Discipleship Encounters
Outlines for disciples making disciples
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Introduction

Jump-Start is a pre-discipleship workbook written to help brand new Christians take their first steps as followers of Jesus Christ. It is best to go over this material with an experienced Christian.

The recent emphasis among evangelicals on spiritual formation has influenced this manual. Hopefully this has enhanced its value as a tool to start new Christians down the path of spiritual growth in Christ and rich fellowship with other believers.

Jump-Start not only helps new believers get off to a good start in their Christian walk, but it also serves as a "trial balloon" for further discipleship. If the response to this material is good and if the relationship that develops is positive, then the next logical step would be to enter into an ongoing discipleship relationship. Ideally, a group of two or three people would make any continuing discipleship effort very rewarding.

About the Author

Jerry Reed (D.Miss) is the Milton B. Engebretson Professor of Evangelism and Discipleship at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL. His passion for follow-up and discipling builds on his 22 years of experience in evangelism and church planting in Ecuador and Mexico. The author is indebted to his students for some of the themes of Jump-Start. Particular thanks must go to Daniel Demming for his encouragement, ideas, and editing.

Jump-Start

It usually happens in the freezing cold of winter. On this occasion it was my son who called to ask me for a jump-start . I had loaned him my car. When he returned to the parking lot where he had left it, he discovered that the lights had been left on and the battery was drained of its power. I borrowed a car with a strong battery and with a jump-start, was able to get his car started.

Jump-Start in the Christian life

Jump-start in the Christian life occurs when a mature Christian instructs and encourages a new Christian to begin walking and following Christ immediately after making a commitment to Him. Synonyms: follow-up, Christian nurture.

The following is suggested material for follow-up with new Christians. There could be two or more sessions depending on the time and need. The sessions will help the new Christian take her or his first steps to becoming a mature, fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. Each session is designed in an outline form for easy adaptation to the situation and application to the needs of the new believer.

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All materials Copyright ©2003 by Jerold & Nancy Reed.
All material in these Discipleship Encounters may be copied and passed on to others.