ABSTRACT DISCIPLING WITH PURPOSE: BEST PRACTICES IN LIGHT OF GOD’S TELOS FOR DISCIPLESHIP By Leighton St. Aubin McFarlane The Word of God reminds us of the provision that God has made for those whose lives have been transformed by the Grace of God. 2 Peter 1:3 says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and for godliness …” (NIV). Even though God has so resourced the church for the equipping of his people for works of service, so that they may be built up until they “… become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph.4:11-13), many churches, including the Western Jamaica District of the Wesleyan Holiness Church, continues to experience significant loss of membership. The paradigm shirt that has taken place in culture seems to have made faith in God redundant these days and has not made any easier the context within which contemporary disciples must live out their faith and the church must fulfill its mission and mandate. The purpose of this project therefore was to identify best practices for discipling new members in the Western District of the Wesleyan Holiness Church in Jamaica in order to reverse the tendency for new members to leave the church soon after joining. An empirical study guided by the following four research questions was undertaken: 1. In the opinion of church leaders and members of the churches in the district, what aspects of the church’s ministry contribute to the discipling of members in the church? 2. In the opinion of church leaders and members of the churches in the district, what current or missing aspects of the church’s ministry contribute to the exit of members from the church? 3. In the opinion of members who have left the churches in the district, what current or missing aspects of the church’s ministry contribute to the exit of members from the church? 4. What are best practices and strategies moving forward for the discipling of members in the churches in the district? A qualitative research design data was gathered from the unique perspective of three key groups of participants: pastors, laity (present members), and those who have left the church (former members). Four instruments were used to collect data: questionnaires, focus groups, semi- structured interviews, and document analysis. The study found that ours is a rich heritage of intentional discipleship albeit a lost and forgotten one. The study also found an inconsistency of the practice of discipleship in the district, a disconnect between the church’s understanding and its practice of discipleship, the absence of a formal discipleship program, all of which are symptomatic of a deeper issue – an absent discipleship culture to be contributing factors to the exit of members from the church. The study further found that the church environment is a major deciding factor as to whether members stay or leave the church. The results suggest that programs and activities intentionally designed to establish believers in their faith holds the potential of significantly reducing turnover rates. The results further suggest any approach to discipleship taken by West Jamaica District must take seriously an incarnational/relational approach where life rubs off on life, where iron sharpens iron. DISSERTATION APPROVAL This is to certify that the dissertation entitled DISCIPLING WITH PURPOSE: BEST PRACTICES IN LIGHT OF GOD’S TELOS FOR DISCIPLESHIP presented by Leighton St. Aubin McFarlane has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for the DOCTOR OF MINISTRY degree at Asbury Theological Seminary Dissertation Coach Date Director, Doctor of Ministry Program Date Dean of the Beeson Center Date DISCIPLING WITH PURPOSE: BEST PRACTICES IN LIGHT OF GOD’S TELOS FOR DISCIPLESHIP A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry by Leighton St. Aubin McFarlane May 2021 © 2021 Leighton St. Aubin McFarlane ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... xiii LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................xviii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................... xx CHAPTER 1 NATURE OF THE PROJECT .................................................................. 1 Overview of the Chapter ..................................................................................... 1 Personal Introduction ........................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem .................................................................................... 6 Purpose of the Project .......................................................................................... 9 Research Questions .............................................................................................. 9 Research Question #1 ............................................................................... 9 Research Question #2 ............................................................................... 9 Research Question #3 ............................................................................... 9 Research Question #4……………………………………………………..9 Rationale for the Project ..................................................................................... 10 Biblical and Theological Foundation ...................................................... 10 West Jamaica’s Existing Practice and Culture ......................................... 10 The Forgotten Imperative to Make Disciples .......................................... 11 The Cultural Dynamic ............................................................................ 12 The Growth Imperative........................................................................... 12 Definition of Key Terms ............................................................................ ……13 iii Delimitations ..................................................................................................... 14 Review of Relevant Literature ............................................................................ 14 Research Methodology ....................................................................................... 16 Type of Research ................................................................................... 16 Participants ............................................................................................ 16 Instrumentation ...................................................................................... 17 Data Collection ...................................................................................... 17 Data Analysis ........................................................................................ 18 Generalizability ..................................................................................... 19 Project Overview ............................................................................................... 19 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW FOR THE PROJECT ....................................... 20 Overview of the Chapter .................................................................................... 20 Biblical Foundations .......................................................................................... 20 Discipleship Transmits and Establishes Faith .......................................... 21 Discipleship in the Old Testament ............................................... 21 Discipleship as a Legacy of Faith……………………......22 Biblical Evidence for Discipleship as a Legacy of Faith in the Old Testament ................................................ 24 Genesis 18:19 ...................................................... 24 Deuteronomy 6:1-9 .............................................. 24 Psalms 78:1-8 ...................................................... 26 Joshua 4:21-24 ..................................................... 26 Joel 1:3 ................................................................ 28 Discipleship in the New Testament ............................................. 39 iv .......... Discipleship as a Legacy of Faith in the New Testament ..29 Biblical Evidence for Discipleship as a Legacy of Faith in the New Testament .............................................. 31 John 17:6-8 and Matthew 28:20 ........................... 32 Acts 3:11-26 ........................................................ 32 Acts 13:16-41……………………………………..32 I John 1:1-5 .......................................................... 33 2 Timothy 2:2 ...................................................... 33 Discipleship Nurtures and Develops Believers ........................................ 35 Discipleship Functions as God’s Method in Rescuing the World...…………………………………...……………………...37 Theological Foundations .................................................................................... 40 Discipleship and a Theology of the Good Shepherd ................................ 41 The Role to Seek for the Lost Sheep ........................……………44 The Role to Nurture and Care for the Sheep.….. ......................... 46 The Role to Equip God’s Flock for the Work of Ministry……………………………………………… ................. 49 Discipleship and a Theology of the Holy Spirit ....................................... 50 The Role of the Holy Spirit in turning people to