This podcast exists to strengthen churches by resourcing, inspiring, and creating disciple-makers! Discipleship is a life-long process by which a follower of Jesus Christ grows toward Christ-likeness and multiplies the experience. Each week we will broadcast new episodes relevant to your ministry and replicating discipleship.
GA Baptist Discipleship
Claim This Podcastby Georgia Baptist Mission Board
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131 episodes
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Podcast Overview
This podcast exists to strengthen churches by resourcing, inspiring, and creating disciple-makers! Discipleship is a life-long process by which a follower of Jesus Christ grows toward Christ-likeness and multiplies the experience. Each week we will broadcast new episodes relevant to your ministry and replicating discipleship.
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4/2/2020
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Recent Episodes
June 15, 2026
FORMED - Disciple-making Environments with Matthew Gibbs, Second Baptist Church
<p>FORMED: Disciplemaking Environment<br>Podcast Recording Show Notes<br>Scott Sullivan and Matthew Gibbs<br>April 9, 2026</p><p>Scott Sullivan and Matthew Gibbs discussed the second element of FORMED: A Discipleship Culture Blueprint, focusing on disciple-making environments. They explored four key components using a concrete metaphor: water (Holy Spirit), sand (small groups), gravel (micro groups), and cement (personal one-on-one time with God). Matthew shared insights from Second Baptist Church in Warner Robbins, Georgia emphasizing the importance of connecting people through multiple environments rather than relying on just one. They discussed the danger of churches focusing solely on large group assemblies without intentional discipleship pathways. The conversation covered practical tips for aligning different environments, including creating intentional processes, recruiting and training leaders, and defining what biblical discipleship means. They concluded by highlighting the critical importance of pastors maintaining a strong personal walk with God and leading by example in discipleship.</p><p><strong>Discipleship Culture Blueprint Presentation<br></strong><br>Scott presented the second element of their Discipleship Culture Blueprint, focusing on Disciplemaking Environments. He explained that discipleship doesn't happen by accident and requires intentional environments, using concrete as an analogy with water (Holy Spirit), sand (small groups), gravel (micro groups), and cement (personal one-on-one time with God) as essential components. Scott emphasized that while many churches focus on programs and systems, the key is to create environments where people can grow spiritually through relationships and community.</p><p><strong>Multi-Level Discipleship Environments<br></strong><br>Scott discussed the importance of trust and personal relationships in transformation, using concrete illustrations like cement to represent a personal walk with God. He emphasized that Jesus modeled multiple discipleship environments, including large groups, small groups, micro groups, and one-on-one time with God. Scott highlighted a gap in many churches that rely on only one or two environments for discipleship and stressed the need for connecting people across multiple levels to facilitate greater life change.</p><p><strong>Church Discipleship Engagement Strategies<br></strong><br>Matthew discussed how church members often value what is most accessible or central to them, noting that at Second Church, about 30% of members primarily attend large gatherings. He emphasized the importance of intentionally guiding people into smaller groups and discipleship environments to move them beyond just attending services. Matthew highlighted the difference between stated values and actual practices, using Second Baptist Church's mission to help people find and follow Jesus as an example. Scott shared an illustration about people "sniffing" a meal rather than fully engaging, emphasizing the need for integrated discipleship environments that foster genuine growth and collaboration.</p><p><strong>Intentional Discipleship Process Development<br></strong><br>Matthew and Scott discussed the importance of intentional discipleship processes rather than relying on assumptions. Matthew emphasized that programs should form people through a connected system rather than just filling calendars, suggesting a pathway from visitor to member to growing disciple to leader and multiplier. He recommended mapping out current processes to identify gaps and redundancies, then developing a plan to address these issues over the next 30-90 days.