Building a Discipling Culture Paperback – September 10, 2014

Mike Breen and Steve Cockram’s passion to see discipleship come to the forefront of church ministry is evident from the very beginning of Building a Discipling Culture. They allege that many churches have their priorities reversed, focusing on building churches while neglecting to make disciples. They propose an alternative model that Jesus Himself espoused, claiming that “If you make disciples, you always get the church. But if you make a church, you rarely get disciples” (Kindle Location 100). They later elaborate, “If you set out to build the church, there is no guarantee you will make disciples. It is far more likely that you will create consumers who depend on the spiritual services that religious professionals provide” (KL 109).So what is the difference between building a church and discipling people? Breen and Cockram argue that three things are necessary for building a discipling culture: 1) a discipling vehicle, 2) discipling relationships, and 3) a discipling language (KL 537).A DISCIPLING VEHICLEA discipling vehicle is essentially a small group of four to ten people that you meet with regularly to disciple (at least every other week) (KL 546). Breen and Cockram call this group a “huddle,” and a huddle, diverges from traditional small groups in that it does not grow by adding new members, but by equipping and encouraging members to start their own huddles (KL 551). The reason for this is that, by definition, every disciple makes disciples (Mt. 28:18-20).DISCIPLING RELATIONSHIPSA huddle by itself, however, is inadequate for making disciples, because “the best discipling relationships always have an intentional, ‘organized’ component to them, as well as a less formal, ‘organic’ component” (KL 546). Covenantal relationships constitute the “organic” component whereby disciples have access to the discipler’s personal life. Breen and Cockram describe this dynamic in the discipleship triangle of “Information-Imitation-Innovation.”Many churches convey “information” (classroom) very well. However, they often lack discipling relationships that facilitate “imitation” (apprenticeship and immersion), which in turn fosters “innovation” (KL 598). It would be a mistake, however, to equate discipling relationships with friendships. Friendship only requires invitation, but discipleship also entails challenge. Discipleship calls people to a greater conformity to Christ’s character and to a higher level of Christ-like competency.This kind of discipling relationship need not be inordinately burdensome. It can be as simple as inviting someone who is struggling spiritually to accompany you to the grocery store so that you can talk with him or her on the way and back (KL 580). It means inviting people to our quotidian comings and goings. This assumes, of course, that we first have a life worth imitating (KL 576), but we need not despair, because while we will never be perfect examples, we can be living examples (KL 624).A DISCIPLING LANGUAGEUp to this point, there is nothing radically insightful in Building a Discipling Culture that sets it apart from other books on discipleship. Almost 50 years prior, Robert Coleman delineated a similar process of discipleship in his classic The Master Plan of Evangelism, namely the Selection, Association, Consecration, Impartation, Demonstration, Delegation, Supervision, and Reproduction of disciples. Furthermore, modern books such as Colin Marshall and Tony Payne’s Trellis and the Vine (2009) also decry churches’ shortsighted tendency to rely on vocational ministers and volunteers to build churches through programs and events (the trellis), rather than training the whole church to make disciples (the vine).What sets Building a Discipling Culture apart from the other books on discipleship is its discipling language. Breen and Cockram explain that “language creates culture,” and that in order to create a discipling culture, we need a language to support it (KL 632). The discipling language that Breen and Cockram, and their ministry 3DM, use is called LifeShapes. The LifeShapes are 8 diagrams that seek to capture the essence of discipleship. Breen and Cockram note that Jesus chose parables as his preferred teaching method in an oral culture, and argue that we live in a visual culture that calls for an image-based pedagogy (KL 687-692). Most of the book is dedicated to describing these LifeShapes, which deal with "Continuous Breakthrough," "Deeper Relationships," "Rhythm of Life," "Multiplying Life," "Personal Calling," "Definitive Prayer," "Spiritual Health," and "Relational Mission."Building a Discipling Culture is an excellent practical resource if you want to learn about discipleship. Breen and Cockram have a knack for presenting nuggets of insight with memorable alliterations and catchy phrases. Consequently, the discipling model proposed in their book is extraordinarily simple and reproducible. It has, and will continue to, serve the Church well. However, if you are looking for a theologically-nuanced and comprehensive book on discipleship, this is not one. For example, it does not include ways to teach Scripture study or theology, and omits other spiritual disciplines such as fasting. It also tends to assume that the gospel is central to discipleship, rather than accentuating its importance. Discipleship that is not properly grounded in the gospel can degenerate into pragmatic legalism. One would be wise also to consult Jonathan Dodson’s Gospel-Centered Discipleship.

I came out of Youth With a Mission (YWAM) Discipleship Training School almost 9 years ago, having been "Discipled" but not really sure how to be disciple others. I could do ministry and be a radical, but actually how to live life with people in the normal world? How to have conversations with people that would lead them to follow Jesus? No. Had no clue how to do that in the real world.Over the next years of my life, having a family and eventually working for a church, this was still a major issue. Last year I took part in a Huddle for part of the year. Myself and the leadership of my church, as well as other pastors in my county, have all be working together to really go back to the model of discipleship. We see that just teaching and having small groups, even being friends with people without being intentional, isn't changing and transforming lives. I can't have relationships with the 50 women in my church, I have to teach how to have spiritual relationships with maybe ten of those women, so that they can then do that with the women.In otherwords, traditional ministry, even in a relevant church, wasn't working and it wasn't working in other local churches either that were totally different than ours.We've adapted some of the 3DM stuff, and I myself have been using the shapes to work through and challenge a group of ladies I am, well, essentially discipling. We've also taken some other material that is replicable, like Story Formed Way, to help disciple. But, My point is that I just feel like I might be discipling people now, and this is in large part in thanks to 3DM and the concepts in this book.I feel like there are some confusing aspects of the shapes (they also have some other models/shapes not in this book), like the semi-circle of rest. Altogether, the book isn't the most helpful thing ever, although it makes you begin to think about the way we do discipleship.But, after being part of a huddle and after going to one of the conferences and meeting some of the 3DM guys, seeing how they do teaching/relationships I think they have something!So I would say the book is okay, not excellent. Some of their MP3s and relationships you experience with 3DM people capitalize on the grace and gospel aspect of discipleship that we need, that is missing in the book.I guess my point is that although the book on itself might just be okay, that doesn't mean the material isn't transformational. And this is what the book is saying over and over- we can't just give information, we have to have relationships to process spiritual information! We have the have the imitation, or else this is just another okay book that won't transform life and not create innovation.And in person, this is what they say also: Have the relationships or this material is useless.I have seen the tools from 3DM make small groups and relationships come alive. Living these imperfect shapes out, doing group and personal exercises in regards to them, using them as teaching tools and doing the Kairos circle over and over- this is great. We might not have an "official" huddle, but I have found this replaceable, pulling people into a discipleship relationship, in a way that I haven't found almost nothing else in the last 9 years.They also have another book, Kingdom and Covenant I haven't actually looked at.Anyway, those have just been my thoughts.[...]

There are in my library possibly twenty books or more that I see as vital to my formation as a missional leader ... This book must rate in the top 3 .... In fact I rate it alongside classics like Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels ..... This book will not only touch you, it will if applied, change everything you touch ...

This is a great book and gives a fresh outlook on how to build a discipling culture rather than copying other church's models which may not work in your setting.

Good book with some very helpful concepts

Another great book from Mike BreenIf you want a manual on "how to" as well as "why" you need this - and the others!

A must for those wanting to move towards Missional church. The how, what, where and how of authentic discipleship to see it worked out in every believer