THE CONNECTION BETWEEN DISCIPLESHIP AND LEADERSHIP ASSIGNMENT
- hallsmanilow
- 14 hours ago
- 11 min read
Joo Won Lee
LU ID Number: L########
DSMN 500: Discipleship Ministries
March 1, 2026
Table of Contents
Leadership and Discipleship Connection------------------------------------------------------------3
Earley/Dempsey Vs. Putman-----------------------------------------------------------------------5
What is a healthy church--------------------------------------------------------------------------7
Ten kingdom leadership principles----------------------------------------------------------------9
Bibliography----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10
How Leaders Should be Developed Among the Disciples
Great Commission command by the Lord unequivocally states that “All powers is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matt. 28:18b-20 KJV). The faithful saints have been trying to follow and uphold the stated Great Commission ever since then. The crux of the Great Commission command seems to be the Discipleship, its multiplication, and the steadfast Leadership of Christ as the Faithful Guardian, who holds all the power in the cosmos and beyond. To the very end, He will be with His disciples according to His kingly authoritative promise.
Some of the more memorable quotes from the Leader Definitions handout are “A Christian leader is someone who is called by God to lead; leads with and through Christ like character; and demonstrates the functional competencies that permit effective leadership to take place.—George Barna,” “The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.”—Harvey S. Firestone,” “The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on.—Walter Lippman 1889-1974 in New York Herald Tribune 14 April, 1945.”[1] It seems that (true) disciples are those who are capable of exhibiting the very Christlike characters as they are able to grow and mature in His likeness as the multitudes become converted as well through their influence of evangelism.
As Jesus told us, the disciples ought to teach the Gospel/the Word, baptize them, and immerse them in everything which the Lord taught us. It basically entails everything which is written in the Bible; with caution but confidence it can be also said that the supplementary (not extraneous in nature, worth or importance) revelations shown to those spiritually-gifted people who are able to discern, receive and see the visions/prophecies, wisdom or new knowledge which God shows to His faithful servants on need basis should also qualify as the worthy contents to be shared and instructed upon as well. Discipleship is the very engine which drives the birth of leadership as the fishers of men should be masterful in his craft in order to reel in much fish: knowing how to sail through the whimsical unpredictable waves of seas in pursuit of school of fish to net is indeed gifted by the Holy Spirit, and one which cannot be taken lightly nor prematurely. In particular, true leadership fully immersed in the Holy Spirit will render one an effective disciples-equipper let alone being one himself/herself first.
Repetitive training in the word, ardent worship and earnest practices of regular prayer plus the field mission, pastoring, holding a leadership role in small groups et al are crucial features of developing a leader among the stated disciples of Jesus: as one carefully studies the gospels, particularly the Synoptic Gospels, they give us a good account of how the Lord developed the poor uneducated fishermen into the Best Leaders of the Christendom, who are now sitting as one half of 24 elders in front of throne in heaven: it occurs in stages. It is a gradual but upward moving process.
What can be also equally learned from the cases of the effective leaders mentioned in the bible from Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Deborah, Samson, Gideon, Daniel, Nehemiah, Peter, Paul, Timothy et al are the fact that the leaders themselves had a good example to follow, more often than not, but more importantly they were the people who were purely led by the Spirit of God, when they performed as effective leaders for their group or nation. They were all vulnerable and failed at times, but as Don Howell points out, “strict obedience to the word of the Lord, and upon failure, sincere repentance without rationalization alone ensure God’s ongoing presence and authentication for leadership.”[2] Regrettably, that trait of contrite heart in the spirit of true humility, reconciliation, and restoration most notably shown by David in the aftermath of Batsheva affair (cf. Psalm 51) what is truly lacking in today’s discipleship scene at all level and dimension as this author laments.
Earley/Dempsey Vs Putman in Leadership
The respective prepositions of both Earley/Dempsey and Putman suggesting for the ideal Christian Leadership are similar but with slight differences: firstly, both emphasize the Christilike leadership with servant leaders in mind, e.g. “…leading the group’s prayer time, sending the cards and letters to absentees…panning the group’s fun activities...hosting the group, leading the group discussion…,”[3] who mainly function as the mentors, instructors, facilitators, and role models to shape, form and influence the assigned disciples into becoming a Christlike person. “To share the load, reap the benefits” is the stated goal per the authors. Putman and Harrington echo this sentiment as in “Christ calls us to holiness, authentic holiness. When I talk to other pastors about my decision to be honest about my shortcomings, they sometimes give me funny looks. They tell me they don’t want to be vulnerable or authentic. I understand. I didn’t want to share either. Yet we must, if we want to make disciples.”[4] It appears that the shared responsibility in open honest bilateral communication with Christ’s heart for genuine love and care is the suggested operative mode here between the mentors and mentees. Let’s not forget that as Dempsey and Early write that it is NOT all fun and game here as the gathered group breaks the bread over sodas and coffee since the grave matter of working in the “harvest fields” with the fates of the future members of the kingdom of God hanging in the balance is the agendas at every single session. In essence, the eschatological mindset/outlook of looking forward to the future combined with a current focus of training the disciples into capable future leaders should be employed when leading a group of willing and yearning disciples. It is always a forward-looking missionary endeavor at all levels when leading a group of disciples, who can be fertile, multiply, and beget their own spiritual children, with the Great Commission command ultimately in mind.
