Discipleship Essentials: A Guide to Building Your Life in Christ

by Greg Ogden

A 2014 ECPA Christian Book Award Finalist Discover the fullness of life in Christ. We grow in Christ as we seek him together. Jesus' own pattern of disciple-making was to be intimately involved with others and allow life to rub against life. By gathering in twos or threes to study the Bible and encourage one another, we most closely follow Jesus' example with the twelve disciples. This workbook by Greg Ogden is a tool designed to help you follow this pattern Jesus drew for us. Working through it will deepen your knowledge of essential Christian teaching and strengthen your faith. Each week contains the following This material is designed for groups of three. It has also been used successfully as an individual study program, a one-on-one discipling tool and small group curriculum. Jesus had a big enough vision to think small. Focusing on a few did not limit his influence. Rather, it expanded it. Discipleship Essentials is designed to help us influence others as Jesus did--by investing in a few. Second edition includes a new foreword by the author. These studies are for both individuals and groups.

Genres: Discipleship, Christian, Nonfiction, Christianity, Christian Living, Theology, Church

237 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Gregory J. Ogden (DMin, Fuller Theological Seminary) lives out his passion of speaking, teaching, and writing about the disciple-making mission of the church after spending twenty-four years in pastoral ministry. Most recently Greg served as executive pastor of discipleship at Christ Church of Oak Brook in the Chicago western suburbs. From 1998-2002, Greg held the position of director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary and associate professor of lay equipping and discipleship.

Greg is the author of several books such as Unfinished Business, Discipleship Essentials, Transforming Discipleship, Leadership Essentials(with coauthor Daniel Meyer), and The Essential Commandment. He is a partner in the Global Discipleship Initiative (GDI), which trains, coaches, and inspires pastors and Christian leaders to establish indigenous, multiplying, disciplemaking networks, both nationally and internationally. Greg and his wife, Lily, have been married more than forty-five years and have one adult daughter and two grandchildren.

Reviews

[Bret James Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greg Ogden has done a good job with this book. It is for small group study about discipling. It is set up in a similar manner to a Sunday School quarterly, which I think is acceptable since Sunday School would be one of the target markets for the text.

The book itself is slightly oversized. The cover artwork is attractive, the text font is easy to read, and the pages have plenty of white space for a nice aesthetic for the interior. The book lacks an index. This might not be a major issue for small groups, but it is a negative from the scholarly angle. This lack of an index is why I deducted a star; I consider this a major flaw as I am coming from an academic point of view, and I think even small groups could benefit from an index.

25 sections deals with one-on-one and small group discipling: how to be and help others be more like Christ. Memory verses, questions, and short articles, generally 4-5 pages each, combine to create a viable small group study. Ogden has laid out the material in a clear way that is easy to understand. Of course, how the study plays out will vary from group to group, but I think Ogden has achieved his purpose of creating a manual providing a good overview of discipleship and its importance in the Christian life.

This book is highly recommended for small group and one-on-one discipling. This is not the best book for scholarly study on the subject, but it does have some value in this area as the basics of the theme are well-covered and technical terms explained. Overall, Ogden has written a worthy book.

[Evan Hays · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally got through this one which I have been working on in my triad for about a year and a half. It definitely got better near the end which redeemed it some because some of the earlier chapters were downright bad. This book is essentially a catechism for a new believer designed for people meeting in small groups of 3 or so. Why it doesn't call itself a catechism or draw any wisdom from any christian thinker before C.S. Lewis (I mean despite being insufferably modern and Protestant for me, it barely quoted Luther, and I don't think it quoted Calvin once shockingly--again the time bias which restricts Ogden to pretty much only the last 100 years of Christian writers), I don't really know, but it really could have been worse. I wish it had really wrestled with issues more rather than giving what everybody knows the answer is from Sunday school a little more, but I have to remember that it was written for new Christians. For my next triad, I will definitely be using a different book. To try to end on a more positive note, the book was very good at getting me to dig into the scripture to look at some issues that I hadn't very much since college. Oops, guess I can't end on a positive note because I remembered that not one book it suggested for further reading was by a woman.

[J. Aleksandr Wootton · Rating 1 out of 5]

My church's small group ministry spent its inaugural year working through this book; less than half of participants felt it was worthwhile. Its questions & discussion-oriented content are horribly anemic.

[Tyler Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used this tool to walk some of my student leaders through a weekly touch point as they prepared to launch an ethnic-specific Bible study on campus.

