Shawn Fenstermacher is planning to create disciple makers through small groups that consist of six to eight active local believers. Once a small group matures through the discipleship and evangelism coursework, some of those people will recruit and mature their own small group. This will be a multiplication process of making disciples that will grow as fast as God’s will. The ministry name, Kingdom Builders, emphasizes the importance of a disciple becoming a disciple maker to fulfill the Great Commission and build the Kingdom of God. In the corporate world, Shawn would say, “Every ounce of planning prevents a pound of poor quality and rework.” Having an intentional strategy to develop disciples and disciple makers to accomplish the mission of God is an important planning and organizing phase. There are five P’s in ministry planning that include Passages for the vision, Principles with core values, Philosophy to explain the important perspectives, Practices and methods that will drive the processes, and Proof of success through SMART goals. The value of small groups is the closeness of the relationships between the members and the low number of symmetrical relationships. Walton explains, “Researchers have noted that the number of relationships in a group grows rapidly as each new member is added. So in a group of 3 there are 3 symmetrical relationships, with 6 there are 15, with 10 there are 45 and with 15 members the number of relationships rises to 105.”^[1]

Passages

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ means surrendering to Him and obeying His commandments. The Great Commandment, New Commandment, and the Great Commission are the passages that will provide a foundation, a framework, and purpose for the Kingdom Builders. When disciples know why something is being done, they are more likely to be engaged, invested in the process, and are quicker to understand the relevance and context of the lessons being taught. The small group leaders will reference these three commandments when important alignment decisions need to be made or discussed.

The Great Commandment is in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus states, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matt. 22:37-39, New International Version) This passage provides clarity for the need to love upward towards God and outward to the non-believers. Prayer and reading God’s Word are two of the necessary activities to accomplish this.

The New Commandment that Jesus gave to his disciples is in the Gospel of John, “‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’” (John 13:34) Loving inward to other disciples is the third relational direction that love should be given. Fellowship, Bible study, and worship are three of the activities needed.

The Great Commission is in the Gospel of Matthew, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19-20) Teaching, baptizing, and evangelism are three events that need to continuously occur.

Accomplishing these commands require a complete surrender to Jesus Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead in all aspects of the Kingdom Builder’s ministry. Dempsey explains, “The Holy Spirit wants people saved more than we do. He has supernatural power we do not have to convict lost people of sin, righteousness, and judgment. . .He knows exactly what is going on in lost people’s lives and thoughts as we are talking with them.”^[2] These passages require active discipleship and various methods of evangelism.

The initial focus will be discipling adults in the New Carrollton neighborhood that are willing to invest time every week by meeting in-person with a goal to become an imitator of Jesus Christ that is constantly giving God the glory. The recruitment process will be integrated into the various evangelism efforts held locally. Once a person is converted, they will be given different discipleship growth options to select from. One of the most effective and intense will be this small group ministry.

The recruitment will also accept existing believers that want to mature and get closer to Jesus Christ. There will be other options if the Kingdom Builders ministry is not a good fit as each new believer must have a mentor to mature them in the Body of Christ. One option is where the non-believer goes through the church discipleship process. Another, if needed, is where a church deacon or small groups leader takes on a more personal one-on-one approach.

Principles

Principles and core values guide the decision-making and behaviors of the Kingdom Builders ministry. Love is the first principle as Dempsey states, “First, the foundation for disciple making is love, a virtue not highly prized in our culture.”^[3] Jesus Christ commands his disciples to love,^[4] 1 John 4:8 states God is love, and 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 defines Biblical love and Dempsey states, “Loving God (relating to God), loving one another (nurturing relationships), and loving our neighbors (apostolic mission) is the DNA of a follower of Jesus.”^[5] Compassion, forgiveness, and a circle of trust are the core values from this principle.

The second principle is Christocentric, a focus on Jesus Christ^[6] The Gospel of John states, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Jesus should be at the center of the Kingdom Builders ministry with every disciple striving to be an imitator of Him. Some of the core values include discipleship, sanctification, and spiritual formation.

The third principle is reproducing, a focus on multiplication.^[7] Jesus encourages his disciples at numerous times to reap the harvest if evangelism. Paul states in Ephesians 4:11-13 and in Romans 12:38 how important it is for every believer to grow the Kingdom and use their spiritual gift to their maximum potential. Evangelism, multiplication, and disciple makers are the core values from reproducing.

