Many of the ideas presented on this website are the result of my own parenting failures and consequential opportunities for learning. My personal brokenness has been profound. As the Lord brought the realization about how Jesus made disciples, He also gave me a burden seven years ago to share this truth with the Christian community, but not until now has the Lord revealed how to communicate the idea. I have felt like Nehemiah, crying, repenting and praying over the broken walls in my own family life and the lives of other sincere Christian families. The Lord has been gracious to our family as we have learned to follow Jesus more closely than before. In the summer of 2008 the Lord made clear the vision that we are to cast through the founding of Disciple Like Jesus. - Alan Melton

Purpose

The purpose of Disciple Like Jesus is to glorify God through lifting up the example of Jesus Christ in the way that He made disciples.

We want to awaken parents, grandparents and pastors to the reality that most children from the church are not being discipled, and to encourage them that they can make disciples like Jesus did! We want to contrast what parents are doing as opposed to the practice of discipleship according to Jesus. Parents are the key, and fathers in particular as commanded in Ephesians 6:4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

As parents take up the task of making disciples, the church will be obedient to the prophecy of Christ in Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

Mission

Disciple Like Jesus is a ministry for parents and grandparents. Our mission is to:

• Enlighten (awaken) the church with the sense of urgency to carry out this mission.
• Expose the church to the implications of Jesus' discipleship methods.
• Educate the church on how to accomplish this purpose.
• Evaluate- assist local churches to evaluate how parents are making disciples.
• Equip pastors to equip parents in following Jesus' example.
• Encourage pastors, parents and grandparents to begin following the methods of Jesus.
• Enlist church leaders to co-labor with us on this task.

Vision

By 2019 Disciple Like Jesus ministry will have created an awareness in the church of all parents' responsibility to disciple their children in the same way that Jesus made disciples. We will speak loudly and clearly that the church is not doing its job. Pastors will be equipping parents to obey The Great Commission on a daily basis.

We will cast vision to the Christian community. We will provide tools and resources such as books, E-books, and small group materials to facilitate discipleship. We will provide website resource access to DLJ leadership, other families who are involved in discipleship, and local advocates. A global map of churches and families who are making disciples of children will be employed to identify progress, areas that need to be represented and to connect families.

We will develop a diverse leadership team in order to reach out to these groups. Regional DLJ and Denominational leaders will be equipping and encouraging pastors and parents to follow Jesus in His discipleship methods.

Working Definition of "Disciple"

To disciple someone, as Christ has taught us and commanded us, is to reproduce another in one's own likeness: their way of thinking, their deeds, their passion, their commitment, and their obedience.  To "disciple like Jesus" is to follow in His footsteps; to be a shepherd to sheep.  In a sense to father, to nurture, and to duplicate Christ's efforts in reproducing those who will glorify God as they live their life as an example for others.

Evangelism

We believe that the primary purpose of life is to glorify God and to attain eternal life through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as our Lord. This begins within our own families and then we must reach out to a suffering humanity.

But this is only the first step in making disciples.  We must follow Jesus in the way that He made disciples.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

The Institution of the Family

We believe that the institution of the family is sacred; marriage is a covenant designed by God to model the love of Christ for His people. When God joins a man with his wife, this is the biblical foundation upon which children are brought into the world. Families are the building block for making disciples of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 19:4-6 And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' 5 and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

The Value of Children

We believe that children are a heritage from the Lord and a blessing from His hand. It is the parents' responsibility to  raise, shape and prepare them for service to God and man.  Parent's will be held accountable by God for the discipleship of their children.

Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Board of Advisors

Our ministry is made up of a fairly diverse group of laymen and pastors.  Churches represented so far include a Bible Church, a Community Church, Independent Baptist, Southern Baptist, Presbyterian Church of America, and Reformed Baptist.  We are reaching out to Bible believing Christians who want to literally follow Jesus' methods.

• Alan Melton, Founder
• Brian Byars
• Daniel Mac
  
• Gary Lawhorne
  
• Macky Pittman
• Dr. Steve Rayburn
• Rev. Craig Reimer
• Dr. Keith Sherlin

Ministry Endorsements

"Disciple Like Jesus has the right idea. Their emphasis on parental discipleship is much needed, as we often seem to forget that one's own children provide the greatest opportunity and need for discipleship."

