Building a Discipling Culture, 3rd Edition
Building a Discipling Culture is the product of more than 25 years of hands-on discipleship practice in a post-Christian context that has turned into a worldwide discipling movement, dealing specifically with how to make the types of missional disciples Jesus spoke of. We all want to make disciples. Most of us are unsure how to do it.
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2018
We are changing the culture of our church and have found the concepts and structure in this book to be helpful in moving us forward.
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2019
This is a great and life changing book when done in the context of a group that is willing to be real & vulnerable.
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2019
While the message of Jesus never changes, how we invite people into his steps certainly does. Breen provides a practical and transformative guide to discipleship. I have been using this methodology since 2010 and plan on continuing for the long haul. So thankful for Breen's work.
Disclaimer - this book is best to follow someone else through and then lead others.
New Material in the 3rd Edition of Building a Discipling Culture
An updated introduction that explains the importance of the context of Family on Mission in Building a Discipling Culture
The Five Capitals: thinking about how we pour ourselves into others and into mission.
The Three As: considering how we can follow Jesus’ example and avoid the core temptations of ambition, appetite, and approval
New culture-creating language for the Person of Peace Strategy via a new shape
Much ink and many pages have been devoted to all of the missional issues facing the Western church today. As our culture becomes more post-Christian with each passing day, we are all realizing that what has worked in the past is no longer working, that we are far less effective for the Kingdom than we were even 10 years ago. But we would suggest it isn't because we don't know what the Great Commission states or the imperatives of the Gospel, or that our church services just aren't getting it done.
It's because we are in the midst of a discipleship crisis in the Western church. The people sitting in our pews are rarely becoming like the people we read about in Scripture. They may come to a worship service, join a small group or even tithe, but their lives just don't seem to look like Jesus life.
The truth of the matter is that we don't have a missional problem or leadership problem in the Western church. We have a discipleship problem. If we make disciples like Jesus made them, well never have a problem finding leaders or seeing new people coming to faith.
The central issue is that we have no idea how to make disciples who can do the things that Jesus did for the reasons Jesus did them. Building a Discipling Culture is the product of more than 25 years of hands-on discipleship practice in a post-Christian context that has turned into a worldwide discipling movement, dealing specifically with how to make the types of missional disciples Jesus spoke of. We all want to make disciples. Most of us are unsure how to do it.
Dallas Willard put it this way: Every church needs to be able to answer two questions. One, do we have a plan for making disciples? Two, does our plan work? For most of our church communities, we have a plan, but the plan isn't working.
If you find yourself in this situation, this book is for you.