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 Background 01:52 Understanding Ecclesiology 03:15 The Concept of House Church 05:24 House Church in Practice 07:23 House Church Multiplication 12:08 Small Groups vs. House Churches 23:58 Qualities of a New Testament House Church 28:43 Q&A Session 32:41 Evaluating the Health of Your House Church 34:32 The Importance of Hospitality 35:47 Developing House Church Pastors 37:14 Scheduling and Meeting Logistics 39:56 Balancing Growth and Intimacy 48:12 Handling Kids in House Church 56:12 Financial Practices and Benevolence 58:49 Connecting Newcomers to House Churches 01:00:27 Final Q&A and Closing Remarks   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 Discipleship https://discipleship.org/shop/family-discipleship-blueprint-a-year-by-year-guide-to-family-discipleship/ -- Becoming a Disciple Maker https://discipleship.org/shop/becoming-a-disciple-maker/ -- National Study: The State of Disciple Making Churches: A 10 Minute Visual Guide https://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 Church https://discipleship.org/shop/reaching-discipling-women-a-guide-to-womens-ministry-in-your-church/ Check out the following Books from Discipleship.org: -- The Discipleship Gospel https://himpublications.com/product/the-discipleship-gospel/?utm_source=discipleship-org&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=books-page -- Disciple-Making Culture https://himpublications.com/product/disciple-making-culture/ -- Recreated to Be like God: Making Disciples in the Image of Jesus https://a.co/d/6DDvUrC -- King Jesus and the Beauty of Obedience-Based Discipleship https://a.co/d/7d85z6T -- The Disciple Maker's Handbook: Seven Elements of a Discipleship Lifestyle https://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/