Disciples become like those they are following. As we make disciples of Jesus, the ones we lead can take on our character and practices, which is a key reason why a leader's journey toward spiritual and emotional health matters. In this episode, David Achata shares with Jeff Vanderstelt his journey of heart transformation and its significant impact on the key relationships around him. Listen to this episode and consider your journey: are you taking steps for your own spiritual and emotional health?

In order to return to disciple-making, we must make a shift from merely attending events and programs, to attaching to God, self, and others through our disciple-making spaces. This requires mindfully engaging in spiritual practices with the goal of lovingly attaching. During this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt describes practical ways to engage several spiritual practices that invite attachment.

So many things have changed in our post-pandemic world, including the Church, how we make disciples, and lead others to do the same. How does the Church become stronger, healthier, and more engaged in everyday mission? Daniel Im addresses this question in his new book, The Discipleship Opportunity: Leading a Great Commission Church in a Post-Everything World. During this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt invites Daniel to unpack some of the key ideas of the book, giving listeners some ways to frame up our context and consider how to lead others on mission more effectively.

In order to return to disciple-making, we must make a shift from attending to attaching. Merely attending events and meetings will never develop disciple-making disciples. We need to lead people to attach to God and others in significant, transformative ways. Working from an understanding of social spaces, Jeff Vanderstelt looks at the ministry of Jesus and discerns five key spaces that He engaged very intentionally. This episode will help you discern where you are strong and where you might need to grow in your own disciple-making strategy.

Jesus was clear that we are to make disciples who make disciples. However, many of us don’t feel skilled or effective at it and often feel like we’re getting in the way. Kirk Freeman wrote the book Threads to show how anyone can weave everyday disciple-making into the fabric of their life and ministry. In this episode, Kirk shares how we can make space and create opportunities for people to meet and interact with Jesus in very personal and transformative ways. Disciple-making doesn’t have to be as hard as many of us have made it to be. Listen and learn how you can join Jesus drawing your friends and family to Himself.

If we are going to return to disciple-making, we need to make a shift from merely informing people to equipping ministers. So much of our training merely gives people ideas or concepts. However, research shows this is not the most effective way of training people. Informing is a necessary part of equipping but it is only one part. We need to create much more holistic forms of equipping that are D.E.E.P.E.R.

If we are going to return to disciple-making, we need to make a shift from merely informing people to equipping ministers. Part of that process is considering the diversity of our equipping. Are we equipping people in the way Paul instructed the church in Ephesus? He was clear that if we are to grow up into a full expression of who Jesus is, we need to be equipped by apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. One person equipping the many will never lead to a full expression of Jesus. We need all the people gifts equipping all of the people of God.

In this second of ten episodes, we consider the first of the five shifts we must make to return to disciple-making. We need to shift from just reaching people to making disciples who make disciples. To accomplish that, we must build an effective disciple-making pathway that leads and develops people through a formation process. We'll explore the various stages, starting with moving from spiritually dead to becoming a spiritual infant in the faith. Next, we help spiritual infants grow up into spiritual children who will mature to spiritual young adults and eventually be sent out to be spiritual parents who can lead their own spiritual families. This kind of pathway requires spiritual grandparents who create equipping environments for multi-generational disciple-making disciples. Listen in and consider how you might build and strengthen a disciple-making pathway in your context.

In this, the first of ten episodes, we consider the first of the five shifts we must make to return to disciple-making. We need to shift from just reaching people to making disciples. However, we cannot make what we cannot state. What is your definition of a disciple? Does it sound like what Jesus called His first disciples to? In this episode, we consider the essence of what a disciple of Jesus is, with the goal of helping you clarify your own definition for your context.

Can you dream of a day when every man, woman, and child in your context has repeated opportunities to meet Jesus through His people on mission everywhere, everyday?