The Disciple Maker‘s Podcast

Track Session 4: The First 5 Steps to Create a Disciple Making Church

Jan 14, 2026
Bobby Harrington, Pastor and co-founder of the Relational Discipleship Network, teams up with David Young, a senior minister who transformed a legacy church. They discuss the five crucial steps for churches to genuinely embrace disciple-making. Key topics include the importance of shifting from attractional models to relational disciple-making, the imperative for leaders to model these practices, and the necessity of aligning church structures with disciple-making goals. They also address common barriers and practical strategies for fostering a disciple-making culture.
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ADVICE

Use Matthew 28 To Shape Practice

  • Use Matthew 28 as a framework: go, baptize (conversion), and teach to obey rather than merely inform.
  • Focus disciple-making on obedience and life-on-life relational practices, not just classroom teaching.
INSIGHT

Few Churches Prioritize Relational Discipleship

  • Only about 5% of U.S. churches have a Jesus-style intentional relational disciple-making culture.
  • Most churches overemphasize Sunday preaching, worship, and programs at the expense of life-on-life discipleship.
ANECDOTE

Personal Discipling Prompted Leadership Change

  • David Young asked whether he was personally discipling anyone and used that to catalyze change in his own leadership.
  • He negotiated a clear contract with elders to gain authority to lead the church toward disciple-making.
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