However, in the end when love is genuine and Christlike with spiritual discernment and wisdom freely given by the Sprit to those who earnestly ask for, no group, organization, leadership or churches in any shape or form will willingly adopt a protocol which may send the precious group of heavily-trained disciples off to pernicious paths of guaranteed destruction or force them to swallow the venomous pill so to speak.
To this author, what distinguishes between Dempsey/Early and Putman/Harrigton regarding the leadership is the degree or intensity by which the latter emphasize the role of “equipper”: shared vulnerability and intimacy in personal relationships according to Putman and Harrington can be defined as “A pastor needs to be genuine at all levels of relationship, but not all kinds of relationships require the same amount of disclosure. A pastor can be open and honest at every level of ministry, but he does not need to be equally vulnerable at every level of relationships. Some things are best shared by a pastor with those in close relationship with him.”[5] And the authors go on citing the example of small groups of 2-3 mentoring people in the biblical cases of “Moses and Joshua, Eljah and Elisha, and Paul and Timothy (and Titus).”[6] In the essence, what Putman and Harrington seem to stress is that the social and cultural context should change depending on the size of disciples being handled, and the equipper must not only equip the disciples with the information and knowledge to succeed as effective Christian leaders, but they also must instill them the spiritual maturity, which reveal the Christlike characteristics inside out, ultimately. Being a professional coach, this author liked the fact that the authors compared “being a church leader is much less like being a start athlete and much more like being a great coach.”[7] This humble and obscure author has always felt that way about discipleship, pastorship, and leadership as some of my personal friends who are collegiate coaches concurred with in the past.
In closing this section, the crucible of Earley/Dempsey’s argument can be summarized as in “Christian leadership is the process of influencing individuals to follow God’s plan for their lives and become all they can be for Christ and His mission.”[8] Amen.
Healthy Church Is the Driving Engine for Discipleship Formation
An ideal church is where the Lord Jesus and only He alone rules supremely with throne of David and a scepter of righteousness (cf. Isaiah 9:7; Psalm 45:6; Hebrews 1:8) as He is the master of the Sabbath (cf. Matt. 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5); but how many among us can honestly say that is the case in our local church we attend every Sunday? In this humble author’s library room wall on the second floor hang the two posters of Peter the fisherman, where he sinks deeply into the abyss of the raging Sea of Galilee, where the strong rugged hand of the Master Carpenter firmly clutches the stretched hand of sinking feeble Peter as the Carpenter from Nazareth is pulling the drowning disciple of little faith back into the sphere of the living (cf. Matt. 14:22-33) where faith the size of a mustard seed would suffice (cf. Matt. 17:20) to be fishers of men (cf. Matt. 4:19). We all have been there, and most of us are still going through the humbling and polishing process on daily basis, yet the Carpenter from Nazareth with pierced hands and sides will never abandon us. With gentle smiles on His face. He will never give up on us when we fail miserably whereas the whole rest of the world even inside one’s own church would do that at the drop of a hat.
As Ken Blanchard writes, “During their three years under Jesus’ leadership, the disciples were transformed from untrained novices to fully equipped, divinely inspired, and spiritually grounded leaders able to fulfill the Great Commission to go to all nations with the good news of Jesus Christ’s death, resurrection, and love,”[9] And Blanchard goes on to describe the four stages of novice, apprentice, journeyman, and master/teacher which Jesus Himself must have gone through on His way to acquiring the Master Carpentry skills which He would Himself have imparted on His disciples on making them fishers of men.