Philosophy

There are certain key terms that need to be defined. A circle of trust is a practice that promotes transparency within the small group while preserving confidentiality, respect, and listening without judgement. Discipleship is the process of becoming a follower and imitator of Jesus Christ with all thoughts and behavior. Sanctification is the process of becoming holy and set apart for God’s purpose and glory. Spiritual Formation is the process of increasing a disciple’s relationship with God through different activities.

All the following perspectives and philosophies help create a set of goals, strategies, methods, and key performance indicators for the Kingdom Builders ministry. The phrase, “Being leads to Doing” is exemplified with these perspectives and philosophies as they not only educate and train the disciples, but they are expected to exhibit and practice in the community with their small groups and become disciple makers.

The first perspective is a belief that discipleship is long-term, always changing, and needs constant attention. A philosophy for this is ensuring that the ministry is continuously equipping and developing disciples so that they are reaching their full potential. This emphasizes the importance of training and sharing the gospel.^[8] To aid in this, all disciples establish a customized spiritual growth roadmap that include specific tracks incorporating training courses and activities for hands-on experience and achievement recognition.

The second perspective is a conviction that discipleship, spiritual formation, and evangelism are integrated and essential to the success of the ministry. One philosophy is that discipleship occurs in small group settings that provide a sense of family in a more intimate setting that provides a circle of trust and increases the level of accountability along with greater participation. Another philosophy is that evangelism and spiritual formation consists of one or more small groups collaborating to evangelize in the local neighborhood with a goal of establishing relationships, sharing the gospel, and multiplying.

The third perspective is having a lifestyle of prayer and worship. An accompanying philosophy is that prayer and spiritual warfare activities are being applied to everyday life. Praying continually, drastically increases the relationship with God and keeps the disciples connected to Him throughout the day. Wearing the armor of God for spiritual warfare helps the disciples with protection from spiritual attacks, increases their spiritual resilience, and provides them with greater wisdom and discernment.

According to the TAHO Chart (Appendix A), the body of Christ that best describes the Kingdom Builders ministry is a hybrid model with the support of United for new stages training (new believer, new member, small group leader), baptism, fellowship events, Sunday worship, and leadership support for Shawn Fenstermacher. The Kingdom Builders ministry will normally have small group meetings held at the small group leader’s house.

When reviewing the Healthy Church Assessment (Appendix B), United scored high in two of the three categories (Love for God and Love for One Another) and lower in Love for Our Neighbors. There have been attempts to relocate members within the local zip code of the church, but those attempts have not been positive yet. Focusing evangelism and recruitment of church members at specific areas of New Carrollton will ensure that there is an adequate level of local ambassadors of Christ. The creation of small groups within the local community should multiply the church membership to where more churches are needed. United has quarterly evangelism events but they are mostly at the church and open for the community to come and partake at the church. There should be more evangelism efforts made outside of the church within the community. These types of events will be a regular activity of the Kingdom Builders ministry.

Having United, a Christ-centered church, within the New Carrollton community is important. Ephesians 4 states the importance of every believer joining a body of Christ and United has the leadership team to develop a new believer and fulfill the different commandments and commission. Being baptized is another important proclamation that should be made at a church with fellow believers. Pipes and lee explain, “Baptism is a public acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as our Lord, and we cannot expect to witness to all the nations if we are unwilling to publicly proclaim Him.”^[9] United currently has one pastor that leads the Sunday Encounter, new member classes, baptisms, Wednesday/Friday Bible study, discipleship classes, leadership meetings, member meetings, and conducts pastoral counseling. The deacons are led by an ordained minister, who is qualified to be a pastor of a church, and they support the pastor with mostly teaching Bible study on Saturdays, running the care and concern budget, and being a support person for the ministry directors. There is an Evangelism Pastor in training that leads the evangelism events for United. The leadership team at United consists of the Pastor, deacons, trustees, and ministry directors for a total of approximately 16 people.

Practices

Shawn is already part of that leadership team, and the Kingdom Builders ministry would be under his leadership. As the Kingdom Builders ministry grows, a dedicated pastor will be needed as the ministry is like another church within United requiring many of the existing services from a pastor that already has a full schedule. If it is God’s will, Shawn would be a pastor at United with his primary focus on the Kingdom Builders ministry.

