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Discover how everyone in your congregation can play a part in your church's mission.
Description:
Real-Life Discipleship explains what should happen in the life of every Christian and in every small group so that the church becomes an army of believers dedicated to seeing the world saved.
With the overriding goal to train disciples who know how to make more disciples, this book offers proven tools and strategies from Real Life Ministries, one of America’s fastest-growing churches.
Discover what the Bible says about true and effective discipleship with these strategies and practices.
Real-Life Discipleship
ISBN-13:
9781615215607
Trim Size: 5.5 x 8.25
Cover: Jacketed Hardback
208
Pages
$17.99
Percentage Discounts for Bulk Purchases of Single Items
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Downloadable
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Part of a Series
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Available in Spanish
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Customer Reviews
Stimulating Read
I greatly enjoyed reading this book. Jim puts words around several stages of spiritual development that I have wrestled with for years. This book stimulated my thinking in my ways to be more intentional with our discipleship process. The only critique I would offer is using the term "spiritually lost" may be offensive to some who are given this label. I might use a different term to describe those who are pre-disciples.
Posted by
Jm
on
12/3/2012 4:53:08 PM
Practical discipleship
Real-Life Discipleship by Jim Putnam is a practical guide for both church leaders as well as others who wish to fulfill the Great Commission that Christ commanded of us as Christians. In this book, Jim Putman describes the New Testament model of discipleship using Biblical and practical concepts and truths put forth in a simple easy to follow guide which includes real life experiences to illustrate each idea and method. Real Life Ministries uses the idea of discipleship through small groups to teach us how to do the same in our own lives and in our churches. The reader is given the model of the spiritual stages of a Christian Life and how to distinguish where we are within that model in order to help us each grow toward fuller maturity as a disciple of Christ as well as to help train others to do so as well. I personally have not totally been convinced about how Biblical it is but it does give one some type of starting point when examining one's own spiritual place or helping someone else find theirs. This book also mentions that Real Life ministries uses Bible storying in a small group as part of their discipleship strategy.
This book is easy to read and follow. It also contains a good balance of scripture, ideas, and examples so that a reader at any maturity level can clearly understand and apply to their own life. All in all, I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about discipleship and how to follow Christ's example and commandment for it. Real-life Discipleship at the very least prods the reader to think about discipleship and makes one consider it more seriously. I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program and I have provided an honest review that is my own.
Posted by
Barbara
on
4/8/2011 12:23:17 AM
An Excellent Manual for Discipleship
Real-Life Discipleship by Jim Putnam is an excellent basic manual for the Christian desiring to disciple others. Though this book is written specifically for church leaders, it is a valuable resource for all believers. Real-Life Discipleship emphasizes the biblical mandate for all Christians to make disciples (the Great Commission) and gives a biblical and practical strategy for how to make it happen.
One of the things I found most helpful in this book was the way Putnam defined the spiritual stages in the life of a Christian and how to minister to believers in each stage. I have witnessed first-hand the various spiritual stages (dead, infant, child, young adult, parent), but I was at a loss for how to minister according to the stage a person is in and how to move them forward in their spiritual maturity. I have read some reviews of Real-Life Discipleship that said the spiritual stages were presented in too strict a manner, verging on legalism. I don't think this is the way it was intended. The descriptions of the spiritual stages are only generalizations and a person may be between stages at any given time. They are given only as an aid to finding where a believer is at in their walk with Christ and how to minister to them right where they are.
The discipleship "game plan" laid out in Real-Life Discipleship is one that has been tried and proven effective at Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho - one of the top 100 most influential churches in America. But this is not a manual on how to turn your church into Real Life Ministries. Rather it is a book about discipleship the way Jesus did it. I highly recommend this book.
*I received Real-Life Discipleship by Jim Putnam by request for review from a Mission Frontiers promotion (www.MissionFrontiers.org).
Posted by
Christin
on
3/21/2011 10:57:56 AM
Every Christian should read this book!
