discipleship Archives

Rethinking Disciple Making in New York City: 200,000 Tracts Later

Rev. Paul Murphy, Pastor of Evangelism at Messiah’s Reformed Fellowship in New York City, discovered that distributing over 200,000 tracts produced only a handful of church visitors, prompting a fundamental rethinking of urban evangelism strategy. He shifted from “cold contact” methods to a “covenantal approach” that focuses on entire families, integrates deeply into community institutions through ESL classes, hospital chaplaincy, and workplace Bible studies, and leverages digital platforms for broader reach. Murphy’s journey demonstrates that effective disciple-making in post-Christian urban contexts requires moving beyond literature distribution to weaving the gospel into the fabric of the city’s secular institutions while maintaining the crucial distinction between community outreach and verbal gospel proclamation.

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Making Disciples Isn’t Complicated

Christianity / By Doug Vos

Church planter Andrew Martin emphasizes that while making disciples is central to the church’s mission, it doesn’t require complicated programs — just faithful presence in everyday contexts. Through simple community practices like weekly hospitality gatherings, ESL classes, and Bible study groups that mirror Acts 2, Martin demonstrates how ordinary church members working together can fulfill the Great Commission where God has placed them. The key insight is that Jesus gave one central command — make disciples — which the church community accomplishes together through going, baptizing, and teaching, empowered by Christ’s authority and abiding presence. Martin’s approach combines theological depth with practical accessibility: asking good questions, crossing the “pain line” to share the gospel clearly, and creating spaces where believers encourage one another and non-Christians experience authentic Christian community before fully understanding the message.

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The Great Commission at the Boardwalk and Your Neighborhood

Christianity / By Doug Vos

This article synthesizes insights from an in-depth interview with Rev. Chris Byrd on the “Great Commission Today” podcast, where he shares his experience as Regional Evangelist for the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and co-director of the Boardwalk Chapel in Wildwood, New Jersey. Byrd presents a holistic vision of the Great Commission as a mandate for the entire church to make disciples through both evangelism and sanctification, rooted in the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. He identifies two primary obstacles to Christian witness (e.g. lack of practical competence or functional unbelief in the gospel’s power) while observing increasing spiritual openness in American culture, illustrated by transformative encounters like that of Bonnie and Bill, who found faith after receiving a gospel tract on the boardwalk. Through strategic outreach, publishing sermons online, and equipping believers for personal gospel conversations, churches can overcome these barriers and effectively participate in God’s kingdom work in their communities.

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