The Presentation of Life Development Seminars as an Effective Program for Producing Fully Devoted Followers of Jesus Christ at Neighborhood Church

This project presents a program called Life Development Seminars (LDS) as an effective tool for producing a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ at Neighborhood Church in Castro Valley, California. This study attempts to prove that the teaching of discipleship material in seminar format is a critical factor for producing fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ at Neighborhood Church. The call to make disciples is examined in terms of the teachings of Jesus Christ and the early church, along with the current methods and challenges of discipleship.
Discipleship was found to be a biblical priority and a modern day challenge. In regards to the theological basis and characteristics of seminar-based discipleship, the LDS program was found to be biblically based and unique in its characteristics. The study found three guidelines that contributed to the successful design of the LDS program. The program was 1) based on a biblical model, 2) based on a proven successful model used at another church, and 3) based on careful customizing of a successful model to the specific needs of Neighborhood Church.

Two tools were used for evaluation: Life Development Seminar Evaluation Form and the Life Development Seminar Evaluation Survey. Results from these evaluation tools revealed a significant increase of growth in the lives of the participants in LDS. The Life Development Seminars were found to be an effective discipleship tool for the local church.