Though Real-Life Discipleship seems to be mainly for church staff, it is not! It also has great value for those of us who attend church - it is a book that I think EVERY CHRISTIAN should read! Jim explains in his intro that "Discipleship is every believer's privilege and responsibility. It is my hope that this book will give you a vision for how Jesus intended to win the world one person at a time and for how He wants to use you to bring change in the lives of people you know." Jim really works at using Jesus' example of discipleship and how the church should be using it as well.
There is so much in this book. I think regardless of your role in the church you will find this book motivating in your walk with Christ. This will be one of those books that will be kept for a long time and used for reference for many years to come. As a caregroup leader I was totally thrilled with this book - I think I knew most of the information in the book, but being a Christian for so long, we sometimes forget how to do it, and to do it with the love we used to do it with! I found myself in this book in many of the examples (and not in a good way LOL) that made me go "Ouch! I've got lots to work on! I was encouraged by it though - it gave me the tools I needed to take a deeper look at my walk and understand what was happening. For example, chapter 9 is on guiding spiritual children - it is full of scripture and steps to walk people through in their relationship with Christ - it makes you question where you fit in the whole relation to your own spiritual walk.
Posted by
amy
on
3/1/2011 10:07:24 AM
Real-Life Discipleship by Jim Putman
This book is an excellent encouragement to simply return to a biblical model of discipleship. It takes a strategic and intentional view without making it impersonal and I think that all Christian leaders could benefit from the principles laid out here.
Putman presents a maturity process in a spiritual growth wheel, and I found it challenging to place myself and others I know on this wheel, highlighting specific ways to encourage others while highlighting my own shortcomings. One thing I really liked about this book was how practical it was – thoroughly recommended.
The only care I’d encourage anyone reading this to take would be to take the suggestions with a pinch of salt. Jim Putman is honest about the fact that his practical examples are from a context in which he knows they will work, and it’s easy to get excited about the specific things he talks about. I’ve had to think quite hard into some of his examples to pull out the keys behind success in discipleship.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Posted by
Sam Isaacson
on
1/21/2011 2:20:40 AM
Strengths and Weaknesses
Putnam’s major presupposition in real-life discipleship is that there are five stages that comprise the spiritual growth process (spiritually dead, spiritual infant, spiritual child, spiritual young adult, spiritual parents). He outlines characteristics of each of his stages, as well as, ways to recognize which stage people are in and what people in each stage need to know. Putman lists topics one might cover with a disciple as well as recommended reading but never specifically discusses how to practically utilize either. The curriculum detailed in the book is the use of Bible storying in a small group context.
Putman rightly recognizes: that spiritual growth is a process; that we have to look at the heart motivations behind people's actions; and that humility is one of the most important character traits of a mature believer and leader. However, there are parts of the book which could be strengthened. Although, sharing the gospel was mentioned, it was not expounded upon where it should have been primary. For example, Chapter Seven, "Moving the Spiritually Dead Toward Life", was particularly disappointing and weak. It spoke more about sharing your testimony and answering an unbeliever's questions than about sharing the gospel. Furthermore, certain aspects of this book (such as the spiritual growth process noted above) needed to be better grounded in Scripture.
Also noteworthy is that real-life discipleship contains no gender distinctions. While our knowledge of God in the discipleship process will be similar, application of that knowledge will often differ. Since Putnam defines a disciple as: "...one who is following Christ (head), being changed by Christ (heart), and committed to the mission of Christ (hands)" (pg. 29-32), I would expect some treatment of varying roles would be appropriate.
All-in-all, I think that there are beneficial things to be gleaned from real-life discipleship, as well as, some food-for-thought. However, it is not the only book one will want to read on the subject and seems geared more towards church leaders.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Posted by
Elizabeth
on
1/4/2011 8:48:25 PM
Test Review
Test to see if reviews are posted online
Posted by
Jill Chalmers
on
1/4/2011 11:00:42 AM
Encouragement for disciples
I have just read a book which has made me so excited that I have underlined scores of sentences, jotted notes in the margins and bookmarked numerous pages with tiny post-it notes. Real-life Discipleship, by Jim Putman. Having said that, the ideas the book offers of living out the Christian faith are nothing new. Biblically based ideas of developing the Christian life have not changed much over the ages. Yet this book is one of the most encouraging I have read for some time. Becoming and making disciples is essential to the Christian life and so Jim shows, and reminds, us of how we should do this.