What I loved:
- The format of this work is great. A short catechism-like question and answer with questions to reflect on, an inductive Bible study, a memory verse to put in context, and an article with questions. I love the workbook model. It provides accountability that the participants are putting in the work. It also makes you engage with the material in a more thorough way. The amount of work was a tad high for a busy college student to commit to, but I loved the format so much I remade our New Leader Training material around the same structure.
- The content is solid. I have lots of quibbles, but since so much of the content is Bible study and memory verses, there is gold in every chapter.

What I didn't love:
- This book smelled like the 90s. That's not really a compliment. The very first chapters are about the cost of discipleship and having a daily quiet time. It really felt bathed in evangelical pietism, much more than I'd like for my students.
- Some of the content was off in a 90s sort of way. The Trinity chapter is pretty social, rather than Nicene. There authority figures quoted are a mix of folks that stood the test of time (Packer, Stott) and those that didn't so much (Barth, Hybels).
- It's pretty "middle of the road" evangelicalism but I would have loved to see the chapters on the gospel and grace (or maybe something on the Apostle's Creed) at the beginning before private spiritual disciplines. There is one chapter on the church (20 chapters in) and it isn't very central to the overall call to discipleship throughout.

[Victoria Brendel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! I did a group study on this book with two members of my church over the span of a year. I found it theologically challenging in some chapters, but in a very rewarding way. It’s a great holistic overview of what it means to be a disciple of Christ.

This book was one of the last things I connected with my Grandfather on before he passed away- the first review in the book was written by the former lead pastor at his church in Illinois. If you knew my Grandfather, then you knew how strong his faith was, which would make that one review all the more meaningful!

I could not recommend this book more to someone who is looking to learn more about Christianity and is motivated to be a better disciple.

[edel que · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little over a year and I’m finally done with discipleship through my church. This book fosters deep theological discussion, healthy accountability and leads to numerous Christ-like habits that benefit individuals in a discipleship group or solo.
Along with the Bible of course, this book has deepened my knowledge of essential Christian teaching and strengthened my faith!

[Dorine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't actually read this word for word, but our pastor used it's lessons in her sermons. Really good.

[Dave Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This looks promising as a tool for "catechizing" new believers in a relational small-group (author recommends triads) setting. It can also serve to give older believers the training and confidence to repeat the process with others. I plan to field test it with 2 or 3 other men in the coming months. In our congregation, we see a book like this as "training wheels" to be used in the development of a culture in which multiplying discipleship happens spontaneously and continuously.

[Blossom Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to do slowly with a new believer or even many Christians on their journey. It is extensive and can intimidate, but don't let that happen. It is well worth the time invested and when you are done, you will have a good understanding on how to disciple another.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the BEST discipleship tool I’ve ever experienced in my life!!! A must for all disciplers of disciplers! Guided Bible and engaging self-discovery, clarifying reading material, sealing in Core Truths, memory verses, inductive study—all in one book (instead of 7 DFDs) but thorough, detailed, trustworthily Biblical. Meant for intimate, caring, mentoring relationships of two or three where it’s more than head knowledge that is transmitted but a life on life transformation by the Spirit and Word of Christ. I’ll probably be using this resource to lead serious new or older believers who have never been disciples for decades to come. I’m thankful for our pastor for sharing his vision of discipleship that takes into account the slow, hard, long work and process of developing solid followers of Jesus.

[Jan Ouden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years ago I took a year to work our way through the book with 18 people. Working one's way through the essentials turned out to be life transforming for many in the group. It helped them to determine where they stood in their faith and address some of their misconceptions, biasses and assumptions. What I really like about it is its inductive approach. The optional reading assignments prove to be very helpful to those that want to go deeper and/or want to be theologically and philosophically challenged. This makes it accessible to a wide group of learners.
Ultimately it's not the book that makes disciples. Creating and providing an environment where people feel safe to ask questions, express their doubts and fears, and where they are affirmed is a crucial requirement for the lessons to potentially do their work.

[Kevin Bessey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this book in a small group men's bible study and it was a perfect fit for small group discussion. The prep work and reading was extensive - usually up to an hour long, but it really helped for deep thinking, reflection, and discussion.

This book does a great job beginning with scripture on various topics and then building on the verse to get the reader to really think on and apply the verse, which is then followed with a narrative or study reading. There are questions for both the verse application and the reading portions.

Pros: really great guide (up to 25 lessons) for small group bible study.
Cons: very extensive prep work, which could have been just the verse study OR the reading study, but we ended up benefiting from both portions throughout the study.
Bottom line: excellent resource for small group studies, just be ready to spend time in the prep work.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I journeyed through this book with a friend, whom I meet with weekly for discipleship. While, individually, most of these topics/chapters were ones we both are familiar with (we are both long-time Christians), they opened up amazing and deep conversations between us. And collectively, the topics/chapters studied right in a row, were faith strengthening, character building and encouraging. I'll be returning to this one again some day to go through this and disciplle someone else further behind in their faith journey than I am.

[Nathan Marone]

Used this book in a discipleship group.

It's okay. Covers a lot of the "essentials" or basics of Christian belief from propositional claims (Trinity, justification) to practical matters (money, Bible study). Most of the material is solid, though on a number of occasions I found that there was a misuse of scripture through lack of context.

Cursory in nature, probably good for new believers.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent resource for simple but effectively small group discipling. Very accessible but also meaty when it needs to be. I had a few theological qualms in places, especially where it flirted too much with Calvinism, but overall quite good. I worked through this slowly with three other young adults in my congregation and it was a great experience I hope to repeat.

[Ebony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for any believer who is looking to deepen their study of God's word and increase their devotion time.

I feel that the questions could have been worded better, especially since it seems to be designed for a newer Christian than one who is more seasoned.

But, overall, it is a great group study book and I enjoyed going through it with my own Bible study group.

[Chuck Cova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Went thru this years ago with a couple of accountability buds. It proved to be a monumental time, and much of my growth was based on the time spent with those guys using this material. Having run across it recently, decided to work my way thru it again on my own. Authors material is excellent and I really enjoyed reading my notes from all those years ago and comparing to where I am today...

[Ronald Vaughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent resource for our church's launching of small group discipleship. I led the first group through the study. Several members of the first group will now lead groups of their own. Working through this curriculum is not a small commitment, but it yields very positive results, according to the members of the study group.

[Jessalyn Plant · Rating 4 out of 5]

We used this book for a Bible Study with my young adults group. It was a great resource and a wonderful conversation starter. Each week had some pretty hefty homework required which I loved, but can be a bit intimidating as well.

[Colin Michaelis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A practical and systematic discipleship book and workbook. Worked through this over the space of a year. There may others that are better suited to different settings. This one was good and worked well for us.

[Coralie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this study. I went through it over about six months with a small group of three other women. We had a great group, which definitely made the experience a rich one, but I also really enjoyed the materials the book led us through.

Structurally the book is super organized. Each chapter covers a different topic, including a core truth, memory verse, passage with questions designed to dig deeper into the topic, and a reading, again with questions. On a practical level, the book was easy to keep up with. There were four "parts" to each chapter, plus the memory verse we each recited each week, so I was able to keep up with the "homework" by doing one part a day in my quiet time. Each section probably took 5-10 minutes a day, so very manageable.

Some of the questions carried over each week (like, what questions did you have about the passage or how have these verses spoken to you this week, etc.), but most of the questions were thoughtful. The best part of the "study" was the weekly group discussions where we all talked through the topic and discussed specific questions. This book is an excellent facilitator of deep, meaningful conversation in small groups - which is what it's designed for. It accomplishes this task super well, and again, I had a fantastic group to walk through it with.

I really appreciate the organization of the topics, the challenge to memorizing God's word, and the discipleship group model. This is definitely a book I would recommend to others!

[Steve Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent tool for developing disciples. It offers a systematic, personal approach that provides a solid foundation for spiritual growth.

[David Musooli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great discipleship tool

A very helpful for any one who desires to make progress in their spiritual growth and in the discipleship of others. Excellent piece it is!

[Scott Brodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great discipleship tool for believers of all levels.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly excellent resource for all facets of the making of disciples. All has pretty excellent scriptural references.

[Bradean Marius · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reality of intentional discipleship! Clear and helpful!

[Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the topics covered in this book but found it to be a bit repetitive in terms of the study and questions.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful. I would consider using it as a discipleship tool again.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing - I can’t wait to go through this with my own group!

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not read the edition cited above but the 2019 anniversary edition. In content terms I think the only difference is the addition of chapter 25 on Money.
Ogden has an excellent format: a core truth, a memory verse, an inductive Bible study, a teaching section, all brought together with a handy summary section at the end of each chapter. This format helps it to rise above some other resources as students using the material are pushed towards self-feeding.
As a foundational disciple-making resource it is excellent. Covering a range of issues and areas for growth which are essential for any follower of Christ.
Ogden suggests using it in micro groups (3 or 4 members). I have done this and found it provides opportunity for challenge, teaching, encouragement and growth.