Distributed Pastoral Leadership | 2025 National Disciple Making Forum (Jason Shepperd)

Get access to all of our 2025 National Disciple Making Forum Content: https://disciplemakerspodcast.supercast.com/

 

Church Project Track Session 3: Distributed Pastoral Leadership

Today, the word “pastor” conveys someone far more centralized and public than was used in the New Testament (often it means the public speaker on a stage). How did the Early Church identify, equip, and empower ‘ordinary’ individuals to function as pastors, and how could implementing this change the church today?

 

Effective Leadership and Distributed Model: Insights from Titus Chapter 1

Dive deep into the principles of effective church leadership as drawn from Titus Chapter 1. This episode outlines the importance of localized pastoral leadership and decentralized structure for fostering rapid gospel movement, referencing works by theologian Alan Hirsch. Learn about the history and evolution of house churches, the critical balance between centralized and light centrality, doctrinal training, and the intricate processes of raising new house church pastors. Gain practical insights into maintaining sound doctrine, facilitating diverse community growth, and the importance of continuous leadership development. The episode also covers the successful transition strategies for legacy churches, effective house church operation, and quantitative versus qualitative measurement of church health.

00:00 Introduction to Titus Chapter One
00:13 The Role of Elders in the Early Church
01:11 Centrality and Movement in the Church
02:16 Distributed Leadership and Sound Doctrine
03:46 House Church Origins and Growth
05:12 Developing Doctrine and Duties
07:56 Pastoring House Church Pastors
14:23 Handling Diversity and Sanctification
17:45 Sunday Gatherings vs. House Churches
24:23 Reflections and Lessons Learned
28:59 Connecting People in a Growing Community
29:56 Leadership Turnover and Mobility
33:13 One-on-One Discipleship Approach
35:35 Challenges in Transitioning Legacy Churches
41:35 Preaching and Teaching in House Churches
45:49 Leadership Pipeline and Testing
50:12 Measuring Success and Engagement
57:46 Recruiting Initial House Church Pastors
59:38 Final Q&A and Leadership Development

 

Get Discipleship.org's premium Podcast Feed: https://disciplemakerspodcast.supercast.com/ 

Check out the following eBooks from Discipleship.org:

-- What Is Church? And How Important Is It? 
https://discipleship.org/shop/what-is-church-and-how-important-is-it/

-- Family Discipleship Blueprint: A Year-by-Year Guide to Family Discipleship
https://discipleship.org/shop/family-discipleship-blueprint-a-year-by-year-guide-to-family-discipleship/

-- Becoming a Disciple Maker
https://discipleship.org/shop/becoming-a-disciple-maker/

-- National Study: The State of Disciple Making Churches: A 10 Minute Visual Guide
https://discipleship.org/shop/national-study-the-state-of-disciple-making-churches-a-10-minute-visual-guide/

-- Reaching & Discipling Women: A Guide to Women’s Ministry in Your Church
https://discipleship.org/shop/reaching-discipling-women-a-guide-to-womens-ministry-in-your-church/

Check out the following Books from Discipleship.org:

-- The Discipleship Gospel
https://himpublications.com/product/the-discipleship-gospel/?utm_source=discipleship-org&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=books-page

-- Disciple-Making Culture
https://himpublications.com/product/disciple-making-culture/

-- Recreated to Be like God: Making Disciples in the Image of Jesus
https://a.co/d/6DDvUrC

-- King Jesus and the Beauty of Obedience-Based Discipleship
https://a.co/d/7d85z6T

-- The Disciple Maker's Handbook: Seven Elements of a Discipleship Lifestyle
https://a.co/d/4ZHIbQz

Take the FREE Disciple Maker Assessment:
https://church-multiplication.com/disciplemaker/

Come to the The National Disciple Making Forum: https://discipleship.org/national-disciple-making-forum/

Stay informed - Get our newsletter: 
http://eepurl.com/hPViAr

Listen - Disciple Maker's Podcast: 
https://discipleship.org/resources/podcast/