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How to follow up and Disciple a new Christian PDF Handout

What is discipleship?

In simple terms, it is being a Disciple of Jesus Christ. But how do we do that? Discipleship involves the training of all our members in the fundamentals of the Christian life (i.e. how to pray, how to do bible study, how to have a devotional time, how to know the will of God, how to share our faith, etc.). This is commonly neglected because the pastors and staff have so much on their plate that they just don't have time. It can also occur simply because there is no formal structure in the church to follow-up and train new and/or recommitted Christians. This is why the layperson is so significant in the work of discipleship. We all have a responsibility to train others in all that we have been trained. That is the heart of true discipleship!

What is Discipleship?

The Need for Discipleship

One of the greatest needs in churches today is discipleship. Many who attend are often satisfied to come on Sunday mornings, sit in a pew for an hour, write out a check for the offering and then go home. Is this an avoidance of discipleship? Usually not; but rather it is because they do not realize the importance of it. Also, the word discipleship can sometimes give the impression that this is something that is just for the "disciples" or the spiritual elite of the church. When actually, Jesus makes it clear that we are all to endeavor to be his disciples.

The Need fo Discipleship

Our Mission

In continuing the fulfillment of our Lord's Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), the UOVBA Discipleship Ministry is committed to helping our member churches to develop a culture of intentional discipleship with these three biblical purposes in mind:

To train every believer how to have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. (John 15:5)
To raise up faithful men and women who will be able to teach others. (2 Timothy 2:2)
To prepare each believer for his personal mission field. (Acts 1:8)

Our Vision

It is our vision of the future to see Discipleship being taught and practiced in every church in the UOVBA. And furthermore, within each church, it is our vision to know that every member is either being discipled or discipling someone.

Mission Vision

How Can We Help You?

The UOVBA Discipleship Ministry will be helping to create a more intentional focus on Discipleship by the following ways:

Periodic workshops & seminars on Discipleship related topics to be held at the UOVBA office
Visits to individual churches with the goal of helping to start a Discipleship ministry within each church.
Development of a series of online podcasts and/or videos on topics which are associated with Discipleship.
Utilizing the UOVBA website to disseminate discipleship resources, links to discipleship sites and information, as well as the podcasts and/or videos mentioned above.