Spiritual Development Introduction

Overview

From the beginnings of Living Stones Church, we have had a desire to see thousands of people in Northwest Indiana come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord. We have a passion to see this community and those in the surrounding states radically impacted by the good news of the Gospel. The Lord has established a Holy Spirit empowered key to help us realize the fullness of this vision. This key is called discipleship.

Just before Jesus ascended to take His place at the Father's right hand, He left the Church with a mandate that we know as The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20):

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to 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 everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

We have been commissioned by our Lord to win the lost and to make disciples. How do we accomplish this task? Jesus showed us the way. He selected twelve men and he trained and mentored them to continue His mission when he was gone. Following the pattern established by Jesus, the apostle Paul became a spiritual father to a number of young men (“Timothys”) who emerged as leaders of the New Testament Church.

Jesus selected twelve disciples to reach the multitudes. He stayed with them, personally trained them, and empowered them to disciple nations.

The “discipleship principle” was first implemented by Pastors Cesar and Claudia Castellanos at the International Charismatic Mission in Bogota, Columbia. Using this discipleship principle, they have established the largest small group network in the world with over 30,000 evangelistic cells meeting weekly!

Churches worldwide are implementing this dynamic principle with incredible results! This is not just another new church growth strategy. It's a biblical lifestyle which focuses on developing “fathering” relationships which equip every believer to become a fruitful leader who can disciple others.

The Vision: To win souls and make disciples.

The Goal: Every believer is a leader.

The Method: The Spiritual Development Model