Discipleship with Katelyn Sullins
Today I’m interviewing my friend Katelyn Sullins on the topic of discipleship. Katelyn is a pursuer of delight, cultivating reflections of the God in whom it is found. She lives in Tyler, TX with her husband, Tyler, who is a counselor and her precious dog, River. Katelyn is the current Forge Women’s director at Pine Cove. I’ve watched her make disciples in a variety of contexts and know that we all have a lot to learn from her. This is one of my favorite topics in all the world and I can't wait to share our chat with you today! As always, thanks for listening!
I get so fired up talking about discipleship and have absolutely experienced what Katelyn was talking about when she said that discipleship is a mutual transformation. I left this conversation inspired to continue pursuing discipleship relationships both as a disciple and disciple maker. If you want to learn more from Katelyn, be sure to follow her on social media at the handles listed in the show notes.
On another note, ya’ll blew me away with your receptivity to the launch last week! Thank you for submitting reviews and sharing the show with friends. That’s truly the most helpful thing you can do to help the Journeywomen Podcast! I really appreciate it. Looking forward to being with you guys again next Monday! Follow along throughout the week @journeywomenpodcast on Facebook or Instagram. See you guys next week!
Tell us about your job and how it enables you to make disciples.
Before we get any further -- what is discipleship?
When were you introduced to the idea of making disciples? What has been your most potent lesson in disciple making? (Whether that's from having been discipled yourself, or from practicing making disciples.)
Is there a difference between formal discipleship and general discipleship? Is it important for us to submit ourselves to a mentor/disciple/maker? Why? Or why not?
Are there any prerequisites for a disciple maker? Would you suggest knowing the mentor/mentee for awhile before defining your relationship?
Do you have any go-to lessons that you're trying to walk through with your disciples?
What are the most important elements of discipleship?
What are some of your favorite tools for discipleship?
For someone who hasn't ever been discipled or made disciples, how would you suggest they begin learning/developing those tools?
How has discipleship changed you?
3 Questions I ask every guest:
What are your top 3 discipleship resources? (IG accounts, books, groups, podcasts, whatever!)
What are 3 of your simple joys?
Who has had the biggest influence in your own journey with Jesus?
Note Worthy Quotes:
"Discipleship is a relationship with a learner who is following to be like his leader. Not just to know what his leader knows, but to be as his leader is. For us, discipleship to Jesus is a direct adherence to the person of Christ in as many ways as you can."
"James K. Smith: “A re-habituation of loves.” As we learn to follow Christ in a way that makes us like him, we are going to have to love with he loves. And in order to actually do that, I’m going too have to change my habits and what I’m actually doing."
"I was exposed to discipleship before I knew what it actually was. All of life we are looking to people to follow and imitate. We have no idea that as we follow someone that we might become like them. We were created to be in intimate community with one another. It makes sense that the Lord called us to do things together and to make disciples because it’s within our design to do things together and to imitate others."
"I remember things my parents did all growing up that were them taking really teachable moments that could have been preached to anyone in that position, but because they knew me, they used that specific moment to direct my heart towards Christ."
"If you ask me, 'What are the most important things in disciple-making?' I would say, 'Stop. Are you following Christ? What are you doing in your life to make sure you’re completely consumed by the affection of what Jesus has done for you on your behalf on the cross. THEN we can talk about what it looks like moving forward.'"
"Discipleship is a mutual transformation, absolutely."
"How do you know when you’re ready to make a disciple? Do you follow Jesus? If so, you’re ready to make a disciple."
"In order to make a disciple, you need to be a disciple yourself. That’s it."
"In terms of principle lessons that are go-to’s when you’re making a disciple, those evolve and change, because you’re making disciples as a product of what it looks like for you to follow Christ. So the more you’re learning, the more you’re changing in what you’re pouring out."
"The first three times I’m meeting with a girl, we’ll do nothing but get to know each other. It’ll look like me exploring her for as much as I can possibly unfold. I want to know about her family, her heritage, where she came from, what the home she grew up in was like. That tells me so much about her. I want to know what other people in her family are like. I ask about her passions, her hopes, her dreams, her heartbreaks. I don’t even have a list, but as much as you can explore a person to simply get to know them as a best friend, because that builds relational capital in order for you to move forward where they even have a reason to listen to your feedback, because they have to know that you care. That’s where I start."
"What is that I personally need to see about myself that’s hindering me from following the Lord? The first go-to lesson is to somehow help them understand their design and who the Lord made them to be. Anything that can get us to see what makes their heart beat fast, what they love and what they hate, so that I can take all that, wrap it up in a pretty bow and present it to them in the form of feedback and present it to them."
"Along with talking about identity, the second pillar would be faith or fear. Show me you’re afraid of and I will show you the things that you worship. Our life is ordered behind keeping whatever it is that gives us that security. That has become our god. So much of our behavior is directed at and towards that. Knowing this will help us deconstruct a person and get down to the bare bones."
"For someone who is insecure about making disciples: Discipleship is a lifelong process. I hope that I am continually hit in the face with “Man, I didn’t know that about myself!” or “I knew that and I thought I was over it, but here I am right back again.” Give yourself the time and the grace to not know, understand, or be perfect. If you’re making disciples that’s what they need to see in their disciple-maker. That is is not about how you have it all together or that you understand this. They need to see what it’s like to follow Jesus in the midst of confusion and trust the he is enough regardless of how we can explain our theology of obedience. One: just take a chill pill and give yourself some time and two: there are a lot of great resources available to you."
"My most life altering lessons had less to do with what they were doing or teaching, but how they were leading me."
"Discipleship changed me because it revealed the massive mountain that is and was my sin. And at the same time, it made that sin look so small in the face of the Lord’s grace and love because of his massive plan to rescue his people."
Katelyn's Recommended Resources
The Handbook to Prayer Kenneth Boa
Reading the Gospels: look to Jesus as the ultimate disciple-maker and to the disciples for examples of ourselves
The Great Omission by Dallas Willard
The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
You are What You Love by James K.A. Smith
Katelyn’s Simple Joys
Clear American Sparkling Water
A Proper Theology of Sex (we’ll have to have Katelyn back on the show to discuss this topic!)
Hunter’s Grandma’s Bread Starter/Making Bread
IMPORTANT NOTE
Journeywomen interviews are intended to serve as a springboard for continued study in the context of your local church. While we carefully select guests each week, interviews do not imply Journeywomen's endorsement of all writings and positions of the interviewee or any other resources mentioned.
Affiliate links used are used where appropriate. Thank you for supporting the products that support Journeywomen!
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