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Systematic Discipleship
The 8 Facets of Spiritual Maturity
by Del Christman, Founder of Sandals Discipleship Ministries
When Jesus said “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded,” what is the all?
Systematic Discipleship is a complete, Scripture-derived approach to both halves of the Great Commission: bringing people to Christ and leading believers to maturity in Christ. The eight facets at its center are drawn from the life of the first church in Acts 2 and checked against every passage of the Gospels. Each chapter states a teaching point plainly and anchors it to a text, so Scripture carries the weight of every claim.
27
chapters in six parts
8
facets of spiritual maturity
170+
ready-to-use growth objectives
1,000+
Scripture passages cited
What's inside
- 01
Biblical Foundations
The gospel, the goal (conformed to the image of the Son), and God's means of change: Spirit and Word.
- 02
Why We Don't Disciple
An honest diagnosis of the hesitations and barriers, moving the reader from guilt to grace-motivated participation.
- 03
The Systematic Approach
The eight facets, the Spiritual Maturity Assessment and Landscape, growth objectives, and the discipleship pair.
- 04
Bringing People to Christ
A four-step Bear Witness pathway any believer can walk: pray by name, start conversations, share your story, share the gospel.
- 05
The Eight Facets in Depth
One chapter per facet, each with teaching, story, Scripture, and that facet's growth objectives.
- 06
A Discipleship Culture
From the coffee-shop pair to the congregation, and a closing charge to elders and pastors.
Every chapter closes with reflection questions, a “Practical Application: This Week,” and a prayer, so a discipleship pair can turn directly to the chapter they need.
For those who love paper
The Workbook Series
Eight workbooks, one per facet, carry the book's growth objectives onto the page. Each volume holds that facet's lessons in full: the objective, its scriptural themes, an Image of Christ, a meditation, and a “Walk it Out” week, with room to write and a tracking chart at the back. Everything in the app, in print, for a pair or group that would rather open a notebook than a screen.
- Worship God
- Know Christ
- Obey the Word
- Pray Continuously
- Live by the Spirit
- Bear Witness
- Serve One Another
- Be Holy
A full system, not a single book
The approach does not depend on a personality, a program calendar, or a platform, only on the Word, the Spirit, and one believer walking with another. What a church receives:
- A shared language: the eight facets of spiritual maturity
- The Spiritual Maturity Assessment and Landscape
- The complete growth-objective catalog, with a workbook per facet
- The Five M's relational model and a discipleship-pair quick reference
- The four-step Bear Witness pathway
- A facet color guide for marking Scripture and a starter guide to interpretation
The Sandals app puts the assessment, the curriculum, guided prayer, Bible study, and pair and group features into daily use, and the Shepherding Portal lets leaders see where the flock is growing.
Bring the book to your congregation
We work with churches to pair the book with the app and portal, so that reading turns into relationship and relationship turns into maturity in Christ.