DALLAS (BP) — Recognizing the important connection between discipleship and the local church, Lifeway Christian Resources President and CEO Ben Mandrell pledged to assist congregations in their calling to fulfill the Great Commission.

“Intentional, relational discipleship was the genius of Jesus’s strategy then and now,” he said. Mandrell told more than 10,000 messengers gathered at the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Dallas that the church flourishes when disciples are being formed.

“To be a disciple is to grow up in Christ and reach others for Christ, and Lifeway wants to do all that we can to help local churches do both well — to grow people up in Christ and to reach others for Christ,” he said.

Mandrell referenced a soon-to-be-released Lifeway Research study on discipleship. According to the findings, almost all churches have activities to help with discipleship, but only half have an intentional plan for moving people along in their spiritual growth. “They have a menu for discipleship but not any kind of map,” Mandrell said.

Having served as a pastor and church planter, Mandrell noted that pastors have a myriad of pressing needs and responsibilities. As such, establishing a discipleship plan requires more than just the senior pastor’s support. Here is where Lifeway can assist churches, he noted, with a new project called DisciplesPath.

The DisciplesPath process begins with a thorough assessment to gauge the health and status of discipleship in a local church. Mandrell said the goal is to help churches gain clarity on what’s working and what’s not when it comes to making disciples.

The assessment and follow-up training will help church leaders discern the model best suited to their church. “It’s not pre-packaged. It’s not one size fits all,” Mandrell said. Lifeway will have a suite of tools, resources, thought leadership and coaching to help leaders communicate the discipleship path to their people and fuel it with fresh resources.

Lifeway’s president then highlighted some of the ways the organization is already assisting local congregations in discipleship, including Sunday School and small group curriculum, Vacation Bible School and summer camps with more than 120,000 campers attending this year. He noted that camp staff are predominantly female and encouraged churches to send more young men to serve.

In discussing the Bibles Lifeway produces, Mandrell highlighted the “CSB Grace Bible.” The “CSB Grace Bible for Kids” is the first-of-its-kind Bible for readers with dyslexia. It is designed for kids ages 7-12 with an academically tested typeface and design principles developed by 2K/DENMARK and Cambridge University’s research department. Lifeway has also released an adult version of the Grace Bible.

Mandrell shared a note from the father of a child with dyslexia. The father said his son never wanted to read the Bible or take a Bible to church. “There was still a significant gap between learning to read at school and loving God’s Word at home and church,” the father said. “Then, by the grace of God, our son was gifted the ‘Grace Bible for Kids’ by our pastor, and his relationship with the Bible began to change.”

He said the Bible has been a “game changer” for his son and their family. “He cherishes his new Bible! It’s a Bible just for him and other kids with dyslexia, which makes him feel seen and known.”

At the time the “CSB Grace Bible for Kids” was released, Mandrell said, “Dyslexia shouldn’t keep kids from reading the Bible. At its core, the ‘CSB Grace Bible for Kids” is meeting the need of helping young readers interact and connect with God in a personal way through His Word.”

In his address to the Southern Baptist Convention SBC, Mandrell said this was the organization’s goal. “This is what we do at Lifeway,” he said. “We build things for the body of Christ, and we are here to serve you, Southern Baptists.”

During the time for questions, Mandrell was asked about the possibility of bringing back brick-and-mortar stores. He said Lifeway continues to study this extensively, but it is not feasible at this time. Still, he said, the organization is constantly exploring ways to place physical products in front of customers.

Mandrell also was asked about Lifeway Worship, which the organization had previously announced would be discontinued. “We made a mistake,” he said. “We were making a bigger difference in this space than we previously thought.” Mandrell said Lifeway Worship would continue serving local churches and leaders would enjoy upcoming developments.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Aaron Earls is a writer for LifeWay Christian Resources.)