The book summarises the key features of the discipleship process: this is not only intentional and relational but also strategic: we can all learn how to make disciples. While being familiar with the idea that spiritual growth leads us from being like children in the faith to becoming adults, Jim shows these in a spiritual growth wheel, elaborating on the typical characteristics, beliefs, behaviour, attitudes and actions of each stage in the discipleship process. This was extremely helpful: not only was I able to identify where others are in their spiritual journey, I was also challenged as I recognised immature characteristics in myself, which I had thought were long gone.
One idea, new to me, is that of Bible storytelling: a highly interactive method of studying the Bible which, along with learning Biblical truth, helps develop disciples into leaders.
This is an intensely practical handbook. It has encouraged me to continue seeking to help others grow through the context of small groups and, were I a church leader, I would want to adopt the ideas suggested. Being part of a small group which seeks to grow disciples into mature believers is not necessarily the only way to maturity – witness the lives of some of the great saints – but, for many, it is an essential part of the Christian life. Real-life Discipleship is a superb resource.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Posted by
angie pollard
on
12/30/2010 2:19:14 AM
Learning about Discipleship
I must admit that I hesitated in selecting “Real-Life Discipleship “ by Jim Putnam for review. I really know nothing about the process of discipleship, but after reading this book I can no longer say that. It is the how-to manual for creating discipleship programs. The author certainly does not claim to have all the answers and warns others that the ideas in the book should be tailored to individual churches and programs. He comes from a background of a successful program and wanted to share his program with others. Why reinvent something that works and is strongly biblically based? He spends time discussing different levels of disciples and gives information as to how each level can be recognized. He stresses the importance of knowing where a person is on their journey as your approach to each would be different. The book contains some good resources for future study and some information in the appendix that summarizes the various levels for quick reference. This is a definite read for anyone looking to grow or be involved with discipleship programs in your church.
I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their blogger review program. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review. The opinions in this review are strictly my own.
Posted by
Miriam Allen
on
11/30/2010 2:53:20 PM
Is your church a disciple-making factory?
Why do most churches have such a hard time accomplishing their primary mission, their reason for existence – to make disciples? Why are so few marked by the intentionality and passion that radiated from that first group of believers in the book of Acts? Is the driving goal of your church to make every believer a disciple who disciples others, or is discipleship more or less occurring by accident? Is your church a disciple making factory?
Real Life Church in Idaho is known for discipleship, and it is the driving passion of its lead pastor, Jim Putman. In this book, he shares the story of his church and how it became such a strong discipleship center.
Putman finds his definition of discipleship in the words of Jesus from Matthew 4:19 – “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” A true disciple:
1. Knows and follows Christ (“Follow Me”)
2. Is being changed by Christ (“and I will make you”)
3. Is committed to the mission of Christ (“fishers of men”)
The machinery of discipleship at Real Life Church is their small groups. Putnam points out how much time the early church spent together, worshiping, praying, sharing life and sharing Christ. “Without true relationship, discipleship is not possible.” The small group leaders are shepherds who create a safe, transparent and nurturing environment where growth and accountability can occur.
One of the key insights in this book is viewing discipleship as a growth cycle: birth, infant, adolescent, spiritual parent. The author has compiled an extensive list of characteristics and phrases that help to identify and assess each person’s growth stage.
Another valuable resource is a concise list of the basic concepts every new believer should know and understand. The list, found on pages 115-122, forms a framework that any discipler can follow.
SO WHAT?
