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Centering Discipleship: A Pathway for Multiplying Spectators into Mature Disciples
Discipleship without mission is discipleship without Christ. The church often lacks maturity and missional impact because discipleship is at its periphery. In order to get discipleship to the center, leaders need a locally rooted, culturally contextual discipleship pathway to tether disciples who are disciplemakers to the neighborhood or network around them. Pastor and discipler E. K. Strawser shows that when discipleship becomes central to your leadership and community, then discipleship becomes central to congregational mission and cultural renewal. Centering Discipleship is a gutsy practice-based guidebook for leaders who are doing the hard work of re-imagining and re-structuring their churches and communities to turn spectators into missional, mature followers of Jesus.
209 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 26, 2023
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70 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 8, 2023
What is the difference between a regular Church and a Discipleship-Making Church? Of course, most churches will claim to be doing some form of discipleship. The difference lies in the emphasis. Is Discipleship the center focus or is it merely peripheral to the Church? Pastor-Author, Eun Strawser hits the jugular when she points out that most churches tend to put discipleship at the peripherals. By declaring that discipleship is the heart of the mission of the Church, Strawser shows us the way to turning the nominal Church into a discipleship-making Church. This book is about the way to move discipleship from the peripherals to the center of Church life. This calls for a transformation of the Church at all levels. First off, Strawser calls for a shift from programs to pathways, which is a framework for discipleship. This framework is about adopting a life abiding in Christ, to grow in building a discipleship-making community toward fruitful lives that beget others to do the same for Jesus. In brief, it is to do what we can to help others follow and imitate Jesus. The first part is about self-denial followed by some paradigm shifts. We learn the differences between fan vs follower. We learn the emphasis on imitating Christ instead of mere Sunday sermon instructions. The author gives us several differences between what discipleship is and what it is not. This helps us to clear up the foggy Church scene which often confuses actual discipleship with Church activities. We learn about the marks of a mature disciple, which focuses on character, theology, wisdom, and missional living.
In Part Two, Strawser shows us how to develop a discipleship pathway. There are several interesting ideas here. The part on "From Past Recipes to Local Cuisine" is a creative take on "glocalization." In other words, we need to contextualize a global calling into our local communities. We are reminded of the follies in trying to force down a universal model into our local contexts. Some essential ingredients needed are Full Gospel, True Humanity, Thick Community, Heart for the One, and Kingdom Partnership. The details for each are fascinating reads. Then comes the journey of making these ingredients part and parcel of the whole discipleship paradigm. Part Three looks at the underlying assumptions that anchor the discipleship framework. Things like the need for transformation in our thinking and our theological mindsets. In order for change to occur, we need a change in these assumptions. Sometimes, it requires us to abandon old ways in favour of new ways for the purpose of conforming to Christ's vision of discipleship. Part Four then takes us through various ways to implement our discipleship pathways. It also shows us the effectiveness of ongoing discipleship efforts in the midst of unforeseen circumstances, such as the pandemic. When believers are discipled, they are better equipped to deal with disruptions head-on. The author has an interesting take on the four sociological spaces: intimate (like Jesus' inner circle of James, Peter, and John), personal, (like the original twelve disciples), social (like the mobilized 70 disciples), and public space (crowds). This can be used as a metaphor for any of our environments. She anticipates hurdles along the way and supplies some for us to consider getting prepared for. The three main hurdles are the lack of commitment, a culture of complacency, and limitations with children. Following this, we get a chapter about engaging with the culture.
My Three Thoughts
=====================
First, this is an excellent book on discipleship. With a focus on centering discipleship, one can sense the heartbeat of the author and also the excitement behind the drive. Just like the four sociological spaces of influence in discipleship, the book follows the same pattern to move from the individual to the community, from the community to the neighborhood, and then to the public sphere. The big idea of discipleship can be sensed from start to finish, which is a testimony of the conviction of the author in itself. More importantly, Strawser has given us a powerful and practical framework to kickstart a discipleship pathway. It is also important to remember that it is not simply a program but a map to help us practice discipleship.
Second, there is a clear guide and direction. This is one reason why I urge readers not to skip any chapters but to progress along, trusting the author to hand-hold us through the journey of centering discipleship. This is not just done with words. The author uses many different ways to help us understand and apply the lessons. Through comparisons, illustrations, stories, tables, and other examples, readers find the concepts constantly clarified for ease of understanding. Thus, the book can be used as a discussion or training guide for discipleship groups.
