Downline’s Track at the 2017 National Forum titled, “Discipling Millennials” is about engaging the next generation of church leadership with the gospel.
As the future of the church, we must understand how to effectively disciple millennials—a generation with unique strengths, weaknesses, learning habits, and desires. Drawing from years of ministry experience and relevant Ph.D. and doctoral studies, the leaders of this track will address how and why the church is losing youth, what millennials need for a healthy discipleship, church structures, and practical models for discipling younger men and women.
As the church in the west continues to capitulate historic orthodoxy for cultural mores, it is imperative that the church offers young people biblical truth and a model for Christian living.
Downline Ministries is leading a track at this year’s National Disciple Making Forum.
This is one of the largest gatherings of disciple makers in North America with 65+ workshops, 30+ speakers, and 10+ tracks. Join us to learn practical ways to make disciples of Jesus this November 9-10. Register for the 2017 National Disciple Making Forum here.
Core Message of Downline
Downline exists to encourage a restoration of biblical discipleship in and through the local church.
Jesus’ model for evangelizing the world and maturing Christians is disciple making in the context of the local church. Discipling is not reserved for pastors and missionaries, but is the responsibility and privilege of every believer of Jesus Christ. Where the church has emphasized programs, events, and the celebrity pastor, we believe the biblical emphasis is upon the individual Christian and equipping them for the work of the ministry. Downline exists to walk along side, encourage, and call the church to recapture biblical, gospel-centered, disciple making pattered after our Lord.
More About Downline
Written by Downline
Downline was founded to address the lack of relational discipleship in the church. We believe that Jesus’ discipleship relationship with the 12 Apostles set the pattern for every believer and is Christ’s means for evangelizing the world and producing mature Christians. Sadly, we were not seeing with any consistency this type of discipling happening in the local church.
As we probed elders, lay leaders, and church members we found that Christians were not making disciples for two reasons: First, Christians are intimidated by their lack of biblical knowledge, and second, most Christians, having never been discipled, don’t know what it means to make disciples or what it looks like.
Downline was founded to resource the local church and train church members in these two areas.
The Downline Institute addresses the two problems mentioned earlier: lack of bible comprehension and unfamiliarity with the task of disciple making. The Downline Institute consists of four hours of class a week for nine months. Over the course of the nine months students are taught their bibles from Genesis to Revelation, discipleship philosophy, and discipleship practice in the local church, the home, and their vocation. In addition to the Institute, Downline hosts an annual discipleship conference, writes curriculum, and hosts a blog and podcast to further equip and resource the church.
Our goal is to equip pastors, lay-leaders, and members alike for the task of biblical disciple making.
Leading this track is Dr. Kennon Vaughan, who serves as the Lead Pastor of Harvest Church in Memphis,TN, and President and Founder of Downline Ministries. A Memphis native and graduate of Auburn University (BA), Dallas Theological Seminary (MBS), and Gordon Conwell Theological (DMin), Kennon founded Downline in 2006 to encourage a restoration of biblical discipleship in and through the local church. He is married to Kathryn and dad to four amazing boys: Caleb, Luke, Jonathan and David.