Leading Great House Churches | 2025 National Disciple Making Forum (Jason Shepperd)

Get access to all of our 2025 National Disciple Making Forum Content: https://disciplemakerspodcast.supercast.com/
 
Join us for the 2026 National Disciple Making Forum: https://discipleship.org/2026-national-disciple-making-forum/ 
 
Track Session 4: Leading Great House ChurchesA Church of House Churches thrives from the health of great House Churches. Learn our expectations of great House Church gatherings, as well as how House Churches are strategically used to help people grow in their spiritual journey to be fully devoted disciples of Jesus.
 
 

Decentralized, Diverse Discipleship Communities | 2025 National Disciple Making Forum (Jason Shepperd)

Track Session 2: Decentralized, Diverse Discipleship Communities
Get access to all of our 2025 National Disciple Making Forum Content: https://disciplemakerspodcast.supercast.com/
While most churches’ group structures operate as homogeneous friend groups, the Early Church gathered in diverse, cross-generational communities operating as a spiritual family. Discover the need to return to this fullest expression of the church in House Churches.
Revisiting Ecclesiology: House Churches and the DNA of True Biblical Communities
In this insightful episode, Jason Shepherd, founder of Church Project, shares his journey of starting a church 15 years ago with a vision of creating authentic biblical communities. Without a designated church name, the project focuses on rediscovering Christ's original intent for the church. Shepherd discusses the key elements of ecclesiological DNA (EDNA), emphasizing distributed pastoral leadership, decentralized structures, and diverse discipleship communities. He explores the historical and biblical foundation of house churches, citing scripture to argue for their continued relevance. Shepherd also provides practical insights into the formation, growth, and management of house churches, and how they engage with benevolent activities and student ministries. This episode challenges conventional church models, advocating for smaller, mission-focused, relationally-rich communities.
Key Takeaways 00:00 Introduction and Speaker Background01:52 Understanding Ecclesiology03:15 The Concept of House Church05:24 House Church in Practice07:23 House Church Multiplication12:08 Small Groups vs. House Churches23:58 Qualities of a New Testament House Church28:43 Q&A Session32:41 Evaluating the Health of Your House Church34:32 The Importance of Hospitality35:47 Developing House Church Pastors37:14 Scheduling and Meeting Logistics39:56 Balancing Growth and Intimacy48:12 Handling Kids in House Church56:12 Financial Practices and Benevolence58:49 Connecting Newcomers to House Churches01:00:27 Final Q&A and Closing Remarks
 
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Check out the following eBooks from Discipleship.org:
-- What Is Church? And How Important Is It? https://discipleship.org/shop/what-is-church-and-how-important-is-it/
-- Family Discipleship Blueprint: A Year-by-Year Guide to Family Discipleshiphttps://discipleship.org/shop/family-discipleship-blueprint-a-year-by-year-guide-to-family-discipleship/
-- Becoming a Disciple Makerhttps://discipleship.org/shop/becoming-a-disciple-maker/
-- National Study: The State of Disciple Making Churches: A 10 Minute Visual Guidehttps://discipleship.org/shop/national-study-the-state-of-disciple-making-churches-a-10-minute-visual-guide/
-- Reaching & Discipling Women: A Guide to Women’s Ministry in Your Churchhttps://discipleship.org/shop/reaching-discipling-women-a-guide-to-womens-ministry-in-your-church/
Check out the following Books from Discipleship.org:
-- The Discipleship Gospelhttps://himpublications.com/product/the-discipleship-gospel/?utm_source=discipleship-org&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=books-page
-- Disciple-Making Culturehttps://himpublications.com/product/disciple-making-culture/
-- Recreated to Be like God: Making Disciples in the Image of Jesushttps://a.co/d/6DDvUrC
-- King Jesus and the Beauty of Obedience-Based Discipleshiphttps://a.co/d/7d85z6T
-- The Disciple Maker's Handbook: Seven Elements of a Discipleship Lifestylehttps://a.co/d/4ZHIbQz
Take the FREE Disciple Maker Assessment:https://church-multiplication.com/disciplemaker/
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Re-Discovering E-DNA | 2025 National Disciple Making Forum (Jason Shepperd)