It is noteworthy that this book on discipleship was published by one of the foremost discipleship groups – the Navigators. I highly recommend this resource as a lifeline to every church caught in the doldrums of stagnant church growth. It will rekindle the fires of discipleship and return the church to its primary mission until Jesus returns for His bride.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Posted by
Jeff LeMaster
on
11/30/2010 9:55:12 AM
Discipleship
Real Life Ministries is an Idaho based church. They have a great network of teaching, discipling and bringing people to Jesus. The main catalyst is their home group model. I was intrigued by their church's fulfillment of the great commission and success in getting people together so well. This book explains some of the methods used in their ministry.
The best part of the book is the focus on Jesus. All things for Him. All for the King. The whole process of discipleship that Pastor Putman lays out is modeled directly from Jesus' life. The process is in 2 parts. The first focuses on looking at leading an unbeliever all the way up tp the point of releasing them to make disciples. This is not a quick process. However, it is intentional and layed out. The second focus is on the role of the discipler. The steps and the process are layed out as well. Methods are given to help figure out how to shepherd a believer along the way.
The other intriguing part of the bok is what they call "the phrase from the stage". Its a way of figuring out spiritual maturity levels based on phrases used by people. This is really helpful since actions and physical age may lead people to make assumptions on spiritual maturity that are just not true.
This is a great resource for church leaders as well as church members. Even if your entire church does not adopt the process and philosophy, you can still be encoraged and given great resources to use in your personal walk and discipling.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Posted by
Bill Reynolds
on
11/29/2010 6:51:40 AM
Book Review: real-life discipleship
No, the title isn't incorrectly typed; the title of the book does not contain capital letters. However, at the risk of sounding dorky this is a "capital book." The subtitle of this book, also in non-capital letters is "building churches that make disciples."
Real-life Discipleship answers three very crucial questions:
Is your church making disciples?
Is your church membership dwindling?
Is your church membership growing at the expense of smaller churches in the area?
Jim Putman, pastor of Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, ID tackles these questions head-on. He does so in such a manner that causes church leadership to re-examine the vision and/or mission statements of most churches. This book is an extremely down-to-earth and practical guide which creates a mindset of making disciples. Pastor Putman is not talking about making converts. He writes a manual for developing every believer in your church to become disciple makers in line with the great commission.
Real-life Discipleship is divided into three sections.
Part I is designed to set the stage for discipleship. Part I describes three key elements for effective discipleship - an intentional leader; a relational environment; and a strategic process.
Part II is developed in order to help leadership and churches master the discipleship process. Part II gives you a birds-eye view of five maturity levels of disciples and provides details of their needs and the process which meets those needs through a process Putman calls SCMD (Share, Connect, Minister, Disciple)
Part III is devised to help the leadership and churches allow disciples to emerge as leaders. Part III answers questions about developing leaders within the church.
Real-life Discipleship is a 187 page book containing fifteen easy to ready, understand, and implement chapters. It also contains four (4) appendixes which are provided as means of helps to supplement the main thesis. The material contained in real-life discipleship is biblical and practical. Pastor Putman does an excellent job in describing a process that has worked well in Post Falls and can be adapted to work as well in any church.
This book was very easy to read and understand. It is written in everyday plain English with little or no technical terminology. Every Pastor, Elder, Small Group Leader can greatly benefit from the simplicity, structure, and substance provided. Not only do I strongly recommend this book to be read I believe it should be a "must-read" tool for every Pastor and Small Group Leader.
"I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own."
Posted by
Gregory D Metcalf
on
11/24/2010 4:57:49 PM
Effective and practical
REAL-LIFE DISCIPLESHIP
This is a book that is subtitled ‘building churches that make disciples’ for a good reason. Supported by real-life examples that many will identify with and effective and practical strategies and tools to engage people in the church to find their best role, it is a valuable book in reflecting on what we do in churches at the moment, what we could do and what we must do to spread the Gospel.
It is impossible to contain current thinking about encouraging gifted leaders or building and strengthening churches within around 200 pages. So what this book does well is outlining in three parts, a mission to identify leaders or disciples, a process to equip disciples and supporting these leaders in their evangelical work. It is practical, Biblically warranted and is well illustrated with experiences the author has had and has had passed to him.
In terms of evangelism, any message and method must highlight the holiness of God. It is the prescribed way, the biblical way that pleases and honours God and brings blessing on our efforts. This is a book which supports these criteria and supports the true meaning of ‘church’ and the true meaning of ‘disciple’, piety and godliness in a very practical sense.
I liked this book because of the emphasis it gave to a practical and involved faith. Many books look at the conceptual stages of spiritual growth and seem detached from where churches find themselves. But this is a practical manual and alongside an accompanying training resource is immersed in what people can do and contribute at different stages of their spiritual journey. The examples used in the book are excellent and it is refreshing to see different age groups used throughout the book to illustrate points.
This is a book that increases understanding and is a book that I will return to again. It sets its process out well, takes its warrant from very well selected biblical texts and is an excellent resource for leaders looking to identify others to strengthen and grow their churches – whether in spiritual growth in the membership or by helping people lead others to a saving knowledge.
Recommended Highly.
Posted by
donald macdonald
on
11/23/2010 9:10:31 AM
useful tool for discipleship
Discipleship can be a weak area in the life of many churches. Putman's book chronicles the journey highlights what he has learned through the process of building a church that makes disciples.
There are many books available today that provide step-by-step plans, processes, and programs for disciple-making. While this book would fall into that camp, there are very useful examples that other books do not address.
Having spent many hours studying and developing what I have called the 'discipling cycle', a process of discipleship I reference in my own ministry, the stages the stages of spiritual growth Putman and Real Life Ministries utilize brought some much needed focus to that process. Utilizing the stages of dead, infant, child, young adult, and parent, Putman describes the characteristics of each stage and much more. This resource highlights the beliefs, behaviors, attitudes and needs of each stage as well. These were areas I needed to examine again through my own discipleship process and real-life discipleship brought a fresh sight of eyes to the need for a clear focus on discipleship.
Having spent 12 years in ministry to date, I learned long ago that a pastor can't read a book, then expect to replicate everything in that book with his church and see the same results. However, a pastor can take those principles, truths, and general ideas and see how they might be used to serve his church in a better and more efficient manner. This is one such book! This will be one of the tools in my toolbox of discipleship I will use in my ministry. It is a well-written, easy to read book and one that most pastors will no doubt find useful in the area of discipleship.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Posted by
Ricky Kirk
on
11/22/2010 12:08:38 PM
Modern and clear look at an ancient form of discipleship
Real-Life Discipleship is a concise and well-written book aimed at church leaders to address a critical question: "Is your church making disciples... who make disciples?" and that gives them the principles and tools to be able to answer 'yes'. As the senior pastor of Real Life Ministries Putnam's approach is both biblical and very practical, and has been successful at his and other churches.
Real-Life Discipleship reexamines the goal and methods of discipleship. Part One sets the stage for discipleship and describes three keys for effective discipleship: an intentional leader, a relational environment, and a strategic, reproducible process. Part Two takes a close look at five maturity levels of seekers and believers, then gets into the details of their process: Share, Connect, Minister, Disciple. Part Three addresses some important questions on developing leaders within your church. "The leadership of the church must view its job as that of making disciples who can make disciples."
I had a a mixed but overall good impression in reading this book. In some ways it seems like many other old and new books on discipleship, hearkening a return to how Jesus did things - most of which fail to provide practical insight on how to actually do that in the 21st Century. The 'process' in Real-Life discipleship is more of a framework than something you can directly implement. That is both a plus and a minus - you will definitely need to consider further how to apply the principles here to your specific situation. In addition, there is a companion book with more specific ideas and studies, the Real-Life Discipleship Training Manual: Equipping Disciples Who Make Disciples.
The material in Real-Life Discipleship is very solid, and Putnam does a great job in addressing a tough subject in a short space, covering both the rationale and process for discipleship. I would recommend it to pastors and church leaders whose churches are not doing as well as they could be in making and reproducing disciples. (Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising".)
Posted by
Larry Baxter
on
11/12/2010 11:30:49 AM