Effectiveness of discipleship program in Romblon Mission : a case study

The key to Christian spiritual growth and church growth is discipleship. This is emphasized in Christ’s Great Commission to the disciples before His ascension. The issue of members leaving the Adventist Church is primarily attributed to the discipleship practices of the church. In Romblon, the Adventist Church experiences challenges in retaining new members. Many of them do not attend church for a few months after baptism. The church record reveals a high attrition rate among recently baptized members. This study explored the discipleship practices of the Adventist Church in Romblon Mission and developed discipleship strategies to address the issue of retention. Using a qualitative case study design, the research gathered data through interviews and focus group discussions from 15 participants. These participants included pastors, active members, and inactive members. The analysis revealed three major findings: (a) new converts often leave due to limited spiritual engagement, inadequate pastoral visitation, and poorly designed nurturing programs; (b) existing discipleship efforts, such as care groups, suffer from low commitment, weak institutional support, and unclear direction; and (c) effective discipleship requires continuous spiritual guidance, relational support, member empowerment, and contextualized engagement strategies. This study concludes that Romblon Mission needs a sustainable discipleship structured mentoring, consistent pastoral presence, and culturally relevant approaches. This study developed contextualized strategies based on the framework identified in this study. These are training, follow-up care, and leadership support.