5 STARS
REVIEW: Simple Discipleship: Grow Your Faith, Transform Your Community by Dana Allin
There are tons of books on how to make disciples, and I have read a lot of them. But this book says something I have always believed: growth doesn’t come from “an assembly-line process,” and that each person needs a personalized approach to their own discipleship in order to grow. We see this in how Jesus grew His disciples and focused on areas in which they needed to grow.
As a pastor, I know this. Each person has his/her own path of discipleship, depending on where he/she is on the path (a new believer vs. a seasoned believer), as well as what they want to focus on in areas of growth. Each person is an individual, and so personalized discipling is important. However, that can be hard to accomplish or know what one should focus. So the books seeks a simple approach by offering an assessment tool for folks (there is a free code in each book for the assessment) in order to gauge their current level of discipleship and point out places for growth. After the assessment, the person is able create a personalized plan for discipleship. As the adage goes, people support a world they help create, so we need to involve them in their discipleship process, and not just give them some mass-produced process.
Oh, and the free assessment itself cost $15, which is more than the cost of the entire book! So, while you may have read other discipleship books, this one is worth the purchase.
*Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.