It is important to have a unified methodology to accomplishing the church’s goal of proper discipleship.^[10] All new believers will need to go through a formal discipleship class to ensure that a common foundation is created. The class will identify and explain the three main guiding principles of a disciple: Sacrificial, Relational, and Transformational.^[11] Then the directions of relational love will be provided. Dempsey explains, “Loving God (relating to God), loving one another (nurturing relationships), and loving our neighbors (apostolic mission) is the DNA of a follower of Jesus.”^[12] The quadrants for loving God: Mind, Body, Soul, and Spirit will be discussed as well as the Disciples Hierarchy and a Spiritual Growth Plan to ensure daily habits are created. The Disciples Hierarchy is a triangle where the foundation is salvation/security, next level up is Sanctification/Spiritual Growth, above that is Stewardship, then Strategic Serving, then Fruitful confidence with the top of the triangle with Glory to God. The Spiritual Growth Plan contains SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time related) goals with a daily/weekly plan of different activities that include Bible reading, prayer, journaling, exercise, loving in & out, and use of spiritual gifts.^[13]

Understanding a person’s spiritual gifts will also be explained as it may take time to identify all of them but looking for them is important. Wheeler and Whaley state, “Individual calling often becomes the determining factor in where we serve, what career and field we choose for lifetime ministry, and the vocation we choose to follow. This calling is deeply personal.”^[14] Another part of the class would be how to effectively deliver the gospel as it is the Great Commission given to all believers. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.” (Matt. 28:19) Fay and Shepherd state, “You see, success is sharing your faith and living your life for Jesus Christ. It has nothing whatsoever to do with bringing anyone to the Lord.”^[15]

Another formal class will be a Small Group Leaders class for those that leadership approves to lead small groups within the Kingdom Builders ministry. The pre-requisites will be that the disciple has completed the discipleship class, at least six months in small groups with at least three months as an apprentice, and approval from leadership. The class will be designed around being a disciple maker and will detail the “Five Stages of Discipleship” which are: Spiritually Dead, Infant, Child, Young Adult, and Parent.^[16] There will also be a DISC personality test to assist with adapting to different personality types. Carbonell states, “Instead of talking too much and seeing ourselves as the center of attention, we humbly back off, letting others have center stage. Instead of always agreeing and letting others manipulate or intimidate us, we become strong and more aggressive, believing we can do it.”^[17]

Small group meetings will be either Tuesdays or Thursdays for ninety minutes and there will be weekly and bi-weekly options depending on availability and demand. The meetings will be held at the small group leader’s house and occasionally, a small group member’s house (with leadership approval). Each small group session will have a pre-set agenda of activities that compliments the weekly sermon from the pastor. A typical agenda will include time to socialize (welcome), Bible study that involves practical application, accountability questions, prayer, and any news or upcoming events. Each small group will be expected to participate/lead a quarterly evangelism event within the local community.

The Kingdom Builders ministry members will be encouraged to participate in all the church functions (Worship, Bible studies, fellowship, evangelism). There are plenty of monthly fellowship opportunities (Saturday Breakfast, Friday Movie Night, Women’s Group) for everyone to get to know the other members in the church. The church model will be a variation of a hybrid church model that uses pieces from traditional and organic. The small group philosophy will be that United is a church mostly of small groups with an active plan to be a church that is small groups (Appendix C). The budget will include a yearly subscription to SmallGroup.com, SmallGroups.com, or something similar. This will assist with a consistent delivery to all the small groups with the Bible study content and ensure there is alignment with the Sunday sermon. An annual, all-day, teambuilding event at the Church with lunch being provided along with a small group leader’s retreat will be added to the budget.

The communication and roll-out of the ministry will be an announcement at Sunday worship, an email, a sign-up sheet on the board, and the ministry will be added to the daily prayer sheet for two weeks. There will be a meeting scheduled for those that are interested in the ministry and for Shawn to understand the interest level within the congregation before starting with any communication into the community.

