2016ustrip

Workshop Topic: Perfecting the Saints: Recovery of the Wesleyan Emphasis on Small Group
Discipleship by Bishop Darryl Starnes, Sr. 5
PROPOSITION
Small-group discipleship is not only the indispensable key to fulfilling the
Church’s God-given mission of making disciples; it is also the principal factor
in perfecting the saints, so that they can grow spiritually, make progress in the
pursuit of holiness, participate in meaningful ministry, and build up the body
of Christ,
PERFECTING THE SAINTS:
NURTURING BELIVERS TO MATURITY IN CHRIST (Ephesians 4:12 –
16)
What does it mean to perfect the saints?
It means to equip the saints for meaningful ministry
It means to nurture the saints to maturity in Christ
It means to guide the saints in character development
It means to train the saints to share their faith effectively
CHURCH MISSION
CLARIFYING THE CHURCH MISSION
We are sent into the world as Christ’s witnesses; as we go, we are to make disciples in every nation by
proclaiming to everyone the gospel of repentance and remission of sins; and by teaching converts to
obey His commands. In short, the mandate of Christ is for His Church to MAKE DISCIPLES.
PRIORITIZING DISCIPLE MAKING
RESTORING THE INTEGRITY OF THE CHURCH’S MISSION
Prioritizing the Church’s Mission
In order to restore the integrity of the church’s mission, we must place disciple-making at the heart of
the church both in principle and in practice and keep it there.
UTILIZING HOLISTIC SMALL GROUPS:
EMPLOYING DISCIPLE MAKING’S INDISPENSIBLE KEYS
Full-Orbed Disciple-Making
Bill Hull, in his book The Disciple Making Pastor: The Key to Building Healthy Christian in Today’s
Church, says, “The small group is the most effective vehicle that exists for full-orbed disciple making.”
Christian A Schwartz, in his book Natural Church Development: A Guide to Eight Essential Qualities
of Healthy Churches, wrote the following about Holistic Small Groups: “If we were to identify any one
principle as the “most important,” then without a doubt it would be the multiplication of small groups.”
TRANSFORMING THE LIFE:
PURSUING HOLINESS TOGETHER
The Class Meeting: A Vital Fellowship
A Nurturing Fellowship
A Caring Fellowship
A Disciple-making Fellowship
The Class Meeting: Facilitating the First Meeting
Getting acquainted
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Presiding Bishop of the Mid-West Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
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