Becoming a Disciple-Making Church

A Proven Method for Growing Spiritually Mature Christians

by: Neil T. Anderson

• Format

  E-Book

  ISBN

  9781441265548

  Pub. Date

  Jan 2016

  SRP

  $15.99

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About

Life-Changing Discipleship Can Be the Expectation, Not the Exception

As leaders, we want the people in our churches to become spiritually mature disciples of Christ, but so many remain stuck in struggles and sins. Personal and spiritual conflicts are holding them back from the true freedom that can be found in Christ alone.

Neil Anderson has been walking individuals through this journey for over a quarter century, but now he wants to teach pastors and church leaders how to do this for their own churches. As the culmination of his life's work, Becoming a Disciple-Making Church shows you how to help your people resolve conflicts--from difficult marriages to unrepentant sin to church disputes--through genuine repentance and faith in God. Rather than giving up or simply referring people to counselors outside the church, embrace the fact that God through His Word has answers to problems of the heart and mind. And in this ministry of reconciliation, true discipleship will happen.

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Endorsements

"I have been a disciple-making pastor for over four decades. Twenty years ago I discovered Dr. Anderson's teachings, and they revolutionized my approach to ministry. Life is a spiritual battle--not a Sunday school picnic--and Neil's message is a practical way to win this battle. Neil helped me realize that repentance, faith, forgiveness, and knowing our identity in Christ are essential for making disciples in the local church. Read, study, and learn from this book."

Pastor David Jenkins, Evangelical Free Church

"I have been involved in local church leadership for over thirty years. In that time I have always endeavored to ensure that Christians are discipled rather than treated as merely 'sermon fodder.' Over the years I have tried a number of different approaches to discipleship. Some have been more successful than others. However, I have found the Freedom in Christ approach to be the most consistently effective aid to practical Christian discipleship. I have been using FIC material for over fifteen years now, and it is still proving to be fruitful."

Pastor John Groves, Hope Church Winchester, England

"We have found the Freedom in Christ course to be invaluable for our church community. We introduced FIC two years ago with our pastors and leaders. Since then we've had well over four hundred people go through FIC, with amazing testimonies of healing and freedom impacting people's lives. Freedom in Christ will continue to be a major part of Bayside Church's pathway of discipleship. We highly recommend this book and the Freedom in Christ course."

Rob and Christie Buckingham, senior ministers, Bayside Church, Melbourne, Australia

"God has gifted Dr. Anderson with the ability to systematize truth in a way that touches the intellect and transforms the heart. I have introduced his teaching in France, Switzerland, and Belgium. The response has been overwhelming, and lives have been revolutionized."

Dr. Walter Stuart, missionary to France; adjunct professor, Tyndale Theological Seminary, Holland, and Geneva Bible Institute, Switzerland

"We have found the truth that Dr. Anderson teaches and the way in which he presents the message are absolutely vital to effective and sustained discipleship. The message and method of Freedom in Christ Ministries are crucial in helping both new Christians and those who have known Christ longer to walk in freedom in Christ and to make reproducing disciples. That is why we recommend this book to help carry out our Lord's mandate to make disciples of all people."

Dr. Rick and Laurel Langston, International School of Theology, Singapore

"I first met Dr. Anderson more than twenty years ago when he did a Freedom in Christ conference in the church I was pastoring. Lives were changed when they heard the good news of who they are in Christ and had the opportunity to repent and find their freedom in Christ. Building on his internationally acclaimed Christ-centered teaching, Neil is now bringing to the global church a proven strategy for making fruitful disciples. His teaching on discipleship will change your life, ground you in your position in Christ, and move you forward in the power of Christ. I can't recommend it highly enough."

Dr. Byron Spradlin, president, Artists in Christian Testimony International

"The message of Freedom in Christ Ministries has touched thousands of lives in South Africa, and it has liberated me as a pastor. Just knowing that I am not responsible for others, but responsible to others, in terms of ministry, and knowing that I am accepted, secure, and significant in Christ has taken off the pressure of trying to have a 'successful' ministry. All that God desires is that I be a godly minister of the gospel."

Rev. Jonothan Christie, Methodist minister, South Africa

"The evil one has mined the path of 'making disciples of all nations' with lies and deception. Almost as one crying in the wilderness, Dr. Neil Anderson teaches us again that freedom is available to anyone who would read and believe God's Word, place trust in the 'Wonderful Counselor,' and believe what He has to say to the church!"

Dr. David Kyle Foster, president, Mastering Life Ministries

"I have found Dr. Anderson's materials to be an invaluable tool in helping the men we are discipling. Victory Over the Darkness, The Bondage Breaker, and Discipleship Counseling are used on a daily basis. The Steps to Freedom in Christ are critical in helping the men become free from past trauma, unresolved conflicts, and their own misunderstanding of who they are in Christ. Every thought, every idea is supported by Scripture and presented in an easy-to-understand format. Because of God's Word and the resources He has provided through Freedom in Christ Ministries, I personally am a free man in Christ!"

Derek Faulkner, executive director, Renewed Life Ministries Outreach (RLMO)

"My identity was wrapped up in being a mother and the wife of a pastor. With the children leaving home, I was looking for a greater sense of purpose and thought I would find it by leading the Freedom in Christ course. But to my surprise I learned from the course that my identity is found in Christ and not in what I do. A mild depression left and two people said I appeared happier. So many lives were impacted, and many testified of feeling light, happy, and warm all over."