Get access to all of our 2025 National Disciple Making Forum Content: https://disciplemakerspodcast.supercast.com/
Church Project Track Session 1: Re-Discovering E-DNA
Jesus started this beautiful thing called "church," not man. And, He and His followers led and modeled how he intended for church to be lived out. Rather than the latest church growth book or contextually-based model, it is time to return to the ways Jesus intended for His Church to be lived out as seen in the example of the Early Church.
Rethinking Church: From Traditional to Transformative - A Journey of Rediscovery
In this session, the speaker shares his 15-year journey of founding and developing Church Project. Growing up in a small fundamental Southern Baptist church in Tyler, Texas, he initially misunderstood the gospel's breadth. Through years of college, internships, and pastoral work, he grappled with his frustrations and God's calling. After leaving traditional church settings, he started Church Project with a mission to return to the church's original intent. The session dives into the importance of decentralizing from primary places and priests, distributing pastoral leadership, and fostering diverse discipleship communities. Through biblical references, especially Titus chapter one, the speaker explains the foundational elements needed to create effective and healthy church communities. Join this transformative discussion that challenges conventional ecclesiology and aims to shape a more inclusive, decentralized, and dynamic church model.
Key Takeaways 00:00 The Beginnings of Church Product00:45 Discovering the True Gospel00:54 From Pre-Med to Ministry01:46 A Frustrated Calling03:46 The Birth of Church Product04:29 Rethinking Church05:12 Understanding Ecclesiology05:59 Paul's Instructions to Titus18:22 Distributed Pastoral Leadership23:22 Diverse Discipleship Communities26:46 Q&A Session27:50 Introduction to the Sessions28:10 The Role of the Building29:11 Centralization vs. Decentralization29:53 Gathering Spaces and Their Use33:41 House Churches and Accountability38:16 Challenges and Solutions in House Churches49:43 The Importance of Corporate Gatherings57:18 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Get Discipleship.org's premium Podcast Feed: https://disciplemakerspodcast.supercast.com/ 
Check out the following eBooks from Discipleship.org:
-- What Is Church? And How Important Is It? https://discipleship.org/shop/what-is-church-and-how-important-is-it/
-- Family Discipleship Blueprint: A Year-by-Year Guide to Family Discipleshiphttps://discipleship.org/shop/family-discipleship-blueprint-a-year-by-year-guide-to-family-discipleship/
-- Becoming a Disciple Makerhttps://discipleship.org/shop/becoming-a-disciple-maker/
-- National Study: The State of Disciple Making Churches: A 10 Minute Visual Guidehttps://discipleship.org/shop/national-study-the-state-of-disciple-making-churches-a-10-minute-visual-guide/
-- Reaching & Discipling Women: A Guide to Women’s Ministry in Your Churchhttps://discipleship.org/shop/reaching-discipling-women-a-guide-to-womens-ministry-in-your-church/
Check out the following Books from Discipleship.org:
-- The Discipleship Gospelhttps://himpublications.com/product/the-discipleship-gospel/?utm_source=discipleship-org&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=books-page
-- Disciple-Making Culturehttps://himpublications.com/product/disciple-making-culture/
-- Recreated to Be like God: Making Disciples in the Image of Jesushttps://a.co/d/6DDvUrC
-- King Jesus and the Beauty of Obedience-Based Discipleshiphttps://a.co/d/7d85z6T
-- The Disciple Maker's Handbook: Seven Elements of a Discipleship Lifestylehttps://a.co/d/4ZHIbQz
Take the FREE Disciple Maker Assessment:https://church-multiplication.com/disciplemaker/
Come to the The National Disciple Making Forum: https://discipleship.org/national-disciple-making-forum/
Stay informed - Get our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hPViAr
Listen - Disciple Maker's Podcast: https://discipleship.org/resources/podcast/