Culture of Discipleship

What is a disciple?

A follower of Jesus.

What is discipling?

Intentionally helping others follow Jesus.

What is a culture of discipleship?

When the entire faith family intentionally discipling one another becomes the normative pattern in the church.

How do we disciple?

By means of prayer, teaching, modeling, discipling, and preaching, we intend to help our faith family grow in the following ways:

1 Character

The godly character and life that accords with sound doctrine.

2 Competency

The ability to prayerfully and lovingly communicate God’s word to others in various ways.

3 Conviction

Their knowledge of God and understanding of the Bible.

What does it
look like?

Discipling is not a program or another thing we do as a church. It is a precious ministry we get to do for the good of others and the glory of God. Discipling is at the heart of everything we do at Redeemer. More than a program or a curriculum, discipleship is the usual way we live together as a church. This is lived out in corporate and personal contexts.

Corporate Discipleship

The gathering of the faith family to worship God with one another is formative in your spiritual growth. In the Great Commission, Jesus instructed his disciples to make disciples by baptizing and teaching everything he commanded. The implications are that discipleship will primarily happen in the local church as we worship and serve with one another. Here are a few primary examples we live out the Great Commission:

1 | Sunday Worship
We tell our people to “give us your Sundays.” It is a joy to gather our families so we can gather with our faith family. We gather weekly to sing the word, pray the word, preach the word, and see the word. Stay after the service and fellowship with others!

2 | Discipleship Electives
Seasonally, we will offer classes for the purpose of Christian education. Inviting someone and discussing what you’re learning is a strategic way to build relationships and help others grow in their knowledge of the bible and sound doctrine.

3 | Sunday Evening Services
Our Sunday evening services are structured with corporate prayer, teaching, singing, and testimonials. These are precious opportunities to learn what God is doing in and through our faith family.

4 | Show Hospitality
At Redeemer, we want hospitality to be a normal rhythm in our church. Sharing a meal, grabbing a coffee, and hanging out after service, are all simple and practical ways to get started. Open up your life to others by incorporating them into your life. Invite a visitor, new member, or a member you don’t know to your home to get to know them. In the New Testament, hospitality can be defined as “loving the stranger.” This is the mindset we’re after instead of seeing hospitality primarily as an activity.

5 | Evangelism
We want to implore people on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. Give intentional thought to how you can share the good news of Jesus with those in your sphere of influence. Let others in the church know how they can pray for your evangelistic efforts.

6 | Support Ministry
The Lord has entrusted various gifts to each member of our faith family. Some will steward those gifts by serving in one of our ministries or outside of a ministry through hospitality and discipling relationships. The goal is to edify our faith family through generous service.

7 | Pray
Utilize our church directory to pray for members of our church. Consider letting them know you have been praying for them to encourage them in their faith.

In a more intentional and focused way, we want to initiate small-scale discipling relationships to help one another grow in character, competency, and conviction. This is a strategic way to make ourselves available to be instruments in the Redeemer’s hands to help care for our people. These relationships are centered on God’s word, prayer, mutual edification, and transparency fueled by the gospel's transforming power. Relationships can often be messy, but they’re worth it. We encourage small-scale discipleship by means of:

Personal Discipleship

Discipleship Groups

These are small-scale groups, ideally no more than 3-5 people of the same gender. Groups may be organized by location or schedule. One-on-one Bible Reading by David Helm is a helpful aid for structuring these groups. Discipleship groups are organized by our members initiating relationships with members and others and inviting them into such a group. This is the ideal way for these groups to form rather than being formally organized by the church.

Small Groups

We encourage our members to be involved in a small group. A small group consists of 8-12 people who are members of RDMR. They are committed to meeting together regularly outside of the main weekly gatherings of the church. The purpose of a small group is to provide a hospitable context in which church members prioritize mutual growth and care for one another. This is done by seeking to study and apply God’s word together by various means, such as studying God’s word or a helpful resource to grow in sound doctrine.

We pray the above structures will encourage you in your discipling relationships, but please don’t feel limited by them. We encourage you to initiate these relationships on your own. This won’t be easy, but it will be God-glorifying!

If you desire to dive deeper, here are recommended resources that capture our DNA: