Welcome to the Influence Podcast! I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

“In the last sixty years in the USA, some churches shifted strategies and adopted a model that focused almost exclusively on numerical expansion,” writes Marroquin. “New sanctuaries and program adjustments were made with the goal of reaching the unchurched. And praise God, the model produced some good results.”

She goes to note that this model replaced Sunday school and discipleship groups to make room for more worship services. “Somehow, churches believed they would still be making disciples without intentionally placing emphasis on God’s Word. The results are in: We have many churches filled with followers of Jesus who desperately need help.”

In this episode, I talk to Marroquin about what churches can do to refocus on discipleship, based on her new book, A Disciple’s Growth: 7 Dimensions of Spiritual Formation.

Elloy Marroquin is an ordained minister and national director of Christian Education, Discipleship, and Family Ministries for the Assemblies of God.

My conversation with her begins after a brief word from our sponsor.

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Show Notes

• 00:00 — Introduction and Sponsor Ad
• 02:12 — Why did an emphasis on numerical growth displace the emphasis on discipleship depth, and what have the consequences been for American churches?
• 04:07 — What are the seven dimensions? And how did you arrive at these seven dimensions?
• 10:53 — How do the seven dimensions relate to Jesus?
• 16:19 — How can pastors and other church leaders assess (1) how they’re doing personally as disciples as well as (2) how their churches discipleship efforts are going?
• 25:18 — What advice would you give pastors and other church leaders for implementing new discipleship programs or revising existing ones?
• 28:10 — What are some of the resources the AG provides, whether in terms of curriculum, training, books, etc.?
• 36:49 — What are you reading right now that is interesting, helpful, and/or personally challenging?
• 38:12 — Conclusion