Workshops to Clarify Discipleship

Make Prepared, Confident and Skilled Followers of God

Get Measu​rable Results

Know You’re Doing It Right

Watch Them Soar

Do you struggle with discipleship?

• Is there simply not enough of you to go around?
• Do your leaders or people seem to have plateaued?
• You buy endless amount of materials to support your small groups.

• Are your small groups more like supper clubs and seminary classes?
• Does your team have difficulty explaining discipleship?
• Does discipleship involvement frustrate you?

Discipleship is the long-game of Christianity: it’s the Everything Answer.

Churches are made up of people. The depth, health, and prosperity of our churches are merely reflections of our people. Discipleship is the answer for individuals but it is also the answer for those classic church issues like the 80/20 principle, lack of support, few leaders, and drama.

There is a Predictable Pathway of Discipleship

Every follower of God progresses along a very predictable, fourteen step pathway moving from conviction to full maturity. Knowing where someone is on the path allows you to know exactly what they need and what you can do to get them to their next step.  

The Predictable Path isn’t new: it has been around for thousands of years waiting to be rediscovered.It is found throughout the Old and New Testaments. And, it is the exact pathway that Jesus led his disciples down. 

Disciple-making becomes increasingly productive and effective when we understand how God makes disciples.

There is a Secret Sauce of Discipleship

There is this one thing that supercharges every successful disciple making effort–a secret sauce that transforms that old hamburger of discipleship into a best selling BigMac. The secret sauce entices people to engage in becoming disciples because restores the value of discipleship.

The Secret Sauce: discipleship is entirely about who they are and who they are becoming. Discipleship is not about getting people to do anything.

Most discipleship efforts are focused far more on education, assimilation, and indoctrination than they are on transformation. But, God’s models of discipleship always focus on transformation. The secret sauce transforms the way we make disciples and it restores and refreshes our disciple-making efforts. It’s revolutionary.

And, there are Two Irrefutable Biblical Models

There are two complete discipleship models: one in the Old Testament and New Testament. Moses communicated God’s model to the new nation of Israel. Jesus lived out God’s model for making disciples in the New Testament. And, yes, both models use the same secret sauce, the same predictable pathway, and have the same core practices. John said it best, “I am not telling you something new, it has been around since the beginning. Yet, it is new. Jesus lived it.” It’s all there waiting to be rediscovered!

Jesus told us to Make Disciples: We Need to be Experts. 

We talk a lot about discipleship – but most of us don’t have a clear plan for making disciples, much less, for making disciple-makers. The statistics say it all: only one-in-five leaders disciple anyone and less than 10% of followers have ever been invited to join in discipleship. We simply are not making disciples!

The original twelve struggled with this too. The book of Acts tells us how they felt unprepared, how they needed time to learn, and how ministry quickly stole time from the one thing Jesus told them to do: make disciples. Acts also tells the story of them reclaiming their time to learn. It tells us how they got back to the priority of making disciples instead of serving tables and solving problems. They got it–there was no greater work than helping people find and follow God in a very real, successful way.

It is so much easier when we know…

• Exactly what we are doing. We must know needs done before we can ever plan to do it or hope to achieve it. And, when we know what we are doing, we can easily measure the results.
• Exactly how to do it. Staples got it right with their “Easy Button.” The need for discipleship is too great for us to spend time reinventing the wheel or wandering from program to program.
• Exactly how to customize it. Discipleship is not a program. It is a journey and that journey will be different for each person. Discipleship is not one size fits all.

We Used to do Many Things for Many Reasons…

We wanted people to have that “sold out” incredible life. And, we were doing it all: classes, small groups, accountability groups, retreats, events, and missions. We even did one-one-one discipleship! But, we struggled to make few fully devoted followers of Christ.

The people grew and had better lives: but they didn’t become self-sustaining, self-replicating followers of Christ. We still had to champion, push, and do the work. Our small group leaders struggled being confident and prepared to lead people to a deeper life. And, skills ran out when trials and troubles came along. The “many” were distracting the “one” thing that everyone really needed: focused, successful discipleship. 

Now, We do One Thing in Many Different Ways.

I had to face the brutal truth: we were struggling to make a few true disciples while others stalled, fell, and wandered in their faith. There had to be an answer. Fast forward seven years and we have five generations of disciples who are making disciples. We have a culture of discipleship that invades and supports every single thing we do.  

In essence, we do only one thing now: we make disciples. We make them from the pulpit, in every activity, on every trip, and in a structured way in life transforming discipleship groups. Everything is focused on people become prepared, confident, and skilled at following God for their own good.