Finally, while there are many good ideas in this book, this should supplement the plenty of existing resources on discipleship. It is best used together with books from discipleship gurus such as Bill Hull and Greg Ogden. Of course, the best thing is not simply to compare books and resources. It is to actually practice the art of discipleship. Will I recommend this book for the general readers? Of course. Will I suggest this as a leadership resource? Most definitely. Perhaps, the main thing missing is a form of discussion questions to help readers grasp the concepts better as well as to get people on the same page through an active discussion. Granted that parts of the discussion questions appear within certain chapters, it would be great if the author could expand that to put it explicitly at the end of each chapter or as an appendix at the end of the book. Nevertheless, this is a refreshing treatment of a highly important topic of discipleship. If churches can take this book as a wake-up call, and move the emphasis of discipleship from the peripheral to the central, it would have been worth every cent of this book.
Eun K. Strawser, DO, is the covocational lead pastor of Ma Ke Alo o (which means “presence” in Hawaiian) non-denominational missional communities multiplying in Honolulu; a community physician at Ke Ola Pono; and an executive leader at the V3 Movement, the church-planting arm of the Baptist General Association of Virginia. Prior to transitioning to Hawaii, she served as adjunct professor of medicine at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and of African Studies at her alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania (where she and her husband served with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship) after finishing her Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Dar es Salaam. She and her husband, Steve, have three seriously amazing children.
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5.
conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of InterVarsity Press via NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
In Part Two, Strawser shows us how to develop a discipleship pathway. There are several interesting ideas here. The part on "From Past Recipes to Local Cuisine" is a creative take on "glocalization." In other words, we need to contextualize a global calling into our local communities. We are reminded of the follies in trying to force down a universal model into our local contexts. Some essential ingredients needed are Full Gospel, True Humanity, Thick Community, Heart for the One, and Kingdom Partnership. The details for each are fascinating reads. Then comes the journey of making these ingredients part and parcel of the whole discipleship paradigm. Part Three looks at the underlying assumptions that anchor the discipleship framework. Things like the need for transformation in our thinking and our theological mindsets. In order for change to occur, we need a change in these assumptions. Sometimes, it requires us to abandon old ways in favour of new ways for the purpose of conforming to Christ's vision of discipleship. Part Four then takes us through various ways to implement our discipleship pathways. It also shows us the effectiveness of ongoing discipleship efforts in the midst of unforeseen circumstances, such as the pandemic. When believers are discipled, they are better equipped to deal with disruptions head-on. The author has an interesting take on the four sociological spaces: intimate (like Jesus' inner circle of James, Peter, and John), personal, (like the original twelve disciples), social (like the mobilized 70 disciples), and public space (crowds). This can be used as a metaphor for any of our environments. She anticipates hurdles along the way and supplies some for us to consider getting prepared for. The three main hurdles are the lack of commitment, a culture of complacency, and limitations with children. Following this, we get a chapter about engaging with the culture.
My Three Thoughts
=====================
First, this is an excellent book on discipleship. With a focus on centering discipleship, one can sense the heartbeat of the author and also the excitement behind the drive. Just like the four sociological spaces of influence in discipleship, the book follows the same pattern to move from the individual to the community, from the community to the neighborhood, and then to the public sphere. The big idea of discipleship can be sensed from start to finish, which is a testimony of the conviction of the author in itself. More importantly, Strawser has given us a powerful and practical framework to kickstart a discipleship pathway. It is also important to remember that it is not simply a program but a map to help us practice discipleship.
Second, there is a clear guide and direction. This is one reason why I urge readers not to skip any chapters but to progress along, trusting the author to hand-hold us through the journey of centering discipleship. This is not just done with words. The author uses many different ways to help us understand and apply the lessons. Through comparisons, illustrations, stories, tables, and other examples, readers find the concepts constantly clarified for ease of understanding. Thus, the book can be used as a discussion or training guide for discipleship groups.
Finally, while there are many good ideas in this book, this should supplement the plenty of existing resources on discipleship. It is best used together with books from discipleship gurus such as Bill Hull and Greg Ogden. Of course, the best thing is not simply to compare books and resources. It is to actually practice the art of discipleship. Will I recommend this book for the general readers? Of course. Will I suggest this as a leadership resource? Most definitely. Perhaps, the main thing missing is a form of discussion questions to help readers grasp the concepts better as well as to get people on the same page through an active discussion. Granted that parts of the discussion questions appear within certain chapters, it would be great if the author could expand that to put it explicitly at the end of each chapter or as an appendix at the end of the book. Nevertheless, this is a refreshing treatment of a highly important topic of discipleship. If churches can take this book as a wake-up call, and move the emphasis of discipleship from the peripheral to the central, it would have been worth every cent of this book.
