Discipleship in the Local Church with Jamie Strickland
I love talking to people who’ve thought deeply about discipleship.
One such person is Jamie Strickland. Jamie serves as pastor of discipleship ministries at West Highland Baptist Church in Hamilton, Ontario.
He’s served with Power to Change in Canada, Peru, Denmark and the United Kingdom. In 2015, after serving with Power to Change for 13 years, he transitioned to pastoral ministry, and in 2019 joined the staff at West Highland.
I’m excited to talk to Jamie about his experience in leading discipleship in the context of a local church.
Key Ideas
- Campus ministries can serve as a spiritual greenhouse for people.
- We learn to disciple by being discipled.
- It’s never too late to be discipled.
- We can also learn how to disciple by looking at the ministries of Jesus and the early apostles.
- Pastors can invite people to join them in the activities of ministry. Start with one person.
- Discipleship doesn’t start with a big program. It starts with making space to meet with someone.
- Blend intentionality and relationship as you disciple others.
- Help people progress in the various areas of what it means to be a disciple.
- Disciple people with the goal of seeing them disciple others.
- Look for people who are faithful, available, and teachable.
- Even Jesus faced disappointment as he discipled others.
Quotes
“Discipleship is definitely something that you learn by experiencing someone discipling you.”
“Sometimes we think we need to start a huge, massive program or something, but really it’s the simplicity of just putting some space in your calendar to meet with someone.”
“I don’t think there’s a one size fits all with making disciples.”
“A disciple is someone who’s following Jesus, being changed by Jesus and committed to the mission of Jesus.”
“Even Jesus faced disappointment in guys that He was investing His time in.”
“I can’t meet with everyone, but I can meet with a few who will meet with a few. Who will then hopefully build this disciple-making culture in our church where disciples are being made, raised up, and begin multiplying.”
Episode Links
Books mentioned:
- Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist
- Eight Habits for Growth: A Simple Plan to Becoming More Like Christ
- The Master Plan of Evangelism
- Walk with Me: Simple Principles for Everyday Disciplemaking
Transcript
Download a PDF transcript of this episode.
