Are We Discipling Women or Just Hosting Them? Part 1

I’ve been reading a lot lately on the topic of discipleship, and I’ve felt challenged to look deeply at how to effectively disciple women as we lead them. I am especially interested in how to lead and disciple women who will then disciple others.

Jesus is our greatest example of a disciple-maker. So when He was leading His disciples, what did He do?

He recognized their “call” and gathered them. (Mark 3:13)
He spent time with them, building relationships on an ongoing basis. (John 15 and all 4 Gospels)
He taught them to submit and obey. (Luke 6:46)
He taught them to “look like Him.” (1 John 3:2)
He taught them to live sacrificially. (Luke 14:26-27)

Here are some highlights from a post written by Kathy Ferguson Litton from the blog, Flourish, where she answers the question, “What does spiritual maturity look like?”

The Word gets more important in our lives, not less important. We understand more of the whole story and how it all fits together into the entire gospel story.
We have more questions about God, even though our faith is stronger.
The mystery of God is okay. It’s not scary.
We are all continually in process; the more grace we experience, the more we give.
It’s not about us, but about Him.
We grow more dependent on Him, not less.
Pain is a real part of life, but it’s where we grow the most.
The enemy is present and loves to deceive us.
Boldness in sharing our faith comes from knowing He is a big God who gives boldness.

So I ask you as a leader: Are the women you lead maturing spiritually? If not, what will you do about it?

I want to continue to delve into this subject, and I will provide some practical tools in future posts. I’ll also include some links to other discipleship ministries that might be helpful for you. Right now, I just want you to begin to evaluate what’s happening in the group or ministry where you serve.

I would love to hear from you in the comments!

Chris Adams is senior lead women’s ministry specialist at LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, Tenn. Learn more about Chris here.