Eun K. Strawser, DO, is the covocational lead pastor of Ma Ke Alo o (which means “presence” in Hawaiian) non-denominational missional communities multiplying in Honolulu; a community physician at Ke Ola Pono; and an executive leader at the V3 Movement, the church-planting arm of the Baptist General Association of Virginia. Prior to transitioning to Hawaii, she served as adjunct professor of medicine at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and of African Studies at her alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania (where she and her husband served with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship) after finishing her Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Dar es Salaam. She and her husband, Steve, have three seriously amazing children.
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5.
conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of InterVarsity Press via NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
December 8, 2023
This book provoked some thoughts and questions for me that are really helpful and directive in how we do discipleship and will likely guide some conversion at our church. However, there were some significant gaps in the argument for her discipleship method that the author didn’t address and I was also somewhat disappointed at the lack of research (outside of articles on the internet) that was put toward the book. That said, she is clear that she is anecdotally speaking from her own experience and context, which is beautiful and I’m sure I’d love her community if I were part of it.
December 14, 2023
In seminary, there was this saying that 10% of the people do 90% of the work. In reality, that might be closed to 5/95. Now, volunteering and doing the work necessary to keep a church functioning isn’t necessarily discipleship, but it does help illustrate the point that churches are not necessarily turning spectators into mature disciples. There’s been a huge on evangelism (and rightfully so), but what do we do once they’re in the pew? Do they just sit there and (so long as they tithe) just sort of hang out until they die?
Centering Discipleship, by EK Strawser, addresses this dearth of discipleship in the church and builds a practical blueprint for transforming churches into communities and building disciples. In the first part of the book, Strawser argues for the necessity of making discipleship central to the life of the church. She characterizes the goal of discipleship as maturity in Christ that is characterized by an individual’s character, theological formation, wisdom, and missional living.
The second part of the book builds a discipleship pathway designed to connect disciples, who are also disciplemakers, to their neighborhoods or networks. Strawser arranges the book as a practice-based guide, advocating for a shift from merely observing Christian practices to actively engaging in them. On one hand, everything she writes sounds self-evident and obvious. There’s nothing in Centering Discipleship that seems radical or surprising. But when I look at a lot of churches, her commonsense suggestions seem untested.
The final two parts of the book address the assumptions of discipleship and actually implementing a discipleship strategy. Here’s where the book takes off. I don’t think the problem is that churches want to lack in discipleship training or that they don’t know how to make disciples. It’s that it’s hard. The buy-in required for a spectator is for them to attend maybe two Sundays a month, two hours in total. The buy-in required for a disciple is “take up your cross and follow me.” It’s a lot harder. Moving people from passive spectators to active disciples is the hard part. Centering Discipleship gives readers the tools and the encouragement to persevere in creating disciples.
Overall, Centering Discipleship isn’t groundbreaking—but it isn’t groundbreaking because it’s foundational. Strawser’s call is for a return to the foundations: the creation of discipleship communities that are deeply rooted in Christ and on mission for the Kingdom of God. She accomplishes that with clarity and precision, making this book an excellent addition to the literature on discipleship.
Centering Discipleship, by EK Strawser, addresses this dearth of discipleship in the church and builds a practical blueprint for transforming churches into communities and building disciples. In the first part of the book, Strawser argues for the necessity of making discipleship central to the life of the church. She characterizes the goal of discipleship as maturity in Christ that is characterized by an individual’s character, theological formation, wisdom, and missional living.
The second part of the book builds a discipleship pathway designed to connect disciples, who are also disciplemakers, to their neighborhoods or networks. Strawser arranges the book as a practice-based guide, advocating for a shift from merely observing Christian practices to actively engaging in them. On one hand, everything she writes sounds self-evident and obvious. There’s nothing in Centering Discipleship that seems radical or surprising. But when I look at a lot of churches, her commonsense suggestions seem untested.
The final two parts of the book address the assumptions of discipleship and actually implementing a discipleship strategy. Here’s where the book takes off. I don’t think the problem is that churches want to lack in discipleship training or that they don’t know how to make disciples. It’s that it’s hard. The buy-in required for a spectator is for them to attend maybe two Sundays a month, two hours in total. The buy-in required for a disciple is “take up your cross and follow me.” It’s a lot harder. Moving people from passive spectators to active disciples is the hard part. Centering Discipleship gives readers the tools and the encouragement to persevere in creating disciples.
Overall, Centering Discipleship isn’t groundbreaking—but it isn’t groundbreaking because it’s foundational. Strawser’s call is for a return to the foundations: the creation of discipleship communities that are deeply rooted in Christ and on mission for the Kingdom of God. She accomplishes that with clarity and precision, making this book an excellent addition to the literature on discipleship.
