2021 Discipleship Lessons and Best Practices

Let's talk TOP HIGHLIGHTS & LESSONS LEARNED from 2021. PJ's top Highlights: • Real Friendship is Real Discipleship • Taking Action to be a Disciple-Maker • Volunteers Drive Your Mission Forward PJ's Next Steps for Leaders: • Walk Thru The Bible o Jan 13 FBC Cartersville o Jan 20 2nd Baptist Warner Robbins o Jan 27 Northside Valdosta Ray's Top Highlights: • Tim Elmore quote • Donald Whitney • Gary Lewis and Scott Smith Ray's Next Step for Leaders: • SPARK Conference 2022; 5 locations o Christ Place Gainseville o Eastside Marietta o 2nd Baptist Warner Robbins o Byne Memorial Albany o FBC Rincon Carl's Top Highlights: • Forget about algorithms and trust God and use data to inform decisions. • Making disciples and not just converts. Healthy churches we are studying have an intentional plan to disciple their people. • How you finish is more important than how you begin. Carl's Next Step for Leaders: • Minister Education Essentials at North Metro Baptist Church Lawrenceville, GA on ​May 2-4 Matthew's Top Highlights: • How do you make disciples when you are too busy? • Overbusy schedules are a breeding ground for conflict • Dr. Whitney spiritual disciplines from family Matthew's Next Step for Leaders: • A KEY opportunity happening in 40+ locations are our Learning Communities. • www.gabaptist.org/discipleship Let's also take a moment and share where we are headed in 2022. We have interviews with some of the top leaders in the nation scheduled, including: • Dr. Bryant Wright-President of Send Relief IMB • Dr. Johnny Hunt, Sr VP NAMB Evangelism and Leadership • Jim Putman, Co-founder of Real Life Ministries, and Chad Harrington talk key insights from their new book Revolutionary Disciple. • Kyle Walker pastor FBC Cartersville and preaching professor and Chris Winford FBC Brunswick discuss preaching changes during pandemics and any potential long term effects. • We are also working on an emphasis on spiritual disciplines and why teaching key doctrines needs to be a part of your discipleship process. Be sure to subscribe and never miss an episode: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRESLi21We1lue5FaPAlokA Instagram: instagram.com/gabaptist_discipleship Podcast: gabaptistdiscipleship.transistor.fm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gadiscipleshi
Let’s talk TOP HIGHLIGHTS & LESSONS LEARNED from 2021.
 
PJ'S TOP HIGHLIGHTS
·         Real Friendship is Real Discipleship
o    Michael Catt and a Life of Discipleship, not a program
·         Disciple-Making Culture – top book of 2021 “Without Love your Ministry Efforts are Worthless.”
o    Dr. Marcus Glass, we need to shift our mindset of discipleship to be disciple-makers in Learning Communities
·         Taking Action to be a Disciple-Maker
o    As leaders, we need to draw the net in discipleship commitments to help people be disciple-makers
o    Show me the Father address our father story and how it relates to generational discipleship
o    How to make disciples when you are too busy, with the Gibbs family
·         Volunteers Drive Your Mission Forward
o    How to reinvigorate volunteer culture since COVID-19, relationships matter Ricky Smith
o    Choosing to the ministries that matter most with fewer volunteers to have excellence still
o    Surveying, your congregation, will help data drive decisions for discipleship and volunteers in 2022

PJ's NEXT STEP for LEADERS in 2022:
·         Walk Thru The Bible 
o    Jan 13 FBC Cartersville
o    Jan 20 Second Baptist Warner Robbins
o    Jan 27 Northside Valdosta
More time with fewer people equates to greater kingdom impact.
 
Donald Whitney 
Two most important spiritual disciplines, bible intake and prayer. We have a problem when many of our pastors are not practicing disciplines yet responsible to disciple others.
 
Gary Lewis and Scott Smith 
Can SS and SG co exist. Chick Fil A focuses on chicken but different presentations of chicken for different people.
 
Ray's NEXT STEP FOR LEADERS in 2022
SPARK Conference 2022; 5 locations (CARL JOHNSON)
o    Christ Place Gainseville
o    Eastside Marietta 
o    2nd Baptist Warner Robbins 
o    Byne Memorial Albany 
o    FBC Rincon     

CARL'S TOP HIGHLIGHTS
1.      Forget about algorithms and trust God and use data to inform decisions…From the Gloo broadcast
·         Data can provide you a better understanding of your ministry context.
·         Data can provide insight for your strategy to reach you community  
·         Write your plans in pencil… allow room for God to make changes.
 
2.      Making disciples and not just converts. Healthy churches we are studying have an intentional plan to disciple their people. From the Joey Rodgers broadcast
·         Clearly define what a disciple is so you know what your target is.
·         Create a discipleship pathway 
·         Start building a disciple making culture.
 
3.      How you finish is more important than how you begin. 
·         You may not have begun with a plan to create a disciple making culture, but you can still finish well by leaving a legacy of making disciple makers just like Jesus did.
 
CARL'S NEXT STEP FOR LEADERS in 2022:
·         ME Essentials at North Metro Baptist Church Lawrenceville, GA in May 2-4
o    Ken Braddy and Scott Sullivan will train attendees with essential skills to succeed as a local church Discipleship Pastor/Associate Pastor/Minister of Education.

MATTHEW'S TOP HIGHLIGHTS
How do you make disciples when you are too busy?
 
Dr. Whitney spiritual disciplines from family perspective and Ray talk about it from professional?
 
3 Questions every church must answer in future church:
1.      Intentional Plan: Do you have an intentional plan to disciple your people; simple and sustainable
2.      Diversity: Are you willing to make necessary shifts so that your church looks like heaven and your community
3.      Mindset Shift: Kingdom building or Your Personal Platform
 
MATTHEW'S NEXT STEP for LEADERS in 2022:
A KEY opportunity happening in 40+ locations are our Learning Communities. 
·                     https://gabaptist.org/discipleship/#learning 
Gifts of Georgia Baptists through the Cooperative Program enable us to partner together in fulfilling the Great Commission. (c) 2022 Georgia Baptist Mission Board