from July 6, 2014 prayer update

In June I read a book that was recommended to me in my new role with The Navigators. Real-Life Discipleship is written by Jim Putman, senior pastor at Real Life Ministries in Idaho. It is a NavPress publication. It describes the lessons learned and principles applied in disciple making in the planting and growth of the church where he serves as senior pastor.

In the book he describes disciple making as intentional, relational, and reproducible. He describes the disciple making process in five stages (spiritually dead, spiritual infant, spiritual child, spiritual young adult, and spiritual parent). The book is an expansion on the basic concepts found in Putman’s description and stages of disciple making. The stages are described well (and do not always conform to the stages that some churches use to describe their pathway to spiritual maturity). The author does a good job of providing windows into where a person is spiritually by the listening closely to the kinds of things they say and the kinds of questions they ask.

I found the book a helpful introduction to the disciple making process, written from the perspective of a pastor and practioner who has seen these principles at work over an extended period of time in a large, growing church that is doing a great job of raising of laborers and leaders. Outreach magazine lists the church where Putnam serves as one of the one hundred most influential in the U.S.

For those who are not well acquainted with the work of Navigator Church Ministries (formerly Church Discipleship Ministries), this book provides some great insights into what we do. NCM’s aim is to serve as catalysts and coaches as we come alongside local church leaders in helping create a disciple making culture within a local church. If we can ever be of service to your church, please let me know. We would be delighted to serve you toward the goal of becoming a more effective disciple making church, both within your community and among the least reached globally.