eDNA – Ecclesiological DNA

Dear Discipleship-first Friends,

As our host church for the 2025 National Disciple Making Forum, we would be remiss if we didn’t take this opportunity to share our deepest gratitude for our partner, Church Project, for providing the space and resources for this year’s Forum location. Today’s blog post is authored by Jason Shepperd, who planted Church Project in 2010. Church Project will be leading breakouts on Micro Church Discipling at the Forum in Houston on May 7^th & 8^th.

Church Project began as a pursuit to return to what Jesus originally intended for the church to be. A deep study of the church biblically, historically, and globally revealed what I defined as “eDNA – Ecclesiological DNA”. This DNA of the structure of the church was given early, and should be applied to all people, in all places, at all times.

The elements of this eDNA are:

• Decentralized from Primary Place and Priest
• Distributed Pastoral Leadership
• Diverse Discipleship Communities

Paul told Titus: “The reason I left you in Crete was to…straighten out what was unfinished… appoint elders in every town as I directed you…teach what is in accord with sound doctrine…”

Paul gave Titus a blueprint for pastoring the island of Crete. Paul shared the gospel, people became followers of Jesus, and Paul planted a church. But then Paul left to do what Paul was primarily called to do, and he sent Titus, but with clear instructions on the role Titus was to assume–and not assume.

DECENTRALIZED FROM PRIMARY PLACE AND PRIEST

Paul did not want Titus to be heading to every town in Crete to pastor people in the places where they lived. And Paul did not want all of the people to leave their towns and travel to a primary place, for a primary pastor in Titus.

Paul wanted the ministry in Crete to be DECENTRALIZED from primary place, and primary priest. Though Paul came from the background of primary place–the temple or the synagogue, Paul knew now that the believers themselves were the “temple of the Holy Spirit,” and there was a “priesthood of all believers.”

DISTRIBUTED PASTORAL LEADERSHIP

Paul did not want Titus to assume the role of pastoring all of Crete. The weight would have been too much. Paul told Titus to choose godly people to pastor the believers, wherever they lived. Paul wanted all people to have access to a pastor. If that had to happen through Titus, that would be overwhelming for Titus. And it would be limiting the pastoring that needed to be available to all of the people. And… it would be robbing other qualified people from fulfilling their calling.

Paul told Titus to look for certain qualifications, and likely and certain qualities, for the churches that would be meeting in homes throughout Crete. And, Paul wanted Titus to ensure that sound doctrine was being taught by each of the pastors to all of the people. So, Titus’ primary role became to select, prepare, and oversee all of the pastors who were pastoring all of the people, and DISTRIBUTE the pastoral responsibilities to them.

DIVERSE DISCIPLESHIP COMMUNITIES

The church should pursue the diversity commanded in Scripture. DIVERSITY is multi-layered: generational, socio-economic, spiritual maturity, cultural, marital. The church in Scripture had rich and poor, mature and immature believer, married and unmarried/divorced/widow/never married, different colors of skin and customs and backgrounds…

Diversity is truly tested not in large auditoriums, but in small living rooms and around kitchen tables. Many people have never been in a committed community with true layers of diversity.

Church is most often referred to as family, much more than friends. Yet, the construct of community in most churches is towards homogenous life-stage friendships, rather than heterogenous diverse families.

Diversity is forced by gathering geographically. Gathering geographically accomplishes several beautiful benefits:

• It keeps community within proximity. Community is more sustainable within proximity. I have less travel time to get to my House Church. My kids are going to school with other kids from House Church, parents know one another, we’re shopping at the same grocery stores, same coffee shops, etc.
• Removes administrative complexities and structures for connecting people into homogenous groups. People simply find the House Church closest to them and go there.
• The only distinction of a House Church is its geography, not its affinity. So, people know they will be accepted, as there are not special identifiers for this community.

At Church Project we have House Churches filled with married and unmarried, older and younger, rich and poor, and different stages of spiritual maturity. The spiritually mature are discipling the spiritually young. The older are mentoring the younger in marriage and parenting and life. Those with financial resources are helping those in need. It’s a beautiful diverse family.

Join Jason Shepperd from Church Project at the 2025 National Disciple Making Forum on May 7^th & 8^th in Houston.