Then, we release them on the world to make disciples. These strong, healthy followers have resulted in a strong, healthy church that is resilient and seeks to follow God. It continues to work. And, it has alleviated all those frustrations at the top of the page!

Making DISCIPLES has never been EASIER.

The answer: Sustainable Discipleship​

We learned from our mistakes and successes, we researched, we studied, we tested every idea, and tweaked the methods until we found success. The result is Sustainable Discipleship®: a simple, proven model to make self-sustaining, self-replicating disciples that thrive in Christianity.

Sustainable Discipleship is a clear, easily adaptable plan with measurable results. You can use it anywhere. It works in small groups. It works in any culture. We are excited to finally be able to share it with the world! How to Make Disciples is packed with stories, insights, tips and illustrations. In it you will discover:

1. 1The secret sauce that resulted in our five generation deep discipleship culture.
2. 2A simple and succinctdefinition of discipleship that clears up what we should be doing.
3. 3The predictable pathway that everyone travels as they mature.
4. 4The four foundational elements found in every successful discipleship model.
5. 5The seven core practices that we use to help people become prepared, confident, and skilled followers of God.

What People are Saying about Sustainable Discipleship

“You’ve created a masterpiece.”

“The book is amazing! I had to force myself to pause and assimilate what I read. And unexpected feature is that it is so thought provoking and I had to write down a flood of ideas. 

You’ve created a masterpiece!”

Dr. Douglas Huber

– Pathologist & Church Elder

“Sustainable Discipleship works…”

“We are a better, happier ministry because of Doug and his team. And, we are better at executing our mission to become fully devoted followers of Christ. Their method works.“

Christ Whitaker

– Pastor, Overdrive Church

“You would be the one…”

You would be the one the write this book. I have seen the proof that you are best at making disciples.

Joe E.

– Engineer, Dad, Disciple

Discover a Simple, Proven, Step-by-Step Process

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Get Resources

• Get the Book $15.99
• Access the Online Library  $24.99
• Free Infographics and Resources
• Free Sustainable Discipleship Blog
• Free Introductory Webinar

100%  Money Back Guarantee

coaching

Virtual, Our Place or Your Place Help 

$ 499/mo

+ travel expenses

* first qtr prepayment required

​​ small, strong church discounts

• Work directly with our team for your first year
• Two Day Planning Workshop
• Ten Coaching Sessions
• 5 free books
• 20% Discount on Paid Resources
• Email Support

Concierge

We are with You Every Step of the Way

$ 2,995/qtr

+ travel expenses

small, strong church discounts

• Work directly with Doug through your first year
• Three Day Concept and Customization Workshop
• Motivational Launch Session for Your Church
• Three Quarterly Followup Sessions 
• Free books for your team
• 20% Discount on paid resources
• Whenever Email and Video Support

“It’s not just about church on Sunday…”

“I have learned it’s not just about going to church on Sunday. It’s about being a part of a community who actively seek to live like Christ in all aspects. In order to live my best life, I need to seek God daily…”

Bernadette Henson

– Medical Assistant, Student, Disciple

“It’s a great experience…”

“ I’ve only read a small part of the sustainable discipleship book, but I’m going through the journey in real life with some great people and I can tell you it’s a great experience that everyone should partake in.”

Brian Davidson

– Programmer, Disciple

Want to talk Discipleship?

Let’s get together. Just drop us a quick note!

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Doug Burrier

Creator of Sustainable Discipleship

About the Author

Doug is the founder of Different.ly, a decision science consulting firm that helps leaders, churches, and corporations make better decisions. 

He has researched, designed, and carried out discipleship for over twenty years as the pastor of Three Taverns Church. He is passionate about discipleship and regularly helps churches define and design successful disciple-making processes. Doug lives in historic Cave Spring, Georgia, with his wife and two dogs.

Do You Need Sustainable Discipleship?

You may not need Sustainable Discipleship: if you are making disciples. If your process is creating self-sustaining, self-replicating followers of Christ, you don’t need Sustainable Discipleship. Sustainable Discipleship is not the only way to make disciples. There are incredible disciple makers all over the planet. There are great men and women who helped us learn. You can find God’s models and methods in the Bible. Sustainable Discipleship is just a proven, step-by-step method of making followers.

You may need Sustainable Discipleship: if you don’t have five generations of disciples, if you want to start a church with a solid foundation, if you do not have a clear plan to get people to maturity, or if there simply is not enough of you to go around. If you want a happy, solid church culture, if you want to help people thrive, if you want to know what your are doing and efficiently make disciples, then you may need Sustainable discipleship. 

Is Coaching Necessary for Success?

