ED101 Introducing Discipleship
Overview
Greg Ogden examines what it means to be a disciple and how disciple-making can occur in the church context. In three major sections, the course considers the church’s missional mandate and some core theological challenges to carrying it out, biblical models of disciple making as seen in the ministries of Jesus and Paul, and the application of disciple-making models in the context of the local church.
Top Highlights
“Bill Easum puts it this way: ‘The DNA defines an organization in every cell. The DNA of every healthy church is to make disciples who make disciples. The primary role of church leadership is to provide an environment in which people can grow to be disciples who make disciples.’” (source)
“‘Discipling is an intentional relationship in which we walk alongside other disciples in order to encourage, equip, and challenge one other in love to grow towards maturity in Christ. This includes equipping the disciple to teach others as well.’” (source)
“And one of the things they thought they needed to do was come up with a profile of what a disciple looked like. If you don’t have a profile, you don’t have a target in which you’re trying to grow. And so they came up with these six characteristics of what a disciple should be—heart for Christ alone, mind transformed by the Word, arms of love, knees for prayer, voice to speak the good news, and a spirit of sacrifice.” (source)
“Purpose has to do with being or essence or identity. Ask the questions of why do we exist? What is the place of the church in God’s scheme? Whereas mission is our outward focus. It’s what we are all about. It’s the energy in doing the activity. And it answers the question, what are we to do? Or, how do we measure our effectiveness?” (source)
“C. S. Lewis puts in ways that only he can. He says, ‘The church exists for no other purpose [or I would say mission; I think he is using the word ‘purpose’ in terms of ‘mission’ there] but to draw men and women to Jesus Christ, to make little Christs. If they are doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became man for no other purpose. [It is even] doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose.’” (source)
- Title: ED101 Introducing Discipleship
- Author: Greg Ogden
- Series: Logos Mobile Education
- Publisher: Lexham Press
- Print Publication Date: 2014
- Logos Release Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Courseware
- Subjects: Discipling (Christianity); Christian life; Education › Discipling (Christianity)
- Resource ID: LLS:ED101OGDEN
- Resource Type: Courseware Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-02-11T18:35:25Z
Greg Ogden (DMin, Fuller Theological Seminary) lives out his passion of speaking, teaching, and writing about the disciple-making mission of the church after spending twenty-four years in pastoral ministry. Most recently Greg served as executive pastor of discipleship at Christ Church of Oak Brook in the Chicago western suburbs. From 1998-2002, Greg held the position of director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary and associate professor of lay equipping and discipleship.
Greg is the author of several books such as Unfinished Business, Discipleship Essentials, Transforming Discipleship, Leadership Essentials (with coauthor Daniel Meyer), and The Essential Commandment. He is a partner in the Global Discipleship Initiative (GDI), which trains, coaches, and inspires pastors and Christian leaders to establish indigenous, multiplying, disciplemaking networks, both nationally and internationally. Greg and his wife, Lily, have been married more than forty-five years and have one adult daughter and two grandchildren.