-1-59684-696-8)

Call Men's Discipleship at 1(888)766-9009

A Pentecostal Approach To Bible Study

A Pentecostal Approach to Bible study is an exciting and effective method of studying God’s Word that is completely dedicated to fulfilling the Great Commission of our Lord (Matt 28:19-20). Specifically designed for small groups, A Pentecostal Approach to Bible Study incorporates both an inductive and deductive approach to study whereby the student is “drawn into” a deeper understanding of the Bible. Each Bible study in the series is highly devotional in nature and dedicated to the spiritual formation of the believer. This Leader’s Guide is a carefully prepared manual that supplies step-by-step instructions on how to conduct a Pentecostal study on any book of the Bible. In the Leader’s Guide you will learn what A Pentecostal Approach to Bible Study is, practical tips for starting a study, a working example of an inductive and deductive study on Mark and a suggested schedule for teaching a twelve-week Bible study in the local church. "This Leaders Guide is for use with the Enliven Inductive Bible Study series. The first book in the series is James: A Path to Discipleship. The next book is Philippians: A Path to Joy (available this fall). William A. Simmons, professor of New Testament Studies and Greek at Lee University, Cleveland, TN, received his Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. His published works include Peoples of the NT World, A Concise Background for the NT, Paul and Jesus: A Theology of Inclusion, NT Survey, and a commentary on Galatians. Bill has also published several articles in the Evangelical Dictionary of NT Theology and the Lexham Project for Logos Bible Software. He has also done teaching and mission work throughout Europe, Latin America, and the Far East. Bill resides in Cleveland, TN with his wife, Lenae, and their three children: David, Nathaniel, and Laura. Brought to you by International Adult Discipleship Enliven Inductive Bible Study in partnership with Pathway Press. $9.95 To Order: Click A Pentecostal Approach to Bible Study (ISBN 978-1-59684-697-5) Men's Discipleship at 1(888)766-9009

Resource Downloads

Ministry of Elders Manual

HONRANDO A NUESTRO PASTOR CON INMENSO AMOR

Power Point Download

Signature Poster Download

Ministry of Assimilation, A Process to Help People Find Their Place In Your Church

Bible Study - Discipleship: Its Program, Process, Priority, and Productivity

Pastor's Prayer Partners Program Download

Resurrection Breakfast Planning Guide

Resurrection Breakfast Poster 11 x 17

Resurrection Breakfast Poster 81/2 x 11

Resurrection Breakfast Program

Resurrection Breakfast Tickets

Resurrection Breakfast Commitment Card

Resurrection Breakfast Full Page Ad

Resurrection Breakfast Small Ad

Resurrection Breakfast Half Page Ad

Getting Started Study Guide, by Bill George

LifeBuilder's Organizational Guidelines

The Word of God Is the Starting Place for Discipleship

We have read the surveys, studies, and reports that tell us: morals are decaying, church attendance is declining, Bible illiteracy is increasing, and we have entered the post Christian age at the speed of darkness. Shelves are filled with books pointing to the problems and detailing activities and programs that are supposed to reverse the trend and make it all better.

May I suggest a beginning point? Embed the Bible in Everything. "Embed the Bible in Everything," is the title of Chapter 13 of the new book from the Willow Creek Association entitled, Move: What 1000 Churches Reveal About Spiritual Growth. Move is a study of the spiritual health of 1000 churches and identifies best practices for moving people to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. Pastor Todd Wagner says, "Church leaders should bleed Scripture when they're cut" (Move, p. 219).

Thom Rainer in his article, A Missing Element in Church Discipleship said,

Too many times we think of local church discipleship as a program where church members meet at a specific time. Ultimately, though, discipleship is really becoming more like Christ. And we become more like Him as we read and study His Word. The Bible is inspired by the Spirit, so it is transformative for the believer. It is one the biggest mistakes I made as a pastor. I did not emphasize sufficiently the importance of daily Bible reading. I would do things differently if I were a pastor again. I would do everything in God's strength to get the church members in the Word of God each day. If you do, you will likely raise an army of devoted disciples who will transform your church and, ultimately, transform the world."

I would like to encourage you to be a part of the Uncover the Word Movement. This movement is made up of Bible agencies, churches and passionate Christ followers, dedicated to building up daily practices of Scripture engagement, releasing Christ-like character and compassion in all of us. We believe that the Word of God, alive and active, is God's appointed means by which the Kingdom grows. The living Word - Jesus, the Christ - is at work reconciling alienated and spiritually desolate individuals, families, communities to God and to each other. There are many resources available at Uncover the Word website to help your congregation or group encounter God through His Word.

READ

"Reflect. Engage. Apply. Disciple."

YouVersion.com

You will find excellent Bible Reading Plans at www.YouVersion.com. YouVersion.com provides Bible Reading Apps for computers and mobile devices.

Leadership Enrichment and Development (LEAD)

Men's Discipleship and Women's Discipleship are pleased to partmer with the Pentecostal Theological Seminary and Dr. Ron Cason, Director of The Hamilton Institute for Lay Ministry to provide specialized training in: Discipleship and Spiritual Formation; Inductive Bible Study; Conflict Mediation and Peacemaking; Lay Leadership; Leading and Mobilizing Laity Outreach Ministries; Womens Leadership and Family Discipleship Ministry.  (For more information about the LEAD Program call Dr. Ron Cason, Director of the Hamilton Institute of Lay Ministry, 888.766.9009.

Send Discipleship News to:

mensdiscipleship@churchofgod.org

Links

READ "Reflect. Engage. Apply. Disciple."

Church of God International Offices - http://www.churchofgod.org/

Church of God Division of Discipleship

Church of God Chaplain's Commission - cogchaplains.com

Global Prayer Network - http://gpn.cc

Pathway Bookstore - Pastor Appreciation Resources

Pentecostal Theological Seminary - ptseminary.edu

Uncover the Word - uncover.americanbible.org