Relational Discipleship Network
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Shift your church to one that makes disciples of Jesus through coaching, training and equipping
The Relational Discipleship Network (RDN) is a missions organization. Our mission is to restore The Great Commission to the Church in America and beyond. The RDN stands as a dynamic faith-based missions organization committed to equipping churches and leaders to fulfill the Great Commission through relational disciple-making. Rooted in the belief that Jesus provided the most effective model for discipleship, RDN empowers pastors and church communities to cultivate cultures where discipleship is not just taught—but lived. (Matthew 28:16-20)
A Mission to our Jerusalem, first and foremost! The RDN is a Missions organization focused on our Jerusalem, reaching the American Church! When we forget to look after what we have right in front of us, it can be hard to tell that things are beginning to die. As many of our RDN partner churches have realized, neglecting our mission to make disciples in our home, church, and community comes at a high cost. If we continue to do what we have always done, we will get what we already have! It is our heart to come alongside the American Church and help her regain her first and only commission, to make Disciples as Jesus did.
09/21/2026
Most conferences teach. DiscipleShift trains.
This week in Pearland, pastors, leaders, facilitators, and disciple-makers gathered for a hands-on experience focused on helping churches create healthy disciple-making cultures.
At DiscipleShift, leaders don't simply hear about relational disciple-making.
They experience it.
Through table discussions, small groups, practical training, and meaningful conversations, participants explore Jesus' method and model of disciple-making in a relational environment.
Because we believe the message matters.
But the method matters too.
Thank you to everyone who invested their time this week to learn, grow, and take another step toward creating disciple-making cultures in their churches and communities. Special thanks to Crosspoint Church for hosting us and the incredible photos!
The conference may be over.
The disciple-making continues.
09/20/2026
We're honored to celebrate Chris Whitney, founder and CEO of One Generation Away, who was recently recognized as a 2026 Nashville Titan 100 Honoree and had the opportunity to speak at a TEDx Nashville event. One Generation Away is a ministry committed to eliminating food insecurity by bringing healthy food directly to people in need while sharing hope, dignity, and compassion.
What stood out most in Chris Whitney's response to this recognition wasn't the award itself. It was where he placed the credit.
The volunteers who show up before sunrise.
The donors who quietly make the mission possible.
The leaders who believed in the vision.
The people who continue serving week after week because they believe no one should go hungry.
That perspective reflects something we deeply value at RDN: healthy leadership is never just about the leader. It is about developing people, investing in others, and building something that will continue long after we're gone.
Through the work of One Generation Away, nearly 50 million meals have been distributed across 10 states, helping meet practical needs while creating opportunities to serve and care for people in tangible ways.
One of the things we appreciate most about One Generation Away is that their mission goes beyond food distribution. Volunteers pray with families at distributions, creating opportunities to offer encouragement, hope, and personal connection alongside practical support.
We're grateful for leaders like Chris Whitney and ministries like One Generation Away that continue making a Kingdom impact by serving others with humility, dignity, and compassion.
Leadership isn't about making your footprint bigger than your foot. It's about helping others leave theirs.
Congratulations, @ and One Gen Away on this well-deserved recognition.
09/18/2026
Relational environments don't happen by accident.
Great small groups are about more than gathering people in a room and hoping meaningful conversations happen.
The environment matters.
Can people be honest?
Do they feel heard?
Is there space for reflection, vulnerability, and growth?
Will people be met with curiosity rather than correction?
The healthiest groups create environments where people can be known, challenged, encouraged, and transformed.
That's why we've developed 13 Small Group Guidelines to help facilitators create spaces where relationships can deepen and discipleship can flourish.
In this carousel, we're sharing 5 of those guidelines:
Listen to Understand
Resist the Urge to Rescue
Resist the Urge to Fix
Pause
Fight for Relationship
These principles help equip facilitators to move groups beyond surface-level conversation and into deeper relationships with God and one another.
Because healthy groups don't just create discussion.
They create environments where transformation can happen.
RDN members can access the complete set of guidelines at rdn.org.
Which of these guidelines do you think would strengthen most small groups today?
Questions open doors that answers cannot.
Many group leaders feel pressure to have the right answer.
To be the expert.
To solve the problem.
To keep the conversation moving.
But some of the most meaningful moments in disciple-making happen because a leader asked a thoughtful question and then listened.
Questions help people process.
Questions reveal what people are really thinking.
Questions uncover what's happening beneath the surface.
Questions create opportunities for people to wrestle with what God may be teaching them.
Jesus often used questions, not because He lacked answers, but because questions have a unique way of engaging the heart.
Great facilitators understand that their role isn't to dominate the conversation.
It's to help create conversations where people can engage with God, Scripture, and one another in meaningful ways.
Sometimes the next step in someone's growth isn't found in a better answer.
It's found in a better question.
What's one question you've found especially helpful in a small group conversation?
Visit rdn.org to hear the rest of the conversation from our podcast on Small Group Best Practices.
Small groups can be a powerful tool for disciple-making.
But small groups and discipleship are not the same thing.
For years, many churches have measured success by participation.
How many groups do we have?
How many people are connected?
How many people showed up?
Those numbers matter.
But they don't tell the whole story.
People can sit in a group for years and never move toward maturity in Christ.
They can attend every week and never learn to disciple someone else.
They can enjoy community without experiencing transformation.
That's why this statement is so important:
The goal isn't getting people into groups.