Proof

Measurements of success for Kingdom Builders and United are different from business measurements because most of the success is internal to the disciple surrendering and following Christ. Putman, Harrington, and Coleman explain, “It can be tricky to quantify the results of discipleship, because spiritual maturity is revealed in fruit of the Spirit (characteristics such as love, joy, and peace) and in levels of devotion to Christ.”^[18] Nevertheless, there needs to be empirical evidence to ensure that a program should continue, change, or cease. There needs to be a balanced scorecard that covers the different aspects of a healthy church. The Great Commandment and the New Commandment is around love in the three directions stated earlier (Up, In, Out). Increasing in love is a main part of spiritual maturity. Being fruitful and multiplying is important for the growth of the Kingdom of God. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

Improvements will need to be made as the model matures and data is analyzed to understand root causes of problems. One example is a report on research around effective small group analysis. Boren and Egli state, “He argues that close geographic proximity is essential for community because it allows people to be more available to one another and to interact frequently and more spontaneously. . .small group community happens more deeply and naturally when people live closer.”^[19]

Church Membership Assessments (Up/In/Out)

Average Score on Personal and Group Spiritual Growth Assessments (Up/In/Out)

Each year all the members of United will anonymously complete a self-assessment on each of the three sections (Up/In/Out) and a separate survey that is similar but scoring their small group. If they are not in a small group, they will evaluate the church. The results will be averaged and compared to previous year’s results to identify trends, strengths, and weaknesses. The higher scores will be analyzed for “Best Practices”, the lower scores will be analyzed for “Areas of Improvement”.

Love Upwards Empirical Evidence

# in Leadership Positions (All levels from Small Group Leaders to Pastors)

Members within the body of Christ should be maturing to their full potential and with their spiritual gifts. There should be an increase at all levels of the organizational structure including leadership.

# Members and Active Members

As disciples mature, they should become members of United and become active members within United quickly. An active family/member comes to church/small groups at least four times a month, donates at least $1,200 in tithings per year, and be active in a ministry/small group.

# of Baptisms

As spiritual formation increases within each disciple, there should be more public proclamations on the surrendering of oneself to Jesus Christ.

# of Disciple Makers

More disciples should be converting non-believers to believers from a year over year perspective.

Love Inwards Empirical Evidence

% in Small Groups

While growth is not the primary measurement of success. It will be one of the important indicators to understanding the commitment levels of the members. This measurement would be on what percentage of the members are in small groups. An example would be 25% where there are one hundred members and twenty-five of them are in small groups. Small groups will be considered the most committed discipleship option for United as the groups are small and intimate for more sharing and caring on each other compared to the weekly Bible study option.

# of Disciples in Pastoral Counseling

There should be a correlation between the number of disciples opening up to leadership for support and the number of disciples needing to be counseled pastorally.

Love Outwards Empirical Evidence

% of Strategic Locations Evangelized

A list of strategic locations within the local community need to receive the gospel each year. This list will be reviewed each year and an analysis will be made on where new members and new guests are coming from in relation to the outreach efforts.

# Evangelism Events Within the Neighborhood (Not at United)

Spreading the gospel within the community is important and each small group should be coordinating efforts to ensure maximum coverage and effectiveness.

# of students in New Believers Class

An increase in evangelism efforts should increase the number of saved people in the neighborhood and they should be enrolling into the New Believers classes.

Conclusion

With proper planning, support from leadership, effective communication, an abundance of prayer, and God’s assistance, the Kingdom Builder’s ministry should be a relational discipleship model that multiplies the disciples in the New Carrollton community. Using all of United’s resources at the church and expanding into the local community through small groups, there should be an increase in the number of believers that know the good news, have surrendered to Jesus Christ, been baptized, joined the body of Christ, loves God, loves their fellow believers, and loves their neighbors enough to share the good news. The Great Commandment, New Commandment, and Great Commission being intentionally executed within New Carrolton is the overall goal at United. “Research on church connected small groups suggests that those who join attend worship more often, feel a stronger connection to the church, and give more time and money to the enterprise than those who do not belong to a small group.”^[20]

** Note from Professor – Excellent job on your disciple-making plan. I believe that small group ministry can make or break a church’s ability to gain traction in discipleship. How those groups are set up and utilized will often determine the depth of discipleship that will take place. Church leadership sets the tone and trajectory for a disciple-making ministry and it is vitally important to train up healthy leaders to multiply themselves for that purpose. – Dr. Jonathan Geukgeuzian

Appendix A: TAHO Chart

Appendix B: Healthy Church Assessment (Up/In/Out)

LOVE FOR GOD: (UP)