</p><p><strong>Ministry Environment Alignment Discussion<br></strong><br>Matthew and Scott discussed the importance of aligning ministry environments to produce multiplying disciples rather than maintaining existing programs. Matthew emphasized that intentional, regularly evaluated environments are more likely to produce growth and multiplication, using a yard maintenance analogy to illustrate the point. They agreed on a definition of discipleship as a lifelong process where individuals mature in faith and multiply their experience. The conversation concluded with Scott asking about the importance of leadership pipelines for sustainability.</p><p><strong>Ministry Leadership Development Strategy<br></strong><br>Matthew discussed the importance of new leaders for ministry growth, outlining a process for recruiting, training, and developing leaders with the end goal of starting new groups within 18-24 months. He emphasized that pastors must lead by example in their personal walks with God and make disciple-making a regular part of their lives. Scott highlighted the principle that personal ministry should never outpace private devotion, and both agreed on the critical role of intentional environments and cultures in making disciples who multiply.</p>
May 18, 2026
FORMED - Real Relationships with John Spencer, Sherwood Baptist
<p><strong>Key Outcomes </strong></p><p>Scott Sullivan and John Spencer (Discipleship Team Leader at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA) introduced <strong>FORMED, A Discipleship Culture Blueprint</strong>, a new resource developed over 2.5 years to help Georgia Baptist churches create disciple making cultures rather than programs. This resource addresses the core question: How do we reach new people, connect them to the church, move them to spiritual maturity, and launch them to multiply. </p><p><strong><br>Resource Overview </strong></p><p><strong>FORMED Structure: </strong></p><p>• <strong>Four core elements: </strong>Real Relationships, Transformational Teaching, Disciple Making Environments, and Intentional Multiplication </p><p>• Built from dozens of pastor roundtables identifying common church struggles. • Developed by Scott Sullivan, Ray Sullivan (now Pastor at First Waycross), and PJ Dunn (overseeing Revitalization at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board) • Will be taught through six regional cohorts led by trained leaders, including John.<br> <br><strong>Key Definitions: </strong></p><p>• <strong>Culture: </strong>The shared expression of beliefs, values, and rhythms that define an organization's identity; "how it feels" rather than just mission or vision<br>• <strong>Disciple (Georgia Baptist definition): </strong>A committed, passionate follower of Jesus Christ, based on 2 Timothy 2:1-7's four generations of disciples and three-word pictures (soldier, athlete, farmer) </p><p><strong><br>Critical Leadership Questions </strong></p><p>Three essential questions every pastor should answer: </p><p>• Do we have a culture of discipleship, and is it working? </p><p>• Do you have a definition of a biblical disciple for your people? </p><p>• Does the culture and success of the ministry depend solely on you as the leader? <strong>Core Principle: </strong>"I hope so is not a strategy" - churches cannot keep running the same play if it's not helping them win. </p><p><strong><br>Real Relationships Framework </strong></p><p><strong>Foundation: </strong>Jesus invited disciples into relationship ("follow me"), not a program - discipleship happens best within relational contexts. </p><p><strong>The Rebar Principle:</strong></p><p>• Like rebar tied together before concrete is poured creates tensile strength, intentionally tied relationships provide reinforcement when storms come • Without tied relationships, ministry cracks under pressure </p><p>• You cannot pour ministry on top of relationships you never tied together <br><strong>2:00 AM Friendships: </strong></p><p>• Deep, loyal, hesed-type Old Testament connections that never walk away • Many mature believers lack these foundational relationships </p><p><strong><br>Sherwood Church Model </strong></p><p><strong>Disciple Definition at Sherwood: </strong></p><p>Know Christ, Love God, Unite with Believers, Serve the World, and Entrust the Gospel - visible everywhere (classrooms, atrium, new member materials) to maintain cultural focus. </p><p><strong>Sherwood on Mission Class: </strong></p><p>• Equips members to live gospel-centered lives daily, not just share gospel facts • Most valuable component: hearing stories of others interacting with people in their zones (work, home, neighborhood) </p><p>• Available to share with other churches upon request </p><p><strong>Practical Implementation: </strong></p><p>• Michael Catt established Wednesday morning Cracker Barrel group with 5-6 men who could speak candidly into his leadership </p><p>• Prayer walking neighborhoods with an online sign-up chart tracking coverage across Albany </p><p>• Daily Bible reading groups (using MacArthur Daily Bible) meeting at 6:00 AM </p><p><strong><br>Overcoming Barriers to Connection </strong></p><p><strong>Common Church Barriers: </strong></p><p>• Poor or insufficient signage around campus </p><p>• Greeters who overwhelm rather than read people appropriately • "Holy huddles" that look inward rather than outward </p><p>• Inadequate nursery facilities that parents don't trust </p><p>• Inefficient processes (coffee stations, check-in) that create frustration <strong>Key Insight: </strong>Confused people don't move; they wander - clear signage and processes are essential. </p><p><strong>Cultural Shift Required: </strong></p><p>• People want to be noticed, not just noted (Luke 19 - Jesus didn't just see Zacchaeus, he went to his house) </p><p>• New member classes must set expectations: "Your job as a disciple-maker is to welcome people to your life, not just your seat" </p><p>• Tell stories constantly - in baptisms, classrooms, social media, pulpit - to inspire and give ideas </p><p><strong><br>Intentionality Over Randomness</strong></p><p><strong>Ministry Trap Warning: </strong></p><p>The managerial trap of settling to manage people rather than shepherd and disciple them - easier to manage groups than invest intimately in messy lives. <strong>Personal Disciplines for Leaders: </strong></p><p>• Start with personal abiding - "I can't lead what I don't do." </p><p>• Distinguish between being in the Bible for your people (sermon prep) versus being in the Bible for yourself </p><p>• Pray specifically: "Lord, who do I invite in?" </p><p>• Most successful ministry comes from one-on-one, one-on-two investments over time. <strong>Example: </strong>John invested ten years in a man who came hungover most mornings; now that man is leading a college ministry. </p><p><strong>Multiplication Mindset: </strong></p><p>• Invite younger leaders into discipleship groups to pass the torch • Equip them to replicate: "Now you go find some guys." </p><p>• Story: A man moving to North Carolina took extra MacArthur Daily Bibles to start groups there </p><p><strong><br>Practical Opportunities </strong></p><p><strong>Beyond Sunday Services: </strong></p><p>• Partner with existing community services (food banks, deliveries) <br>• Prayer walks in neighborhoods </p><p>• Student car washes </p><p>• Leverage natural contexts (pickleball example: introvert wife built new friendships, led couple to church, provided support during medical crisis) </p><p><strong>Church Facility Design: </strong></p><p>North Metro Church built massive foyer/mall effect holding 500 people, transforming culture by giving space for pre-service connection rather than herding people like cattle. </p><p><strong><br>Action Items </strong></p><p>• <strong>Georgia Baptist Mission Board Discipleship Team: </strong>Launch FORMED resource by end of April, release four podcast episodes every two weeks for cohesive learning • <strong>Regional leaders (including John): </strong>Prepare to lead cohorts using overview/introduction approach (Matthew Gibb’s piece to be distributed) • <strong>Churches interested in Sherwood’s On Mission materials: </strong>Contact John Spencer at johns@sherwoodbaptist.net for manual/digital copies </p><p><strong><br>Closing Principle </strong></p><p>"A church that is easy to attend but hard to connect in will always struggle to multiply. Bet the farm on relationships - Jesus did."</p><p><br></p>
August 28, 2023
Tracking Disciples: Relational Church Software
<p>This broadcast will help church leaders see the need to utilize church management software as part of their efforts to make disciples.</p><p> </p><p>Boyd Pelley has been the Co-founder/Culture Architect at Churchteams since 2000. From 1990 to 2008 has served as discipleship, administrative and family pastor of churches in New Mexico, Nebraska, and Texas. Churchteams was born out of his passion for discipleship and team-building in the local church. Married for 37 years, he and Pam have two married, adult children who love and serve Jesus with kids of their own!</p><p> </p><p>In this broadcast we discuss:</p><ul><li>This isn't just a broadcast for nerds.</li><li>How church software can help you engage with a person for ministry.</li><li>How can software be relational?</li><li>How does a church that has never had software take its first step towards starting and building a church management software to be discipleship focused?</li><li>Software does not replace a human relationship. It can only enhance relationships to help churches align values, processes, and data track to accomplish their mission.</li></ul>
131 total episodes available
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