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Leadership Development Workshop II

The UBF Education Committee is hosting a Leadership Development Workshop (LDW) in Chicago from November 5-7, 2015. The subject is discipleship. This will be the second annual workshop among three which we plan to devote to this subject. Attendance is limited to about 20 leaders who are engaged in disciple raising throughout North America, along with some senior staff. The purpose of this workshop is to promote a sound Biblical understanding and practice of Jesus' principles in raising disciples in the North American context and to develop a disciple raising manual. We hope to use this manual to develop workshops that can be adapted according to various cultural and generational contexts and used widely throughout the UBF ministry in the coming years. We pray to serve UBF leaders worldwide who seek to raise Jesus' disciples. We ask the prayer support of UBF members throughout North America and around the world for this important work. Following is the invitation letter which was sent to participants:

Leadership Development Workshop 2014-2016

"MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS"

"FOLLOW ME"

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Mt 28:19-20)

“Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.” (Mk 3:13-15)

From the outset of his ministry, our Lord Jesus Christ called twelve disciples from among ordinary people and created a community. By being with them for three and a half years, Jesus revealed himself to them very personally until they could confess that he is the Messiah—the Savior and Lord (Mt16:18). During that time, Jesus taught them a gospel-centered life and they became a gospel-centered community (Mk 8:34). This community was the seed of the church which would serve his world salvation purpose (Eph 2:19-20). According to the Scriptures, Jesus suffered and died on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead. This is the gospel (1Co 15:3-4). Those who accept the gospel by faith are saved by grace. Just before his ascension into heaven, the Risen Jesus commanded his disciples: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mt 28:19-20). This is the Great Commission which applies to all believers. Making disciples is not optional, but rather essential for the church of Jesus Christ.

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are all involved in this disciple-raising ministry. It was planned by God the Father and initiated by Jesus, who has all authority in heaven and on earth. It is carried out by the Holy Spirit through people who obey Jesus’ words (Ac 1:7-8). Jesus is always with those who obey his command through the Holy Spirit, as he promised. It is God who works in and through his people to raise disciples for his glory (Php 2:13). Through disciple-making the gospel has spread to the whole world.

The “Leadership Development Workshop” (LDW) began in 2009 in the hope that God would equip leaders in our ministry to be more effective in influencing their own sphere with the gospel of Christ. From 2009 to 2012, we held four LDW’s with the following themes: 1) “A Man after God’s Own Heart” [1 Sam, June ‘09], 2) “You Will Shepherd My People” [2 Sam, Oct ‘10], 3) “A Good Minister of Christ Jesus” [1 Tim, Oct ‘11], and 4) “A Worker Approved by God” [2 Tim, Oct ‘12]. God abundantly blessed each of these workshops and many key members were strengthened to live as spiritual leaders.

During the planning of the LDW 2014, we realized that the need for making discipleship materials was urgent. Many UBF leaders in various chapters all over the world asked for help and guidance in raising disciples. These requests came not only from those who had little experience, but also from experienced people who felt the need to be more effective. We did not have a comprehensive guide to disciple making which we could give them, even though raising disciples among college students is the core and strength of UBF ministry. In order to develop these materials, we realized that we needed to consider discipleship in a more Biblical, holistic sense. We found the need to review what has been done until now and to develop our concept and practice of disciple-raising to be healthier and more in accordance with Scripture. So we changed our focus from younger leaders to more mature leaders who have more experience in raising disciples. We set a goal to produce a discipleship manual which combined both the Bible’s teachings and the experiential knowledge and convictions of seasoned disciple makers who obeyed these Bible teachings. We tried to make an environment in which these mature leaders could interact with the word of God and with each other to produce the best materials possible to meet the need in our ministry. We see discipleship as an essential part of developing Christian leadership: Christian leaders are those who grow to be like Jesus in character, vision, values, and worldview. Christian leaders influence others through living a godly life and by humbly serving others as Jesus did.

The principles of Jesus’ disciple-making ministry are timeless and universal. But the practice of them inevitably develops in the context of each culture. The materials which HQ is making will have a North American context. We expect these materials to be modified according to the context of the users. Though we are beginning with seasoned disciple-makers, it is our hope that they will be useful to younger leaders and to their disciples. These materials will not be perfect and will need to be revised and improved constantly. We hope that those who use them will give constructive feedback for mutual edification and to advance the kingdom of God.        

We chose as our key verses Matthew 28:19-20 and Mark 3:13-15. We want to obey Jesus’ command to raise disciples. We want to learn from Jesus. We found three steps in disciple-raising in Mark’s gospel: calling and commitment, growing in a Christ-centered life, and being sent out to preach. On this basis, we also tried to include thematic elements of disciple-raising throughout the Bible. Our hope is to develop a view of discipleship that is as comprehensive as possible. The contents of the three years of workshops are as follows:

2014

I.   Follow Me (I): Calling and Commitment

 1.  Who is a disciple?

1. Calling—Finding a New Life Direction
2. The Purpose of Being with Jesus
3. How to be with Jesus in his Word
4. How to be with Jesus through Prayer and Worship
5. The Cost and Blessings of Following Jesus

2015

II.  Follow Me (II): Growing in a Christ-centered life

1. Lordship
2. Followership
3. Character Formation
4. Servant Leadership
5. Participating in Jesus’ Suffering and Glory
6. Discipleship and the Holy Spirit

2016   

III. Make Disciples of All Nations: To be sent out

1. Evangelistic Fieldwork
2. Relational Aspect of Making Friends with Others As Jesus Did
3. Cross-Cultural Relationships
4. Incarnational Ministry to Be All Things to All People
5. Respecting Diverse People as Jesus Did
6. Spiritual Principles Jesus Planted: Depending on God, Compassion, Kingdom-mindset

This year’s workshop will be held from November 5-7 in Chicago.

Let’s pray to produce materials which will be used to encourage, strengthen and enhance disciple-raising.