New Churches Podcast | Season 1 | Episode 702

Disciple-Making Strategies for New Churches

Ed Stetzer & Catherine Renfro

Episode 702

We often think of discipleship as a post-conversion process, but it also can be seen in a broader way. Host Ed Stetzer talks with Chuy Rodriguez and Catherine Renfro about disciple making as sharing the gospel, people responding to the gospel, growing in the truths of the gospel and then multiplying.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

  • Different ways churches are effectively making disciples
  • The relationship between evangelism and discipleship in the new church
  • Varied approaches to church-based discipleship strategies
  • How to see disciples become disciple makers
  • Advice for church plants to have a disciple making culture

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Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

The most effective churches I’ve worked with are translating academic education into practical implementation – complementing traditional tools with serving the community. It’s not just acquiring information but also putting it into practice so we grow in our walk with Christ. —Chuy Rodriguez

Oftentimes we talk about evangelism and discipleship as though it has to be one or the other. I don’t think you can have true discipleship without evangelism; I don’t think you can have evangelism without discipleship. Discipleship and evangelism go hand in hand. @CatherineRenfro

Discipleship is not follow-up. Discipleship is calling people to follow Jesus and the disciple-making journey starts at the even sharing the good news of the gospel with people, sharing what it means to follow Jesus. Disciple making includes conversion and spiritual growth and, ultimately, multiplication. @EdStetzer

We see one-on-one discipleship and group discipleship. I don’t think you can choose one over the other. Both are equally important. At the end of the day, I think relationships are the foundation of discipleship. @CatherineRenfro

As a new church grows, it takes on structure. All living things, when they become more complex, take on structure. We help people move from sitting in rows to sitting in circles, so they can have that life-on-life discipleship that makes makes the difference. @EdStetzer

A lot of times church plants, if they don’t grow in maturity, can become a mile wide and an inch deep. Church plants must have a disciple-making culture. @EdStetzer

You need a model of what it means to be a disciple and to disciple others. I’ve seen pastors who preach a lot about certain things but they are not the first ones doing it. I would say to most pastors, “Just be what you preach.” —Chuy Rodriguez

Published on September 20, 2022

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About the Podcast

New Churches Podcast

The New Churches podcast offers practical answers to your real ministry questions. We aren’t going to provide lofty pie-in-the-sky theories. Instead, we are going to help you in your real ministry context, with your real thoughts, questions, and issues.

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Meet the Authors

Ed Stetzer

Ed Stetzer, Ph.D., is a professor and dean at Wheaton College where he also serves as Executive Director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center.  He is the incoming Dean of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches; trained pastors and church planters on six continents; earned two master’s degrees and two doctorates; and he has written hundreds of articles and a dozen books. He is Regional Director for Lausanne North America, is the Editor-in-Chief of Outreach Magazine, and regularly writes for news outlets such as USA Today and CNN. His national radio show, Ed Stetzer Live, airs Saturdays on Moody Radio and affiliates. He serves at his local church, Mariners Church, as a Scholar in Residence and Teaching Pastor.

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Catherine Renfro

Catherine Renfro is a pastor’s wife, a mom and serves as director of evangelism at the North American Mission Board. She and her husband, Chris, began the journey of church planting in August 2021 and launched Hope Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, where Chris is the lead pastor. Catherine graduated from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2010 with a master’s degree in Christian Education and Biblical Counseling. She was called to ministry at age 22 and has been serving in full-time ministry ever since. She has a passion for seeing lost people come to know Jesus and for saved people to live out their purpose of making Jesus known.

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