Lisa Fenton, Hastings, New Zealand

"The Freedom in Christ course connects the truth of God's Word to our everyday reality, allowing for a precious time of discussion on relevant issues. Individuals are given the opportunity to examine themselves and are shown from God's Word how they can overcome the challenges of life."

Majlind Gegprifti, Kisha Rilindja (The Reborn Church), Tirana, Albania

"For many years Dr. Neil Anderson's books Victory Over the Darkness and The Bondage Breaker have been a great blessing to the church in India across denominations, and many in our own churches have been impacted. With the Indian church's practice of legalism on one end of the spectrum and the emerging "hyper-grace" teachings on the other end, balanced biblical teaching of grace and truth is much needed, and Freedom in Christ Ministries discipleship resources meet this critical need."

Pastor and church planter Jeyakaran Emmanuel, Powerhouse Churches, India

"I was in the ministry for more than fifteen years and a defeated Christian when I was introduced to Dr. Anderson's teaching. When I read Victory Over the Darkness and The Bondage Breaker, I understood my problems and took time to go through the Steps to Freedom in Christ. It was a new day in my life and ministry. I always carry at least one of Dr. Anderson's books wherever I go, and I use the principles from the books in my teachings. Every pastor and Christian worker who longs for a fruitful ministry should read this book, because it will change their ministries with lasting fruit. I am committed to introducing Neil's writings to as many people as possible."

George Philip, country director, Trans World Radio, India

"I had previously read Victory Over the Darkness and The Bondage Breaker before I attended Dr. Anderson's Discipleship Counseling conference in Chennai, India. I was personally and richly blessed by the balanced blend of psychological and spiritual truth, along with a healthy acknowledgment of spiritual forces. I was able to relate the teaching to the needs of my people and their various struggles."

Rev. Johh Simeon, senior pastor, Emmanuel Methodist Church, Chennai, India

"My late husband and I were victims of spiritual abuse when we attended a Dr. Anderson's Resolving Personal and Spiritual Conflicts conference. We were both set free from our bitterness when we forgave that pastor, and I had seventy-five others I needed to forgive, encompassing decades of abuse, victimization, and even rape. My life changed that day, and we started a Freedom in Christ ministry in a new church. That experience has opened doors for me to teach these same principles of forgiveness and identity in Christ to thousands of leaders across the United States and around the world."

Sheryl Giesbrecht, DDiv, author, Get Back Up: Trusting God When Life Knocks You Down; radio host and director of public relations, KAXL Life FM; executive director, International Christian Ministries

"Few ministers have this kind of in-depth knowledge, wisdom, and insight for life application of the Scriptures. There are many good theologians. There are many good psychologists. There are very few disciple makers who are able to combine the principles of sound theology and sound psychology as Dr. Anderson does to help fellow Christians grow in Christ."

Dr. Phyllis Davis and Rev. Carrol Davis, The Journey Pathways to Healing

"Dr. Neil T. Anderson is one of the most important teachers of the gospel in the postmodern era, a friendly and warm human being, and a wise pastoral counselor. His ministry has brought a powerful renewal to our churches, focusing on our identity in Christ, spiritual freedom, and holistic healing, for the purpose of building up new believers and for the consolidation and restoration of more mature believers. Our church regularly and methodically uses Freedom in Christ materials."

Pastor Darío Silva-Silva, founder, Casa Sobre la Roca Churches, Colombia, South America

"This material has been an amazing tool for the church in Venezuela. It has relieved my counseling load in a much needed way. We have seen people released from their past due to recognizing their position in Christ. They have stopped blaming others and have allowed the Lord to do His work of healing from the inside, and it is changing their outward behavior."

Pastor Adam Nathanson, Caracas, Venezuela

"After nearly ten years of using Freedom in Christ materials, I learned that this ministry is not simply about setting people free from bondages to sin--it is a discipleship ministry that frees people to become Christlike. Freed people make wonderful disciples of Jesus. Our church became more than a hospital for the wounded. We became a school for developing disciples. Over 1,500 people have gone through the Steps to Freedom in Christ and now worship with all their hearts, pray with power, and disciple others."

Dr. Irv Woolf, director, National Coalition for Purity

"I was blessed by this servant of God who wisely presented principles for ministry in our Christian community of different denominations. His anointed teaching on who we are in Christ, winning the battle for our minds, becoming the person God intended us to be, and knowing how to stand firm against spiritual forces opened our eyes to a complete and integrated message that is so necessary in the spiritual life of every believer. Our congregation continues to see great results using Dr. Anderson's Steps to Freedom in Christ."

Pastor Alberto Benigno, past president, Council of Baptist Pastors of Córdoba, Argentina

"We are thankful to God for Freedom in Christ Ministries and the blessing it has been to our church. We have employed these materials since we started the church--with excellent results in transformed lives. It is being used constantly in our School of Life in the different levels of classes, resulting in beautiful testimonies. Both Victory Over the Darkness and The Bondage Breaker are indispensable for discipleship."

Pastor Graciela Sanchez, senior pastor, New Generation Church, Lanús, Buenos Aires, Argentina

"Freedom in Christ Ministries has had a profound impact on our personal lives and our ministry. As part of an evangelistic ministry for thirty-four years and as a church-growth pastor, we have led many people to Christ. We also had the privilege to lead probably five hundred people through the Steps to Freedom in Christ. Many of those people have expressed that event to be more impacting than their salvation experience. FICM's repentance and discipleship strategy is the key to making fruitful disciples. It has given us the tools to help develop Christians to become the people God desires them to be and to be true followers of Christ."

Earl and Trish Pickard, senior staff, CRU Ministries

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