1. Obedience to Christ is valued above all else  
2. Going, baptizing and teaching people to obey Christ is prioritized  
3. New believers are growing in their ability to surrender and sacrifice for the kingdom  
4. The “whole counsel of God” (meta-narrative) is being taught  
5. A majority of the saints have daily quiet times— % _______?  
6. A majority of the saints are praying and listening daily for the voice of Christ—%  
7. Believers are seeking to consistently be controlled by the Holy Spirit  
8. The saints are memorizing the Word of God  
9. Believers are eager & willingly investing their financial resources in the church  
10. Worship occurs at the individual level and it is powerfully manifested when the body gathers together  

LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER: (IN)

1. New believers are intentionally and individually nurtured and developed  
2. The saints are growing in maturity in community (connecting them to Jesus through the disciplines)   
3. The saints are growing in unity and love for one another  
4. The saints are encouraged to discover their Spiritual gifts in community  
5. A majority of the saints are in relational groups they are ministering to each other— % _______?  
6. A majority of the saints are using their gifts “properly” (according to God’s design) — % _______?  
7. Leaders see their role as equipping and empowering the saints  
8. Leaders are being consistently developed to make disciples  
9. “Speaking the truth in love” is being consistently practiced   
10. Restoring of other believers is done with grace & truth (Church discipline is practiced)

LOVE FOR OUR NEIGHBORS: (OUT)

1. Passionate prayer is continually being offered up for the lost and for laborer’s  
2. A majority of the body is engaged in mission (personal and groups) — %_______?  
3. A majority of missional groups are lovingly sharing their lives and the gospel with unbelievers (living on mission in community) — % _______?  
4. The gospel is being proclaimed by word and action by the members of the body   
5. The poor and “least of these” is intentionally being served and helped through the members of the body of Christ  
6. Areas/ domains of the city are being intentionally occupied by ambassadors of Christ  
7. The body of Christ (hands and feet of Jesus) is visible to the community… “We don’t know what we would do without this church in our community” 
8. Churches are working together to create a gospel net within a community (connecting the loops) 
9. New churches are emerging in the community in response to the mission   
10. The mission of Christ is being accomplished locally, regionally, nationally and globally by members from within the local body  

Appendix C: With/Of/Is Small Groups Chart

“WITH” SMALL GROUPS Traditional: Less than 40% in groups	“OF” SMALL GROUPS Hybrid: 40 to 80% in groups	“IS” SMALL GROUPS Organic: Greater than 80% in groups
Professional Staff Run	Staff develop programs	Leaders equip the saints to accomplish the Great Commission
Sr. Pastor Group Involvement: Not really involved	Sr. Pastor Group Involvement: In favor of groups along with everything else	Sr. Pastor Group Involvement: Leads a group and talks about group life often
Pastor’s role: Shepherd taking care of sheep	Pastor’s role: developing the ministries of the church	Pastor’s role: developing the member’s of His body to reach their full potential
Building focused “Our church meets here”	Building and community focused- “Our church meets here and we are in the community”	Community focused- “We gather on Sunday morning, but we are His body in the community”
Church’s goal: Hang on till Jesus returns	Church’s goal: Preach the gospel and make disciples	Church’s goal: Transformed lives… transformed society
Preaching: Toward the constituency (5 families)	Preaching: “Seeker sensitive”	Preaching: Toward the believer usually exegetical
Evangelism: If at all- Attractional	Evangelism: Attractional “Invest and Invite”	Evangelism: Member’s share their life with lost
Discipleship- 8 week course taught by the Pastor (maybe once a yr.)	Discipleship- “Base Path” development composed of several classes	Discipleship- Doing life together in community with other believers
Prayer: Happens at the church	Prayer: Focus on the individual praying	Prayer: Happens in the groups for the harvest
Missions- Offerings taken and shipped to a missions organization	Missions- Offerings taken and short term trips planned	Missions- People are encouraged to live as missionaries and go across the street and across the world
Growth- “Outside In” Focus on quantity	Growth- “Outside In” Focus on quantity and hope for quality	Growth- “Inside Out” Focus on quality and plan on quantity
Gifts- Not emphasized	Gifts- Some Important- especially for the platform	Gifts- All Essential- Body Life emphasized
Training- Not needed	Training- To run the Sunday morning programs	Training- For the Great Commission
Groups- “We have a few groups… I believe”	Groups- “We believe in groups”	Groups- “We are groups”
Leadership Development: Don’t need or necessarily want leaders.	Leadership Development: Need “leaders” to run the programs of Sunday morning.	Leadership Development: Need “missional leaders” who care for and develop God’s people.
Church Planting- No	Church Planting- Yes.. sort of- Satellites/ Campuses (Addition)	Church Planting- Yes- New Churches emerge from disciples developing into leaders (Multiplication)
Open or Closed Groups: Closed Groups: – Accountability – Men’s Group – Women’s Ministry – Sunday School	Open or Closed Groups: Open and Closed Groups: – Campaign Groups – Purpose Driven Groups – Free Market Groups – Host Groups	Open or Closed Groups: Open Groups: – Cell Groups / House Church – Intergenerational Groups – Neighborhood Groups – Missional Groups