October 8, 2025
This book has a number of helpful tools to thoughtfully consider while developing a discipleship pathway. I am incredibly grateful for those. However, I feel like she created a mutual exclusivity where there is not one, often times pitting a Sunday service model of church against discipleship centric. While I agree that there has been a severe lack of discipleship and specifically intentional discipleship over the years, I don’t think that needs to come at the cost of the gathered saints - rather a more robust ecclesiology could solve those problems. To be clear, she states definitively that if you already have a church with a regular rhythm of gathering to continue that rhythm. So she isn’t suggesting we throw the baby out with the bath water. However I found her argument lacking that for church plants or revitalizations that it needs to be one or the other. I also recognize that some of this may be cultural - in some environments a regular gathering as we think about it in the United States may be entirely out of the picture.
Overall it was a fine book - and I’d recommend it for anyone who is starting a process of thinking about or creating a discipleship pathway. Had she focused the book more heavily on her process and less on the anecdotals (which began to feel rather redundant), this could have easily been a 4 or 5 star review.
Overall it was a fine book - and I’d recommend it for anyone who is starting a process of thinking about or creating a discipleship pathway. Had she focused the book more heavily on her process and less on the anecdotals (which began to feel rather redundant), this could have easily been a 4 or 5 star review.
May 6, 2025
excellent and timely resource!
This book came at just the right time in my life and the life of my community. I am eager to discuss it with others and begin to implement its charge. A wonderful and helpful guide that will inspire your community to take the work of making disciples seriously. Let’s do this!
This book came at just the right time in my life and the life of my community. I am eager to discuss it with others and begin to implement its charge. A wonderful and helpful guide that will inspire your community to take the work of making disciples seriously. Let’s do this!
October 16, 2025
This book is outstanding. So much wisdom, good news stories, thought provoking insights and practical application ideas. If you’re re-thinking discipleship, mission and community - this will be a huge help!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2024
Liked this book so much I bought a hardcopy for myself and recommended it to our pastors. A new take on discipleship that everyone could read to help them make a difference right where they are.
August 14, 2024
This book challenged my definition of discipleship and gave me the tools to start thinking on how I disciple others.
September 4, 2024
What if our Jesus communities centered the formation of people into the image of a Christ and allowed that to reshape our structures, rhythms, strategies, etc.?
June 15, 2023
My husband is an Episcopal priest and I read a lot of books that might help him in his work, and this book was the most fortuitous read of my life. We were discussing exactly the things that Strawser talks about in the first part of the book: feeling like we're not making a difference, going through the motions, etc versus what she sees in her church plant - vibrance, commitment, lives changed. We knew the answer all along (discipleship) but had no idea of how to go through it. The middle section of the book breaks things down in such a way that we can utilize the pathways she outlines and fit them to our context. I've never seen a book do this so well and with the stated purpose that this is a guide, not a quick fix, but something to be worked through together as we put discipleship back at the center of the church. Phenomenal read -- instructive without being prescriptive, funny, convicting, and purposeful. His church leadership is going to read this when it comes out and I've been recommending it to literally everyone I talk to about churchy things. Now, mind you, I'm not a Christian -- just married to one -- but this is the type of book that makes you have hope that American Christianity can finally find its way back to Jesus.
June 6, 2023
I enjoyed reading this book. The author, E.K. Stawser, shares stories from her personal journey as pastor of Ma Ke Alo O, a church in Hawaii focused on discipleship. Stawser challenges the reader to reconsider what discipleship is and how to make it central in a church community. She shares in the book about how often churches are so focused on creating a Sunday worship service, that discipleship itself is forgotten. Stawser’s reflection is that there must be a different way of being church together, creating discipleship communities that multiply and bless the surrounding communities in mission. Although Stawser says it may be easier to start a new church, rather than try to change an existing one, she also discusses ideas about how to help churches transform Sunday schools into discipleship communities on mission together.
This is not the normal “church discipleship program.” This book invites the reader into something more exciting, sharing real stories from experiences along the way.
This is not the normal “church discipleship program.” This book invites the reader into something more exciting, sharing real stories from experiences along the way.
June 14, 2023
This is not your typical discipleship book. EK Strawser challenges the reader to think beyond our typical Sunday morning services and church routines to make discipleship the center focus....groups of disciples going out into their communities to meet needs and make disciples. Strawser proposes a reimagining of our church structures in a radical way. While I definitely recommend this book and think there is much to consider here, I did have an issue with the presentation of the Trinity as a community. But I definitely agree that we need to reevaluate what we are focusing on in our churches and what our goals are; the Great Commission commands us to "go forth and make disciples" and I fear that the Western church is very anemic in this area. This book really challenges us to think more about the importance and practice of discipleship and what it means to follow Jesus.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews