Morgan Marshall

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

Habakkuk 2:14

I could not recommend the book Deep Discipleship by JT English more highly, especially for those involved in church ministry. This book gives practical ministry advice that is based in scripture and applicable in all contexts of ministry. Plus, it is incredibly organized and clear, making this an easy, yet impactful read for anyone evaluating their own ministry or church.

This book recommendation is a little different than my others simply because I know JT personally and have heard his passion behind every word written in this book. JT cares deeply about the local church because he knows that this is the means by which God has given to us, as believers, to proclaim the coming Kingdom. I have seen JT not only teach on these things, but live them out. And by watching his life and ministry, I have grown in my own love for the Bride of Christ.

I feel blessed to have seen JT, Jen, and others at The Village Church work through these concepts on the ground and then put them into practice. My own story in ministry is a result of the majority of this book truly coming to life during my time at TVC. I was privileged to be in the first class of The Village Church Institute Training Program in 2015. (And yes, I still love my cohort 11 group so so much!) The Training Program was incredibly influential as we studied theology in depth as a community, were challenged to memorized entire chapters of the Bible, and tasked to write our own doctrinal statements on key Christian beliefs like trinitarianism, soteriology, and the resurrection. I had just finished college at a Baptist university and received a minor in Bible and yet, we were talking about concepts I had never truly gotten my hands on or studied for myself. Plus, we were reading some heavy things by authors like Herman Bavinck. This was the first time I remember seeing the Bible as one big narrative, with key promises (covenants) to guide the way. These conversations and this teaching truly changed how I saw the church, my love for God’s Word, and my desire to be in ministry teaching these very things to others.

From there, I was able to take these concepts and begin applying them into the middle school ministry. We took 8th grade girls through the Women’s Bible Class that Jen Wilkin was teaching on Tuesday nights. Each year we had 10-15 8th grade girls who were eager to study the Bible every Tuesday night for 2 hours… with women, not their peers or the cute boys in the youth group. And each year I was incredibly proud of them for showing up, doing their homework, sitting through the teaching time, and asking hard questions. (To be honest, most of the time they were the ones teaching me I think!)

We also wrote a curriculum series that outlined the story of the Bible following the important covenants of the Bible, and one that outlined basic Christian beliefs about God, people, and the church. Both of these series were birthed through The Training Program teachings, which my colleagues and I had received, in order to bring common language across all discipleship environments. Once we began to see the bigger picture of scripture, the ways beliefs are shaped from this, and how to practice these things in community, we desired to teach the students we ministered to these same concepts.

I say all these things not to point to the things I have accomplished in ministry, but rather to demonstrate that the things written about in this book can really happen… and they are happening in local churches! This book simply provides helpful questions to consider as you evaluate your own ministry or church, and a framework to begin teaching and training your people in a way that builds holistic disciples.

The framework that JT outlines of Bible, beliefs, and practices is a key framework that should be (and can be!!) implemented into any area of ministry. These things are not just for “big church” or the overall church structure. These things are also for our kids in preschool ministry, our teens in youth group, and our adults in home groups. Each area of discipleship, focusing on these key things, demonstrates a healthy local church, and provides a scope and sequence of continued growth for the disciple at every stage of life.

I could go on and tell you my favorite parts of every chapter and how I hope to continue to implement the ideas from this book into my ministry at Storyline Fellowship now, but I would rather let you dive into this book for yourself and be encouraged by these words.

Pastor, minister, deacon, teacher, volunteer… you are not alone. No ministry is perfect. And no church will get it right all the time. I love the encouragement JT gives multiple times, reminding the reader that these concepts will look different in different context. But friend, I pray that above all else, you love God more deeply and are eager to keep fighting the good fight as you keep the main thing the main thing.

“God is the goal of deep discipleship.”

Dr. JT English. Deep Discipleship, 21.

Deep Discipleship by JT English