Bibliography

Boren, Scott and Jim Egli. “SMALL GROUP MODELS: NAVIGATING THE COMMONALITIES AND THE DIFFERENCES.” Christian Education Journal 11, no. 1 (Spring, 2014): 152-65, https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/small-group-models-navigating-commonalities/docview/1517636296/se-2.

Carbonell, Mels. How to Solve The People Puzzle. Blue Ridge, GA: Uniquely You Resources, 2008.

Dempsey, Rod, and Dave Earley. Spiritual Formation Is…: How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018.

Earley, Dave, and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013.

Fay, William, and Linda Evans Shepherd. Share Jesus without Fear. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999.

Pipes, Jerry, and Victor Lee. Family to Family: Families Making a Difference. Wordsearch, 2018.

Putman, Jim, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman. DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013.

Walton, Roger. Disciples Together: Discipleship, Formation and Small Groups, Hymns Ancient & Modern, 2015.ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=3306241.

–––. “Disciples Together: The Small Group as a Vehicle for Discipleship Formation.” Journal of Adult Theological Education. 8, no. 2 (2011): 99-114, DOI: 10.1558/JATE.v8i2.99

Wheeler, David, and Vernon M. Whaley. The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical Principles for Worship-Based Evangelism. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2011.

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^[1] Roger Walton, Disciples Together: Discipleship, Formation and Small Groups Hymns Ancient & Modern, 2015.ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=3306241.

^[2] Dave Earley, “Cooperating with the Holy Spirit,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013), 34.

^[3] Rod Dempsey, “Weighing the Traditional Model,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013), 240.

^[4] Great Commandment (Matt. 22:37-39) and the New Commandment (John 13:34).

^[5] Rod Dempsey, “Three-Directional Love,” in Spiritual Formation Is…: How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018), 101.

^[6] Rod Dempsey, “Interpreting the Organic Model,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013), 265.

^[7] Ibid.

^[8] Rod Dempsey, “Evaluating Different Church Models,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013), 237.

^[9] Jerry Pipes and Victor Lee, Family to Family: Families Making a Difference (Wordsearch, 2018), 29.

^[10] Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013), 44.

^[11] Rod Dempsey, “Beginning on a Sure Foundation,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013), 27.

^[12] Dempsey, “Three-Directional”, 101.

^[13] Dave Earley, “Sweating in God’s Gym,” in Spiritual Formation Is…: How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018), 88.

^[14] David Wheeler and Vernon M. Whaley, The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical Principles for Worship-Based Evangelism (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2011), 45.

[15] William Fay and Linda Evans Shepherd, Share Jesus without Fear (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 3.

^[16] Putman, Harrington, and Coleman, DiscipleShift:, 61.

[17] Mels Carbonell, How to Solve The People Puzzle (Blue Ridge, GA: Uniquely You Resources, 2008), 304.

^[18] Putman, Harrington, and Coleman, DiscipleShift:, 202.

^[19] Scott Boren and Jim Egli, “SMALL GROUP MODELS: NAVIGATING THE COMMONALITIES AND THE DIFFERENCES,” Christian Education Journal 11, no. 1 (Spring, 2014): 152-65, https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/small-group-models-navigating-commonalities/docview/1517636296/se-2.

^[20] Roger Walton, “Disciples Together: The Small Group as a Vehicle for Discipleship Formation,” Journal of Adult Theological Education 8, no. 2 (2011): 100, DOI: 10.1558/JATE.v8i2.99