Dr. Christopher Cone, President, Tyndale Theological Seminary

"Disciple Like Jesus has gotten it right. If we are to see young men and women who look like Christ, then we must disciple as Christ did. In Disciple Like Jesus for Parents, you'll be challenged to realize the death of "because I said so." Our children are reading our actions because they have been engineered by God to do so. Will they see Jesus or a detached set of beliefs you once held? Discipling our children is the longest running gig we'll have, we've got to get it right!"

Meeke Golden Addison, American Family Association, and Mother of Two

"If there is any pressing need in the Church today it is to get back to the model of Biblical discipleship and education. As the Lord would have it, I just recently had a conversation with a parent (and grandparent) concerning their own responsibility to teach and disciple their children and that, that responsibility did not fall upon the local Church. I stated, that the local church and its ministries are only there to buttress that which should already be going on in the home. The training up of children and youth has always been the God given responsibility of the parents and not the Church or government.  The Scripture, as well as history can testify to the strength and well-being of a generation that have been told of the works of the Lord by their parents. Because this is the stance and passion of Disciple Like Jesus I am pleased to endorse its ministry."

"The present atmosphere in the United States and around the world demands that parents take up the call to actually engage in proactive parenting. Disciple Like Jesus has the compass pointed in the right direction. If you are convinced of the need to disciple your own child instead of hoping someone else will, Disciple Like Jesus offers much needed help."

Dr. Steve Spurlin, Pastor/Teacher, Viola First Baptist Church

"Disciple Like Jesus gets it. The key to reaching the world tomorrow is discipling our children today."

Rick Osborne, Best-Selling Christian Parenting Author

"DISCIPLE LIKE JESUS FOR PARENTS is a must-read for every parent in America. In an age when Christians routinely lose their children to depravity by the end of college, Alan Melton and Paul Dean show us how to stop the trend. Their practical application of Biblical principles of discipleship to parenting can rescue an entire generation from disaster. I urge parents to read this book and pass it along to every parent you know."

Dr. Craig Bailey, Director, Buncombe Baptist Association, Asheville, NC

"Alan Melton and Paul Dean hit a homerun with their book and supporting materials under the title Disciple Like Jesus. Parents will find many ideas for spiritual formation in the home in this book and I highly recommend Disciple Like Jesus."

Dr. Tom Cocklereece, Simple Discipleship

"Just like feeding your child a meal once a week is far from enough for even basic survival, going to church or Sunday school once a week is not nearly enough spiritual food to grow a healthy faith. Instead, parents/grandparents must surround their kids with opportunities to grow and mature spiritually. Though this may sound like a daunting task, the Disciple Like Jesus books provide several ways to learn how to do this. While not every idea provided will work for every household, if you want to take your family new levels of faith you will definitely find both help and inspiration through the DLJ ministry and its resources."

Cheryl Pickett, Author

"I just cannot say enough good things about this book from Alan Melton and Paul Dean. As the founder of FamilyDads.com and the owner of DadResources.com, an online bookstore and resource site for parents, I receive books in the mail regularly from authors and publishers asking me to carry theirs on my site and promote it. With only so much time available to review new titles, I have to be somewhat selective in what I choose to personally read.

Disciple Like Jesus For Parents is one such book I chose. I found myself underlining much of the text and writing personal notes and affirmations in the margins of most pages. When this happens, I know I've found a book I want to include in my store and let other parents know about. Perhaps the two aspects I like most about this book are the abundance of scripture quotes with references, and the many practical applications, suggestions, and pointers the authors give us. For example, Chapter 8 doesn't just tell us in vague terms to build relationships and "community" in our homes, but gives practical ways of doing so, with a list of at least 20 indoor and outdoor activities that can be done together as a family.

Since both authors are parents themselves, their advice is not coming from inexperience and "theory," but rather from the perspective of what has (and hasn't) worked in training and discipling their own children.

If your heart is turned to your children, and you are looking for a Biblically sound, practical resource to disciple them in your Christian faith, (did I mention practical?), I strongly recommend you pick up a copy of Disciple Like Jesus For Parents and read it with pen in hand.

You'll gain wise words and useful, Biblical insights in your journey as a parent with your children."

Joey Watkins. Family Dads