Wisdom from our forthcoming book:

Life in 5-D: A New Vision of Discipleship

Dr. Charlie Self
with Dr. Johan Mostert, and Jamie Bolds, Ph.D. (c)
Foreword by Tom Nelson
Afterword by Scott A. Hagan

This fall, hopefully in October, our new Book, Life in 5-D will be available. We are excited to present the fruit of more than a decade of field research, listening to hundreds of leaders and learning from thousands of thoughtful people. We asked a simple and complex question, “What does a healthy follower of Jesus look like?” What are the OUTCOMES of a life devoted to Christ?

The revolution behind this question is seeing Christian formation as more than duties and programs. Discipline and organization are helpful, but they are the means to the biblical end: the very life of Jesus Christ being experienced and expressed through each follower of Jesus.

The Bible is clear about love for God and love for neighbor as the foundation of pleasing God and becoming more like Christ. But what do these twin commands look like in everyday life and who can we know we are making progress? The Great Commission that animates Church missionary activity is rooted in, “making disciples of all nations.” Since the mission is making disciples and making disciples in the mission, a picture of wholeness that in rooted in Scripture and empirically measurable will help us.

Over the past decade the authors have learned from many. The result is the first and only comprehensive assessment of wholeness that is both biblical and scientifically validated: the Discipleship Dynamics Assessment (DDA)™. You can find this amazing vision and tool here: www.discipleshipdynamics.com. It gives the person an accurate snapshot of how she is doing in 5 Dimensions and 35 Outcomes. If a leader creates a group (from a small group to a whole congregation), he receives a Dashboard on the group as a whole, while the individual results remain confidential. We hope you will enjoy this resource!

Our new book has been in formation since 2011 and we are excited to offer insights on these dimensions and outcomes, along with testimonies and practical helps for growth. Here are some of the endorsements we have received:

“Western Christianity is facing a crisis of authentic benchmarks. Our spiritual compass is spinning like fan blades as true north is constantly being redefined by new trends and temporary movements. Life in 5-D is an invitation to stop the madness and do a hard reset of Biblical standards that restore life, health, and balance.” (Gene Roncone, Superintendent, Rocky Mountain Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God)

Life in 5-D is a look at discipleship with a special focus on where we spend most of our productive week, what we do Monday through Friday. This integration of faith and work is often missing in our reflection about our walk and faith. So, this book not only causes us to reflect on what goes into discipleship but what that looks like in settings we usually do not think about when thinking about our spiritual growth and maturity before God. (Darrell Bock, Executive Director of Cultural Engagement at The Hendricks Center and Senior Research Professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas)

“What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? At one level, the answer is simple–learning to obey everything that Jesus commanded and modeled, in reliance on the Holy Spirit. And yet, we have a sense that we have lost our way, with too much attention on programs, and not enough attention on pursuing outcomes that align with the way of Jesus. Life in 5-D offers a much-needed correction, calling us back to a clear vision of the goal–being transformed into the likeness of Christ in every dimension of our lives.” (Matt Rusten, Executive Director, Made to Flourish)

We covet your prayers as we go to publication. As we were creating the assessment and book, a Children’s Pastor of a local church the Dimensions and said that he could teach them to 8-year-olds and 88-year-olds! Inspired by his hopefulness, here are five questions that bring together wholeness in Christ. We hope you are inspired to use this way of thinking as you go forward in life:

• How am I doing in my walk with God? Am I enjoying God and experiencing both comfort and conviction? (Spiritual formation)
• Am I overcoming my painful history and growing in hope? Am I allowing the Lord to help me manage my emotion and enjoy a clean conscience? (Personal wholeness)
• Are all my relationships becoming healthy? From marriage to ministry, personal and professional, am I learning to love others wisely? (Healthy relationships)
• Do I have a clear sense of calling or purpose that is more than my current job? Am I offering my gifts in service to God and the world? (Vocational clarity)
• Do I see the importance of economic wisdom and my daily work? (One child said, “I am doing my chores for Jesus!” – we like this!) Do I know that all my tasks are holy? (Economics and work)

I (Charlie) hope will be inspired to use these questions in your daily life of prayer and thoughtfulness. Let’s become part of a coming awakening that transforms individuals and communities, neighborhoods and nations.