Critical Review of Bill Clem’s “Disciple”

Abstract

More important than the activity of the disciple of Jesus stands the identity of the disciple of Jesus. This claim grounds the book, Disciple: Getting Your Identity from Jesus, whose author, Bill Clem, serves as the campus pastor at the largest campus of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. Clem has a variety of experiences within the church-at-large that has shaped his disciple-making principles. He has worked both from the administrative side of a large parachurch ministry and from the intimate pastoral side of a local church, so his perspective encompasses leaders and church members alike. In the foreword, senior pastor Mark Driscoll claims that this book "serves as the foundation for all of our discipleship at Mars Hill Church" (10). Such weighty claims deserve a close examination.