Coaching is not necessary for success. We worked hard to get everything into the book. How to Make Disciples is a comprehensive guide. It is packed with tips, tricks, real stories and every single thing we do from start to finish making disciples. The book, the blog, and and a little sweat equity gives you everything that you need to successfully make self-sustaining followers of Christ. Add one of our three-day workshops if you want to add jet fuel to your disciple-making efforts.

Coaching is a great option. Learning to make disciples is like discipleship. I figured out how to be a disciple on my own because I had no guide. It was a long journey with a lot of trial and error. It could have been easier if someone had shown me the way. Making disciples is not different. Coaching can take our proven model and accelerate your understanding, practice, and customization. It is very helpful to have someone who has been there and done that to walk with you along the way. Let us add our ten years of practice to your experience.

Are there Ongoing Materials, Fees or Resources?

No and yes. No:We are not in the resource selling business. Our passion is championing people to make successful followers of Christ. The core text of Sustainable Discipleship is the Bible. Yes: Sustainable Discipleship relies on outside reading and some basic teaching tools. Disciples will need five or so books readily available from their authors on Amazon, ChristianBook.com or Audible. We have two workbooks, Sixteen Key Truths about Christianity and Sixteen Key Virtues in Christianity, that we cannot live without. We have made these available for purchase as well. 

It Has Never Been Easier to Make Disciples

• A simple, clear definition of discipleship!
• A step-by-step guide to guide disciples from beginning to end with tips, tricks, and illustrations!
• ​A great Assessment Tool that will help you identify where they are and how to get them to the next step.
• ​Guaranteed results. It works–it just works!

• A process changing Predictable Pathway!
• ​Seven core practices to help people become prepared confident and skilled​!
• ​A Comprehensive Discipleship Plan that will add power to the pulpit, groups, events, everything!
• Plus, discover the Secret Sauce to discipleship!

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

You are fully protected by our 100% Satisfaction-Guarantee. If you aren’t satisfied with the book or coaching, just let us know and we’ll send you a prompt refund.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does everyone become a small group leader?

No, not everyone becomes a small group leader. But, everyone can and should make disciples. Discipleship is not about building leaders. Discipleship is about transforming people. Some disciples will become leaders and some won’t. But, every disciple can and should make disciples. Successful discipleship results in self-replicating disciples. 

What is your actual success rate?

Our current success rate is 100% with 100% of those in formal discipleship becoming self-sustaining disciples who, on their own, make other disciples. Our lowest success was in generation three where we had 2 out of 20 stop after the second phase of the process. They are still actively following and we are determined to win them over to discipling someone else! The core practice of Comprehensive Discipleship provides an accountable plan to win people to that next step for them!

How do you define success?

Ultimately, discipleship is about people encountering God, discovering his truths, and applying those truths so that they thrive in life and relationship. People following God is success. There are several metrics that help us see success: observing a disciple moving forward along the 14 steps of the Predictable Path; disciples making other disciples; disciples seeing success as they apply God’s truths to practical decisions and choices; and, independence from leaders.

Is it boring like a class?

People in Sustainable Discipleship tell us they are pushed, challenged, and stretched. But, they never tell us they are bored. It is not a class. It is not a program. It is a weekly walk with incredible peers and leaders. Laughter, tears, camaraderie, and great friendships happen constantly. The disciples immediately find value and that translates into excitement.

How to you keep people from dropping out?

The answer is a bit long. We cover this in detail in the book and we have found that coaching is one of the best ways to learn how to get people across the finish line. Here is the short answer: the Predictable Path tells us what they need, knowing the Four Classic Dangers of discipleship helps us to help them avoid disaster, and the Assessment Process helps us know when and how to disciple them. It’s not really complex–it just takes time to explain.

​Why do you charge to help others?

There are two reasons: it takes money to pay the bills and, it sorts out the folks who aren’t really all in. A 100 member church can get a year’s coaching for only $60 a person. Think about how invested each of those people would be if they gave up a few meals to invest in the plan. We provide discounts for those truly in need but we want to use our time wisely, investing in racehorses.

How long does it take?

Coincidentally, just about as long as Jesus took with the Twelve before he released them on their own–3 years. It may seem long but it will fly by and they are going to be with you three years anyway. Why not help them get prepared, confident, and skilled at living this life with God?

Can the average Joe or Jill do this?

Absolutely! In many cases, us average people are way better at making disciples. We do not struggle with humility, transparency, or perception. Anyone who wants to help anyone be a disciple can easily guide someone using Sustainable Discipleship.

Yes, I want to start making self-sustaining disciples now!

© 2019 Doug Burrier All Rights Reserved

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