Discipleship Training Resources
Please use this page to download various resources and documents related to the Discipleship Training Program
Discipleship Training Manual Downloads:
Discipleship Training Manual - PDF Format (click here to open entire manual)
Discipleship Training Documents Library
Charts:
Chart 1: Discipleship Training Process
Chart 2: Knowing Your Goals
Chart 3: Biblical Basis Of Goals
Forms:
Form 1: Enrollment Form
Form 2: Self-Assesment
Form 2.1: Peer Assesment
Form 3: Assesment Summary
Form 4: Action Plan
Form 4.1: Action Plan - Church Planting
Form 4.2: Action Plan - Leadership
Form 4.3: Action Plan - Prospective Missionary
Form 5: Discipleship Journal
Form 6: Mentor Guidelines
Step 1: Desire To Be Trained
The first step in the Discipleship Training process is to desire to be trained. Just as God has ordained that leaders be active in doing the equipping, he likewise has ordained that his people be active in being equipped so that they can effectively do the ministry of the church. Unless a person has a willing heart and a commitment to be a disciple, then any effective spiritual training is impossible.
Step 2: Commit To Training
The second step in the discipleship training process is to commit yourself to that process. The practical manifestation of this commitment is to fill out Form 1, Signing Up: Enrollment Form. As noted above, all forms for the Discipleship Training process are included in Appendix II. When the form is complete, turn it in to Mike Kruger, Assistant Pastor of Discipleship Training, or to Ted Hamm, Discipleship Intern. This form lets us know that you are interested in committing to the process and being placed with a mentor who can disciple you.
Keep in mind that the Discipleship Training process is still being developed at Uptown Church and thus we may not have a mentor trained and available for everyone right away. In the meantime, do not think that you are unable to proceed further. If you continue to follow the steps of the Discipleship Training manual, even without a mentor, you can still utilize the various resources we have made available. Mentor-based discipleship is the preferred route, but not the only way for a member of Uptown to be equipped.
Step 3: Understand Where You Are Going
In order to effectively participate in Discipleship Training, we must first understand the ultimate goal. What are we aiming for? As we noted above, Ephesians 4:13 tells us the ultimate goal: "That the body of Christ may be built up…and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Chart 2, Knowing Your Goals, outlines what it means to be mature in Christ in three different areas of the Christian life:
- God and You: This category describes one's own theological understanding of God and his Word, and also the personal disciplines of holiness that should be present in one's life.
- God and His People: This category describes the relationship between the mature believer and the covenant community, including his role in the church, his relationship to fellow believers, and his relationship to his family.
- God and the World: This category describes the manner in which the mature Christian interacts with the world around him.
This involves his appreciation of creation, witness to the lost, and mission to the world.
In addition, Chart 3, Biblical Basis of Goals, examines all the scripture references associated with these same three categories and allows you to see the biblical foundation for what it means to be mature in Christ. Take some time to consider and pray over the details. You cannot begin a journey unless you know where you are going.
Step 4: Understand Where You Are.
After you consider where you are going, you must next evaluate where you currently are. In order to accomplish this task, you will engage in a 360 degree evaluation where you evaluate your own spiritual maturity and then have others around you do the same. Begin with Form 2, Finding Your Bearings: Self-Assessment Map. This is a tool designed to help you assess where you are in each of the three categories mentioned above: God and You, God and His People, and God and the World. As you fill out the form, carefully consider your degree of maturity in each of these areas. In addition, you also have Form 2.1 which is the Finding Your Bearings: Peer-Assessment Map designed to be given to others. Make several copies of the form and give it to someone from each of the following categories: (a) those who lead and mentor you, (b) your peers, and (c) those you lead and mentor.
Step 5: Compile Results On Assesment Summary Form.
After collecting all the Peer-Assessment Maps, including your own Self-Assessment Map, chart the results on Form 3, Finding Your Bearings: Assessment Summary.This form will allow you to gain an overall impression of where you stand spiritually in each category based on your own assessment and the assessment of others that know you. The conclusions reached here will be fundamental in the construction of your Action Plan (see below), which will help guide you through the Discipleship Training process. With the first two stages complete, you are now ready to enter the formal training stage.
Step 6: Assigned To A Mentor.
The center of the entire training process is your mentoring relationship. A mentor is a spiritual leader who has committed himself to taking an active role in your spiritual growth and development. A mentor is more than just a peer, but an individual who you can look to for accountability, encouragement, guidance, prayer, and leadership. At this stage, if you do not already have a mentor, a mentor will be assigned to you. If you have not yet filled out Form 1, then do so now and return it to Mike Kruger or Ted Hamm.
Step 7: Develop An Action Plan.
Now that you have a mentor you will meet together and develop an Action Plan (Form 4). An Action Plan is simply a formalized approach to how you will utilize the various discipleship resources that are at your disposal. Your mentor plays a crucial role in helping you craft a spiritual growth plan that takes into account your strengths, weaknesses and giftedness as derived from the Assessment Summary.
