Heart to Heart: A Discipleship and Mentoring Plan

By Robin R. Ulbredtch

Have you ever experienced the transforming love and power of God as He poured His grace into your heart? Have you ever experienced the cleansing, healing, and restoration of your heart and life? Have you ever experienced a passion for telling your story and sharing the news of God’s transforming power with others?

HEART to heart: A Discipleship and Mentoring Plan can help those with a heart to share God’s love through these vital pursuits. Reaching out with God’s love can be done as individuals or in small or large groups. The HEART to heart Plan offers Christian believers a set of guidelines for creating discipleship and mentoring programs in their churches or as outreaches that come under the authority of Jesus Christ and the local church.

As the world becomes more evil and more threatening, the HEART to heart Plan can help set up places of support where people can come and get encouragement, love, prayer, and help in dealing with the issues of life. HEART to heart groups can also offer a demonstration of God’s love in action: believers reach out, and God uses them to demonstrate His transforming power and love—that He has poured into their hearts by the Holy Spirit—to share with others.

In the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV, Jesus commands believers to “go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; (…).”

The HEART to heart Plan provides believers with an opportunity to be used by Jesus to help others overcome broken hearts and lives through sharing God’s word, their gifts and testimonies, and, most of all, love.

“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5 NKJV)

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jul 20, 2011
• ISBN: 9781449746704

Robin R. Ulbredtch

Robin Ulbredtch, a born-again believer, has served the Lord in northern Idaho for thirty years in various ministries including children’s ministry, mission and shelter ministry, and teaching God’s word. She holds an AA in journalism and is working toward a BS in education.

Book preview

Copyright © 2011 Robin R. Ulbredtch

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Family and Author photographs by Steve Ulbredtch

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4497-1764-3 (sc)

ISBN13: 978-1-4497-1764-3 (ebook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011930025

WestBow Press rev. date: 7/12/2011

Contents

LIST OF FIGURES

Preface

Chapter 1

Introduction

Chapter 2

The Discipleship and Mentoring Plan

HEART to heart Program Rules:

Chapter 3

Jesus is the Center

Chapter 4

The Team Meeting

Chapter 5

Small Discipleship Groups

Chapter 6

Church Authority and Leadership

Chapter 7

Choosing Group Leaders

Chapter 8

Choosing Discipleship Materials

Chapter 9

Bringing it all Together

Appendix A

Chart 1: Chain of Authority

Chart 2: Monthly Team

Meeting Agenda

Chart 3: Sharing Time

Ideas for Women

Chart 4: Sharing Time

Classes for Women

Chart 5: Sharing Time

Ideas for Men

Chart 6: Sharing Time

Classes for Men

Reproducibles

Congregational Survey Form

HEART to heart Membership List

HEART to heart Member Information Sheet

Team Meeting Yearly Attendance Chart

HEART to heart

Communication Card

End Notes

This book is dedicated to:

Jesus, my Savior and Lord, for paying the price for my sins, for saving me, and for all the wonderful things He has done, is doing, and will do in my life.

My family, especially my husband, Steve, for their patience and assistance in helping make this dream become a reality.

Pastor Wesley Ribeiro and the Elders, Deacons and their wives from Sandpoint Christian Center who counseled and encouraged me to step out and do what I believe God has asked me to do.

Leitha Harvey for believing in me, encouraging, helping, and standing beside me when I needed it the most. Thanks to Leitha for the many encouraging words she spoke that spurred me on to write. She is an excellent example of a Godly woman, and she has taught me many things! I hope someday that, like her, I can stand up, believe in, and spur someone else on like she has done for me. I hope I can be this kind of Godly example to others.

All the brothers and sisters in Christ who have encouraged and prayed for me over the years.

C. Max (Corky) and Gail Kalben for their encouragement and support over the years as I helped and interacted with them at the Bonner Gospel Mission.

Nils Rosdahl, Journalism Instructor at North Idaho College in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, for taking his time and dedicating his life to teaching me and many other students how to write.

May God bless you all!

God’s Infinite Love

By Robin Ulbredtch

I recently learned of a wonderful thing—

God’s love for man, His created being.

God sacrificed His Only Son

so the souls of men might be won.

When we’re born again and follow His rules,

God gives us treasure worth more than jewels.

He gives salvation to those who follow—

and keeps their lives from being hollow.

With salvation, when we believe—

God’s precious gifts, we will receive.

He gives us guidance from above.

He fills our lives with His great love.

God gives us everything we need.

He’ll guide us if, His Word we’ll heed.

God forgives all our sin—

if we repent and ask Him in.

So do not worry and do not grieve—

in His hands, your burdens leave.

Pray for guidance from above,

and know His answer comes in love.

God always does what’s best for us

If in Him, we’ll put our trust.

For God’s love was proven by His grace—

when He died on the cross to take our place.

So why not do it today?

Learn about Jesus and live life His way.

Then best of all, we’ll have a friend