St. Johns Lutheran Church

Now that I am in seminary, I have the opportunity and pleasure to study the Lord?s word by digging deeper in biblical study, do research in various theology classes such as, race, religion, ethnic groups, and church mission classes. A major concerned that has been in my dreams for quite a while. It was just a matter of me waiting on God, observing how he made away for me in my

Discipleship is about engaging in the Word, following and obeying Jesus and going out to make disciples. An essential element in being a disciple is to be open to learning, to be teachable. It is a mindset to be continuously adopted and cultivated. For us to disciple others, we must be a better disciple ourselves. When making disciples, we are instructing others to be willing to be a discoverer. It applies to both spiritual growth as well as personal development, openness to new techniques, ideas and methods in all aspects of life. Our spiritual learning comes from delving into His

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

Southern Louisiana had its distinctiveness; complete with the French and Spanish legacy, an Anglo-American territory, its Roman Catholic bastion; present was evangelical Protestantism, the slave society, its sugar society and historic plantations. But more important it had Centerville, Louisiana, the hometown of William J. Seymour, the son of former slaves.

Servant leadership from a Christian perspective is a replica of what Jesus Christ symbolizes. Jesus was a servant because he showed truth, vision, humility, commitment, teacher to his followers, and brought about change; he was a suffering servant, yet was merciful, he was a teacher, yet willing to be taught by the Holy Spirit. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

I seek to have a well-thought out plan and objectives prior to entering into an event or life change. I crave data and knowledge along with order and control. My thought patterns are very systematic and structured. I questioned how I was going to be able to be open to the movements of the spirit that are not always nice and orderly. Yet throughout my life, I have sought to become a just, loving, and humble person who lifts other people up and fulfills societal responsibilities to my family, my community, my country, and my world. I was challenged to step outside of what I can fully control and to see where I was being led when I became actively engaged in the ministries of the congregation and with the procedures of a sociological internship working with individuals residing in the inner city of Kansas City, Missouri. I came to understand that my call to ordained ministry is my true calling and that it is not more work or better work than what I had planned, but rather a reordering and valuing of what I find meaningful to pursue in my life. I have spent time, largely due to my input and strategic mindset, discerning my priorities and objectives to live a more balanced and authentic life. My call to be a minister permeates all of my actions and how I interact with others. I am specifically calling to pastoral care and counseling as a chaplain due to my desire to

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

St. Paul's Presbyterian Church seeks to provide a safe and secure environment for the children

I can’t recall not being a part of New Hope Baptist Church because when I was growing up my parents attended everything and they “had us in tow”. I remember being brought to church in the winter and my parents lining us up on the seats next to the potbellied stove. We were required to take care of our “personal business” before entering because we were not allowed to walk while the services were in progress. I really have a hard time understanding why some young people today cannot sit through an entire service right now today. As children the church conferences often baffled us. While watching and listening, sometimes things got into a disagreeable mode. As children, we thought those deacons were at odds with each other, but when they

We have just come into our own at Park Lake Drive Baptist Church, after years of

The thought of earning a PhD from a seminary that embodies these biblical convictions excites me as a black man with a passion to lead a multiethnic church planting movement and a clear understanding of God’s desire for his children to glorify him and enjoy his presence in unity. I believe the SEBTS experience and matriculating through this rigorous program will not only challenge me, but also provide the education needed to excel at my God given calling and to connect with others that have similar passions. My commitment to the Gospel combined with a quality education from SEBTS will provide the credentials needed to become a strong voice within the Southern Baptist Convention as we become a more diverse network. Also, an advance degree in Christian Leadership will enhance the knowledge I have gained from obtaining a Masters of Arts in Organizational Leadership. SEBTS unwavering commitment to fulfilling the Great Commission aligns with my hunger for leading a gospel saturated movement that will equip church planters, entrepreneurs, leaders in Corporate America, missionaries, and pastors because I know solid Christian leaders are needed wherever darkness

Even though I heard whispers of my call in my early twenties, I had disregarded any thoughts of seminary as passing notions or fleeting whims. I worked various positions prior to my medical career for the simple purpose of funding my education. However, one thing remained constant. Children. Even as a child myself, I was always volunteering for children’s activities within the church, from nursery attendant to VBS crafts, Sunday school teacher to Education Committee member. Jobs which did not consist of interaction with youth, left me craving a connection. Even as my medical career began, I found myself volunteering at the local YMCA as a soccer coach. Looking back at my gifts and passions, it finally became clear to me that God was calling me to youth

From the group Biblical Integration Paper, it was understood that servant-leadership is not only a gift of purpose that God places in the hearts of His people, but it is also a calling in one’s life to truly touch the lives of others in need. Living a successful life, as a servant-leader is not one that focuses on self-fulfillment, rather it is in seeking a fulfillment that comes from Christ when one pours him/herself out for the sake of others. It is through servant-leadership that one is able to bring hope into hopeless situations (Group Integration Paper,

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.