Date of Award

3-6-2025

Document Type

Project Portfolio

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Department

Seminary

First Advisor

H. Colleen Butcher, DMin

Second Advisor

Martina Hagler, DMin

Third Advisor

Leonard I. Sweet, PhD

Abstract

The Big Top of Bel Air Church is a breathtaking space where God’s grand story unfolds, yet it has struggled to provide a unified biblical framework for discipleship. The problem, as outlined in my NPO statement, is that the Church lacks an agreed-upon common biblical framework needed to constructively engage the work God has entrusted the Church to do, resulting in silence, spiritual immaturity, and disunity. Political partisanship, fear, and a lack of relational and spiritual maturity have further strained the ability of believers to grow together in Christ.

A key insight emerged through extensive research: the Church’s struggle is not simply about engaging controversial topics but about the absence of a shared why that unites believers beyond doctrinal and methodological differences. Interviews revealed that before engaging in difficult conversations, the Church needed a shared understanding of its purpose (God’s mission) and a discipleship framework expansive enough to welcome all without reinforcing division. The research affirmed that discipleship must prioritize relational and spiritual formation over rigid doctrinal alignment, creating space for learning, unlearning, and transformation.

Bel Air Church in Los Angeles, CA, is a large Presbyterian (USA) congregation with a multi-ethnic, politically diverse, and denominationally varied community reaching over 10,000 people worldwide. This complex ministry context required a discipleship model that could unify rather than divide—a structure that did not rely on denominational distinctives but instead provided shared center poles that supported the breadth of God’s work.

In response, I developed the Equip Resource, an 8-volume discipleship curriculum designed to stretch the Big Top wide, creating space for all to engage in God’s mission. By prioritizing why the Church exists before prescribing how discipleship happens, this resource establishes a framework where believers can confidently step into their role in God’s awe-inspiring, transformative story.

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