Earley and Dempsey states twenty (“exhaustive”) characteristics which are required of being qualified as a healthy church on pp. 212-213; some of these characteristics are “(paraphrased) word-centric teaching accompanied by deed, passionate prayer heavy congregation, growing & maturing saints, spiritual gifts being encouraged, sharing of Gospel, multiplying disciples, new churches being planted, willing and joyful giving to the causes of gospel, church discipline in place, the poor and the “least of these” intentionally being ministered onto,”[10] As the authors conclude, “a healthy church is a representation of the people of God coming together to accomplish the mission of God for the glory of God…”[11] The key operative words to this author are “willingly, joyfully, purposefully, but intentionally and relationally,” as the healthy body of Christ should be where all the parts should be in sync, balance, and harmony of one another so that the whole body would be efficiently operating at the optimum with the greatest outputs to show as its fruits of labor internally and externally. When it starts stinking of stench of rotting flesh in suspected (terminal) cancerous stage, then the decisive surgical procedure should be followed at all costs to save the life of an afflicted church (cf. Rev. 2-3).
Ten Kingdom Leadership Principles
After reading the Kingdom Leadership Principles, what became clear to this author is the very fact that Jesus is the King over all subjects even in our contemporary 21st church; not only is He the Supreme Leader in the celestial sphere, but the visible physical domains where we all sit, mediate, often pray and worship as well. As a matter of fact, that has never changed since the beginning of time. Henceforth, what needs more attention with us mere dutiful obedient subject to His Kingship/Lordship? Dempsey writes, “There is only one King, and you are not Him…You are not a leader…you are a follower of a leader…None of “it’ is yours (church, offerings, gifts, buildings, people, vision)...”[12]
Per video lecture summary (Rod Dempsey) too, we ought to be conscientious of the connection between communal Discipleship and single Leadership as we recognize that Jesus is our sole teacher (cf. “But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren, “ (Matt. 23:8 KJV). The bottom line: yes, the law and order exist in governing bodies, and whatnot in order to render exactly that, however, in the end, we are all disciples of one Rabbi, who is Jesus Christ our lord and savior bar none. As Dempsey alludes to, He alone can diagnose our illnesses and cure us as His blood alone can save us (John 3:16) from a certain death we all face or a crisis situation. Somehow this simple fact has been lost on the Christendom at large, particularly among people who like to call themselves “Pharisees, scribes, Sadducees,” as they crave for public attention as actors and pretenders (cf. Matt. 23).
In essence, what the 10 Kingdom Leadership / Followership Principles remind and teach us in this day and age of instant gratification with craze and widespread of Social Influencers and their followers is the humility, thankfulness, genuineness, and joyfulness the disciples of Jesus should exhibit as they come confess forward clean and bear naked in presence of the Lord in company of fellow saints that all we have possessed, accomplished, meant, and amounted is a 100% credit to God alone—His bountiful grace and mercy toward His slaves for the Gospel.
Bibliography
Blanchard, Ken, Lead Like Jesus (Revisited): Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time, Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 2016.
Dempsey, Rod, 10 Kingdom Leadership/Followership Principles, Lynchburg, VA: DSMN 500 Online Course, 2026.
Dempsey, Rod, Leader Definitions Handout, Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University, DSMN 500, 2026.
Early, Dave and Dempsey, Rod, Spiritual Formation Is…How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and Confidence, Brentwood, TN: B&H Academy, 2018.
Early, Dave and Dempsey, Rod, Disciple Making is…How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence, Brentwood, TN: B&H Academy, 2013.
Howell, Don H. Jr., Servants of the Servants: A Bible Theology of Leadership, Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2003,
Putman, Jim & Harrington, Bobby, Discipleship Shift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Reflective, 2013
[1] Rod Dempsey, Leader Definitions Handout, (Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University, DSMN 500, 2026).
[2] Don N. Howell, Jr., Servants of the Servants: A Bible Theology of Leadership, (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2003), 83.
[3] Early, Dave and Dempsey, Rod, Disciple Making is…How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence, (Brentwood, TN: B&H Academy, 2013), 206.
[4] Jim Putman & Bobby Harrington, Discipleship Shift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Reflective, 2013), 105.
[5] Ibid., 106.
[6] Ibid., 107.
[7] Ibid., 129.
[8] Early, Dave and Dempsey, Rod, Disciple Making is…How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence, (Brentwood, TN: B&H Academy, 2013), 203.
[9] Ken Blanchard, Lead Like Jesus (Revisited): Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time, (Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 2016), 181.
[10] Early, Dave and Dempsey, Rod, Disciple Making is…How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence, (Brentwood, TN: B&H Academy, 2013), 212-213.
[11] IBID., 213.
[12] Rod Dempsey, 10 Kingdom Leadership/Followership Principles, (Lynchburg, VA: DSMN 500 Online Course, 2026).
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