Local Church Research Paper

In my experience at first progressive Baptist Church I was very much out of my comfort zone because not only did I not feel as welcomed but it was a little awkward because of all the looks I was receiving. I felt I was not dressed as they were and felt as if I didn't fit in and right away I just didn't feel appropriate with my attire. While I was there I actually had people wanting to shake hands and asking me questions about me coming and there was one man who just stared at me and so it was uncomfortable and didn't know how to react. While I was there I started to notice that there is a little difference from the church I go to and the music was way different as well, everyone will talk back with amen or thank you Jesus. The difference

Environment. I made observations of a church service. I enter through the strong, dark red, oak doors with golden handles. The room where the service was held was about 100 by 130 feet and seemed to be rectangular in shape. They were a variety of colors. The walls scale ten feet high until they slant to create the point that forms the ceiling of the chapel. The ceiling was a creamy, white color with natural-colored beams. The walls are comprised of brick ranging in colors of murky brown, black, crimson red. There were no windows in the church. There were twenty lights and each light had five light bulbs each. The floor in the church was covered with a light brown tightly woven carpet. The temperature was a perfect 67 degrees. The only decorations in the church were four or five sets of flowers consisting of only yellow roses in the front of the church. The audience sat in red, cushioned chairs that were right next to each other. There were two groups, one on

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Small group environments help every part grow into their right place in the body. “Discipleship is about providing a means by which we begin to shepherd people in the direction of maturity.” It requires effort and intentionality to help people grow, discover their gifts and use them for the health of the body.

While the goal of Christian education and discipleship is spiritual formation of the new believer into a true disciple who makes other true disciples, this concept has been watered down in the American church today by emphasis on programs instead of progressive spiritual growth in every member’s life. There are many

A church whose pastor and others in leadership have failed to put in place a proactive plan for discipleship for Believers is usually a “growing” church — growing stagnant, growing cold, growing spiritually immature Christians, and eventually, many growing closed. Patte said, “There is much at stake in accepting or rejecting the challenge of discipleship…” When a pastor or a church makes a conscious decision to make discipleship of Believers a primary focus in their

21). I agree, it is vital that the disciple is involved in an intentional, ongoing plan that challenges themselves to greater Christ-likeness which manifests itself in the nurturing of others toward wholeness. This is what we are called to do when we become children of God. Christian Spiritual formation cannot happen in solitude; therefore, the purpose of spiritual formation is to ultimately lived out in community. This aligns with my view of personal and corporate spiritual formation. If we are not conformed to the image of Christ, we cannot incarnate in our relationships with others. Therefore, if we say we love God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit we are to love others. The image of Christ will be seen as the ultimate reality of human wholeness, the consummation for which each heart longs (Mullholland, p. 21). Therefore, God’s people has a role in healing brokenness and injustice in the world (p. 21). We are to be the salt and light of the world (Matthew

The main reason that I am sold on this Baptist thing is because our statement of beliefs is not a creed or confession that tries to express all of the things that southern Baptist believe but is instead broad statement that hits the main points. This is important to me because unlike some other mainline denominations Baptists do not base the whole organization around a certain theological system. Because of this the Southern Baptists allow for a minister to change his view as he grows, reads, and learns without having to leave the denomination.

Ever since I was six years old, the year I was baptized, I have been on fire for the Lord. I attended a Christian school for eight years and have always been very involved at my church. My first experience outside of my “Christian bubble” was when I went to a public high school. For the first time in my life, I was out of my comfort zone. Being at a public school challenged my faith, strengthened my leadership skills, and forced me to branch out and meet people I would have never encountered otherwise. However, even though being at a public school helped strengthen my faith in ways I would have never guessed, I believe attending a Christian university—like Liberty—is the best choice to further my education. Going to college is new and exciting, but it can also be a demanding and intimidating experience. Being so far away from home, in a different environment,

Evangelism is described as a three-way cord; building relationships, sharing the gospel, and introducing people to community. The authors encourage the Gospel and the Word to stay central, as well as community involvement and helping the needy in the name of Christ. There is a great emphasis on home groups (the authors are themselves home-group leaders), and how this practice makes church planting easier. The togetherness of this practice aids in ones spiritual growth because one cannot become holy on his

Discipleship students, or those who already have a faith commitment, tend to immediately join one of two categories. The first, or Stagnant, students are those who “made a decision to follow Christ at some time in life but never really grew in faith.” These students, from the outside, look very similar to the world as “the distinction between churched and unchurched students is rapidly shrinking.” These students require time to draw them into a

Nearly two decades later, I started to put the pieces of the puzzle together. It would start with a simple but powerful statement, “We are called to make disciples, not members.” That statement would lead me to reflect on and seek out a better understanding of what it meant to be a disciple. That, in turn, led me to study and reflect on the concept of servanthood. I realized that developing a more personal and authentic relationship with Christ required more than just attending worship, working in the church and simply believing in Him. I realized that living a Christ-like life required a different way of thinking, a different way of living.

As I approach the end of my high school career, I start thinking if I am prepared and ready to face the next step in my life. College is known to test a man’s responsibility in order to prepare him to face the world alone. Jesuit High School has changed my life throughout the years I have attended the school. Jesuit has prepared me for college and taught me how to become a more responsible man. When I was thinking of where I should apply to high school, Jesuit was not my first option; however, coming from a family of Jesuit alumni, I knew it was the only school for me. Throughout my earlier years at Jesuit, I struggled and was miserable due to the overwhelming work and rules I was required to follow. However, I soon realized what the school was about in its mission in turning its students into men for others. I have found that Jesuit High School has transformed me educationally, has made me a more responsible man, and has taught me to be a man for others.

evangelical churches have had the largest growth. There are a number of reasons for the growth of evangelical churches in the last two decades of the twentieth century. First, Catholics were often targets of government repression for their "subversive" involvement in base Christian communities, while evangelicals were safe from government repression. Second, the evangelical emphasis on personal conversion is considered apolitical. Finally, small evangelical churches provide their members with a strong sense of community and family. During my whole life, my family and religion are the only ones that have helped me the most. My family have always encourage me in all types of situations and also religious because only God could guide me when I

Over the years, many models have been developed and implemented to endeavor to make disciples. Some of the models have been effective and others have not. Among some of the most biblical and efficient models are the ones that involve small groups. Within the small groups models, they can be broken down into further detail, such as pastoral involvement, the church’s goal, missions mindedness, etc. In this paper, I will explain my philosophy of small groups in a church and the importance of the relational group in authentic disciple making. I will also explain how missional groups can help the body of Christ move out into the community. Finally, I will summarize my status in regards to living in community with other believers and being missional with that community.

The church is in need of major renovation when it comes to making disciples. The concept of making disciples to follow the Lord Jesus Christ seems completely foreign to the church today. In order to achieve the desired goal of making disciples for Christ, training others to go out and proclaim gospel, and helping others to train people to disciple one another, one needs to go back to foundation of the Word of God. It is in God’s Word where multiple examples are found of how to make disciples to follow Jesus Christ. It is my desire to see more people in the church have a passion for discipleship. Therefore, this paper will examine in detail how to make disciples in a ministry context. This will be accomplished by examining the 5 V’s of discipleship—vision, values, views, vehicles, and verifiers. It is my purpose to examine each area in order to have a detailed plan of discipleship that will be used in my own ministry context to make disciples for Christ. I hope that this plan can and will be used to train others in the church to make disciples, and disciple one another, for the glory of God.