As a resource, your mentor will want to refer to the Mentor Guidelines (form 6). Although the Action Plan is to be largely dictated by the results of the Assessment Summary, there are a number of foundational issues that every mentor needs to address right from the start. These foundational issues are listed here, and your mentor is encouraged to work with you to implement them into your Action Plan.
It is at this stage that you will have to learn about the various discipleship resources that are available at Uptown Church, which we call "training modules." Training Modules are simply areas in which various types of spiritual growth takes place. If you notice in Chart 1, these Training Modules include the Sunday Service, Sunday School, Life Groups, Strategic Training, Discipleship Resource Center, and Personal Disciplines. Consult Appendix III, Discipleship Training Modules for a full and detailed overview of all these different opportunities at Uptown church and the Leader-ship that runs them.
Once you have learned about the details of the various Training Modules available, the Action Plan lays out the specific ways in which you will utilize the modules. For example, if Joe Uptown learns from his Assessment Summary that he is lacking in an understanding and application of evangelism in his life, then, together with his mentor, they may decide he needs to (a) take a Sunday School class on evangelism, (b) read a book that outlines the method and message of evangelism, (c) meet with someone in the church that has wisdom in this area, (d) practice evangelism alongside another who is gifted in this area, and (e) pray that God would change his heart and give him renewed motivation. Joe and his mentor would also discuss a timeframe for when such activities should be accomplished. Of course, keep in mind that this example covers only one area of need that may exist in Joe's life, so that actual Action Plan likely will be more detailed than this.
Special Note
Although all members of Uptown will utilize the standard Action Plan (Form 4), those members in specialized situations also will follow other training "tracks" within the Discipleship Training process such as, (a) Church Planters Track, (b) Leadership Track, and (c) Prospective Missionary Track. Those in these tracks, in addition to filling out Form 4, also will need to use the specialized Action Plans that are available in Appendix II (Form 4.1-Church Planting Track, Form 4.2-Leadership Track, Form 4.3-Prospective Missionary Track). Each of these "tracks" will outline the specific training requirements for those involved in these areas.
Step 8: Record Progress In The Discipleship Journal.
As you begin to utilize these different resources, you will need to keep a record of your activities so that you can accurately evaluate your progress in the future. So, you will need Form 5, Charting Your Progress: Discipleship Journal. Here you can record a variety of items such as which Sunday School courses you have taken, which specific books you may have read, and which training seminars you may have attended. The Discipleship Journal would cover a period of time from approximately 2-4 years of involvement in Discipleship Training. Please make an effort to keep an accurate record of your training activities so that your mentor may have access to complete information and so that you can see whether you have met the goals of your Action Plan.
Step 9: Meet Regularly With Mentor.
As you continue in your training, there will be a need to meet with your mentor approximately every month or two. This allows the mentor to continually evaluate your progress and assess what changes may need to take place in the Action Plan. This is a critical part of the process and allows you to solidify the relationship with your mentor and develop new Action Plans as you progress through the training.
Although you are free to meet more often than this, keep in mind that frequency of meetings does not always mean higher quality training. A meeting, say, every week would not only be very time consuming but would not necessarily be more productive because there is not the time for the Action Plan to be implemented with any regularity nor is there time to see real spiritual or ministerial fruit develop.
In the end, however, the frequency of meetings must be decided between the two parties involved.
Step 10: Involvement In Ministry.
A critical part of any training process is the application of that training in real ministry situations. As we noted in Ephesians 4:11-13, training is not an end in and of itself but is designed so that that the saints can do the work of the ministry.
The mentor, therefore, should be looking for the right opportunity to lead you out of the training stage proper and into concrete ministry and service. As the mentor begins to evaluate your gifts and interests, then he can suggest areas of ministry that would be a good fit for you.
Notice on Chart 1 that the three categories of ministry in Stage IV correspond with the vision of Uptown Church: (a) Loving Witness, (b) Helping Neighbor, (c) Transforming Community.
Step 11: Mentor Evaluates Progress In Ministry.
As you become more and more involved in ministry the mentor can begin to observe these activities as much as possible and offer you evaluation and feedback concerning your progress. Outside assessment is critical for a balanced assessment of one's gift and abilities. Thus, ministry feedback, and not just training feedback, will be a large part of the meetings with your mentor.
Step 12: Develop New Action Plan And Repeat Process.
As you continue to grow and change over the years, your strengths, weaknesses, and needs will change. In particular, your involvement in regular ministry will serve to highlight new areas where improvement and growth are needed that you may have never seen before. Thus, in light of these new developments, a new Action Plan will need to be periodically developed.
On an annual basis, you and your mentor likely will need to return to Step 7 and develop a new plan that can address these issues in the most effective fashion. Then the entire process will repeat. The "cyclical" nature of the Discipleship Training program ought to continue throughout one's entire life because although we continue to mature in Christ by the grace of God, we can always strive further in our devotion and service to him.