An Acronym for Biblical Discipleship

We often meet with some measure of evangelistic success in our efforts to win people to Christ through public evangelistic efforts. Baptism and church membership are usually the result for people who choose to become Adventist believers. New believers are often left to fend for themselves spiritually after baptism, however, which can negatively impact our retention rates. This is why every church should have an intentional discipleship program—an after-baptism program for new believers—one based on solid discipleship principles. 

How to Increase Member Retention

There are several practical principles that, if put into practice, can help our churches keep new members. Here are a few general principles to consider: 

Be a good Christian example. Our personal example and influence should never be underestimated. Jesus shared how His example impacted the lives of His disciples (John 17:19). None of us are perfect, but we can strive to be a consistent Christian example by practicing what we preach so new believers see that our faith goes beyond mere theory to actual practice.

Build social connections. People don’t generally leave the Adventist faith for doctrinal reasons; they usually leave for social and relational reasons. This is why new believers must be socially integrated into the church after baptism. We can appoint them spiritual guardians and connect them with social groups with common interests in our church. Strong social connections are crucial to new member retention. 

Teach personal devotional habits. When I chose to become an Adventist I learned our teachings, but I was not taught how to have a devotional life. If new believers are not properly instructed on the practice of devotional habits, they will struggle with developing their own personal relationship with Jesus. Teach new members the importance of having personal worship, including singing, prayer, Bible study, and reflection,[1] so they can grow to become strong, mature Christians. 

Ground them in biblical teachings. New members should be instructed in biblical teachings when preparing for baptism, and this instruction should continue after they become members. A pastor’s Sabbath School class and a weekly Bible study group can be potential tools to empower new members to be grounded in the faith. This can also instill in new members the confidence that they belong to a biblically sound church. 

Identify gifts, talents, and ministry interests. New members should be taught how to discover their skills, abilities, talents, and gifts, so they can be plugged into ministry work. The following steps are effective in discovering spiritual gifts: (a) prayerfully study spiritual gifts (see Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:8-10, 27-30; Eph. 4:11, 12; 1 Peter 4:9-11); (b) identify personal abilities; (c) identify areas of ministry interest for gift use; (d) ask family, friends, and church members what gifts they see in you; and (e) look for indications of ministry success with the practice of specific gifts. The church is made up of different spiritual body parts (1 Cor. 12:12-26), so each member is important to ministry success. 

Assign ministry responsibilities. “Everyone who is added to the ranks by conversion is to be assigned his post of duty.”[2] Churches should entrust new believers with responsibilities in ministry and place them under the tutelage of experienced members to learn and develop proficient ministry skills. Even if mistakes are made in their ministry efforts, new members will grow, learn, and gain experience and confidence as they see indications of success from their efforts.

Four Discipleship Principles 

In the Great Commission Jesus sends us to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19). Here are four principles, drawn from Christ’s discipling example, to apply to our discipleship strategy. They form the acronym “LEAD” for ease of recall.

Look: The disciples traveled with Jesus everywhere and observed (looked at and saw) how He performed ministry responsibilities. Jesus confirmed that He did what He saw the Father do (John 5:19). People generally do what they see others do, so it is important that new members “look,” meaning that they should listen, observe, and watch how experienced members engage in ministry, to learn from their example (see Phil. 4:9).

Educate: Jesus spent time teaching and instructing His disciples in various areas as a part of their ministry training. He especially emphasized the importance of correct doctrine and faithfulness to Scripture.[3] Paul instructed Timothy about the importance of having correct doctrine (1 Tim. 4:13, 16). New members should be educated on correct doctrine, as well as skills to faithfully perform ministry duties. 

Apply: Jesus gave opportunities for the disciples to participate in ministry and apply the lessons they learned from Him.[4] They gained experience and confidence through these opportunities as they witnessed measurable results from their efforts. As they say, practice makes perfect! New members should be given ministry opportunities in various areas to apply the lessons they’ve learned. “When souls are converted, set them to work at once. And as they labor according to their ability, they will grow stronger.”[5]

Debrief: Jesus invested time debriefing with His disciples so they could honestly evaluate the effectiveness of their ministry efforts. After going out two by two to minister as evangelists, the disciples returned to tell Jesus how things went and discussed how to improve methods for greater ministry success in the future.[6] Church leaders should meet regularly with their ministry teams for prayer and discussion to honestly evaluate their work, which can lead to greater ministry effectiveness. 

An Appeal to Ministry Leadership

The apostle Paul believed that the pastoral gift is to be used to equip believers for ministry (Eph. 4:11, 12). Ellen White also emphasized that pastoral leaders are responsible for discipling members for ministry. “The best help that ministers can give the members of our churches is not sermonizing, but planning work for them. Give each one something to do for others. . . . Let all be taught how to work. Especially should those who are newly come to the faith be educated to become laborers together with God.”[7]

“Let the minister devote more of his time to educating than to preaching. Let him teach the people how to give to others the knowledge they have received. . . . The greatest help that can be given our people is to teach them to work for God, and to depend on Him, not on the ministers. . . . Those who have the spiritual oversight of the church should devise ways and means by which an opportunity may be given to every member of the church to act some part in God’s work.”[8]

The LEAD acronym offers a description and summary of four effective discipleship principles that Jesus used with His disciples. Intentionally practicing these principles can empower church leaders to retain new members and faithfully prepare them for ministry work. Following Jesus’ example, encourage your members to look at how leaders perform ministry responsibilities. Take time to educate your members on the necessary skills to be effective in ministry service. Plan opportunities for members to apply what they’ve learned by giving them ministry responsibilities. Finally, debrief with your ministry team on a regular basis to evaluate your effectiveness. Overall, LEAD your ministry team in the process of becoming fruit-bearing disciples for Jesus! After all, isn’t it true that discipleship is all about leading people to follow Jesus and participate in the Great Commission?

[1] Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1905), p. 52. 

[2] Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7 (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1948), p. 30.

[3] See Luke 11:27, 28; John 7:16, 17; 8:31, 32.

[4] See Matt. 10:1-8; Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6; John 4:1, 2.

[5] Ellen G. White, Evangelism (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1946), p. 355.

[6] Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1898, 1940), pp. 359, 361; see also Mark 6:30.

[7] Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 49.

[8] Ellen G. White, Counsels for the Church (Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1991), p. 69.