The goal is making disciples.
Healthy groups are environments where people become more like Jesus, become more Kingdom-minded, and help others do the same.
Groups are a tool.
Disciple-making is the mission.
Thank you James Brummett for sharing the insights from your journey on our podcast "Why I No Longer Lead an Attractional Church Model." (Watch the full podcast at rdn.org).
What do you think is the biggest difference between a group that gathers and a group that makes disciples?
09/15/2026
How do you know if your small group is actually helping people become like Jesus?
A group can be full.
People can attend regularly.
Conversations can happen every week.
And yet discipleship can still be missing.
Healthy small groups are more than gatherings. They're environments where people are becoming more like Jesus and helping others do the same.
That's why it's important to periodically step back and ask:
Are people being honest about what's really happening in their lives?
Are participants growing or just accumulating information?
Are relationships extending beyond the group meeting?
Is anyone investing in others?
Would the group continue to thrive if the leader stepped away?
These aren't questions of attendance.
They're questions of transformation.
The goal of a small group isn't simply connecting people.
The goal is helping people follow Jesus, grow in community, and become disciple-makers.
Healthy groups don't just gather people.
They help people become more like Jesus and more committed to His Kingdom.
Which sign do you see most often in struggling groups?
Getting people into small groups isn't the goal.
Making disciples is.
Small groups can be an incredible tool for disciple-making.
But attendance doesn't automatically produce transformation.
People can gather regularly, enjoy community, and have meaningful conversations without ever growing in obedience to Jesus.
That's why intentionality matters.
Disciple-making happens when people are helping one another follow Jesus, apply God's Word, take steps of obedience, and invest in others.
The goal isn't simply getting people connected.
The goal is helping people become disciples who make disciples.
Small groups can be one of the best environments for that mission.
But the mission must remain the mission.
A healthy small group isn't the finish line.
Helping people become disciples Jesus is.
You can watch the full conversation from our podcast "Why I no Longer Lead an Attractional Church Model" at rdn.org.
09/14/2026
This Grandparents Day, we're grateful for the grandparents who have faithfully invested in the next generation.
Many of us can trace our faith journey back to a grandparent who prayed for us, encouraged us, brought us to church, shared Scripture, modeled faithfulness, or simply lived a life that pointed us toward Jesus.
Long before most of us understood the term disciple-making, many grandparents were already doing it.
Not through a program.
Not through a curriculum.
Through consistent presence, intentional investment, and everyday faithfulness.
Their influence reminds us that some of the most impactful disciple-making happens in ordinary moments and through ordinary relationships.
The Great Commission has always been about helping others follow Jesus, and some of the greatest examples of that calling are found around kitchen tables, family gatherings, and conversations between generations.
Today we celebrate grandparents who continue to invest in people and leave a legacy of faith that extends far beyond themselves.
Special thanks to Sherri Miles for the cute photo.
Who is a grandparent or older mentor who helped shape your walk with Christ?
09/13/2026
There is something powerful about bringing disciple-makers together from around the world to learn, encourage one another, and sharpen their vision for the mission Jesus gave us.
We're grateful to celebrate what God did through International Discipleship Week at Real Life Ministries - Post Falls .
This year, 41 ministry leaders representing 24 churches across 8 countries gathered for four days of training focused on creating and multiplying disciple-making cultures within their churches.
The week included main sessions, breakout trainings, table discussions, small groups, and opportunities to experience relational discipleship in action. For 18 participants, it was their first visit to Real Life Ministries.
A special thank you to the 25 host families who opened their homes throughout the week. Their generosity and hospitality made a lasting impact on ministry leaders from around the world.
What makes this ministry especially meaningful is that the relationships don't end when the week is over. Throughout the year, these leaders continue meeting with coaches, receiving encouragement, support, and practical guidance as they work to create disciple-making cultures in their churches and communities.
As participants return home, they do so encouraged to be disciples first, make disciples, and help cultivate disciple-making cultures in their churches and communities.
We're grateful for ministries like Real Life Ministries International Discipleship that invest in leaders and help relational disciple-making multiply around the world.
To God be the glory.
Photo Credit: Real Life Ministries - Post FallsReal Life Ministries - Post Falls
09/11/2026
Disciple-making churches don't just ask, "Where do we need help?"
They ask, "How has God already wired this person?"
Too often, ministry opportunities are built around organizational needs rather than God's design.
God has uniquely entrusted every believer with gifts, experiences, passions, relationships, and opportunities that can be used to advance His Kingdom.
Some people know exactly how they're wired.
Many don't.
That's where leadership and disciple-making become so important.
One of the greatest privileges we have as leaders is helping people discover how God has gifted them and where those gifts can make an eternal impact.
Not everyone is called to the same expression of ministry.
Some will lead.
Some will coach.
Some will mentor.
Some will serve behind the scenes.
Some will create welcoming environments.
Some will care for people in crisis.
Some will impact people that church staff may never reach.
The goal isn't to find a role for everyone.
The goal is to help people faithfully steward what God has entrusted to them.
Because when people begin using their gifts for God's purposes, they often discover something bigger than a volunteer opportunity.
They discover purpose.
And they discover the joy of participating in God's work in the lives of others.
Healthy churches don't just fill ministry needs.
They help people discover where their God-given gifts can have Kingdom impact.
What is one gift or strength you've seen God use in someone else's life?
Thanks to life texas for some of the photos!
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