ABOUT DLN

47,000 Plus Southern Baptist Churches

These churches are dependent upon leaders who are called or hired, and who possess the competencies needed to lead the church to develop a healthy disciplemaking environment. While many of these churches function with a full-time, part-time, or bi-vocational leader, there are countless others that have more than one pastoral, ministry, or director level staff member. This means there could be 40,000 – 100,000 SBC church leaders (pastoral, ministry, or director level) at any given time who are tasked with equipping the church to make disciples.

Church Leaders from a Variety of Backgrounds

Some are seminary trained, some have never attended seminary, and others are new to serving in a church environment. Whatever their background, they are sometimes placed in positions that demand thinking and ministry competencies that they might not have learned or developed, thus creating a challenge for both them and their churches. If they don’t connect with others and seek wise counsel, they and their churches could experience disappointing, discouraging, and, at times, disastrous outcomes. Sadly, these leaders come and go in churches without ever reaching their full potential or helping their churches reach their full potential.

Additionally, experienced, and seasoned leaders desperately need connections that will help them continue to grow, remain healthy, and sharpen their disciplemaking skills.

This is the DLN Space

This is the space in which the Disciple Leaders Network (DLN) is serving. DLN’s vision is to champion disciple leaders so they can experience success in equipping the church to make disciples.

Strategic Objectives

• Discover the Relational — Connect disciple leaders with church, organizational, and denominational leaders to foster mentoring and lifelong relationships—Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11, CSB)
• Develop the Leader — Connect disciple leaders with organizations, leaders, and resources that will help them develop the competencies needed to continue being leaders worthy of imitation—Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith. (Hebrews 13:7, CSB)
• Deliver the Practical — Connect disciple leaders with biblical and practical disciplemaking solutions, resources, ideas, and strategies—Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10, CSB)

Since 1955 

In 1955, there were three distinct regional Southern Baptist associations that supported what was then called Christian or Religious Education. The Baptist Sunday School Board (LifeWay), at the invitation of these three associations, led the effort to unite these three groups into one organization, the Southern Baptist Religious Education Association (SBREA). Over the years there have been additional opportunities to unite with other Baptist associations such as the Baptist Religious Educators Association of the Southwest (BREAS). In 2001, SBREA changed its name to Baptist Association of Christian Educators (BACE).

Because of the changing church practice landscape, another strategic pivot was made between 2015 and 2021. In 2022 the pivot was completed with a commitment to move forward by expanding the ministry and identifying the ministry as the Disciple Leaders Network in order to better describe the new focus. Disciple Leaders Network is pursuing ways to fill a leadership vacuum that has left many church leaders wondering how they can provide what is necessary to equip their local church to make disciples.

Today, Disciple Leaders Network stands ready to serve the next generation of disciple making leaders, however that ministry might be defined by the local church.

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