Guest User 2/27/14 Guest User 2/27/14

Meet Our New Editors

Jonathan Dodson, Brad Watson, and I talked a lot about the future of GCD when I became Director last August. We had dreams of publishing more books, discipling more authors, and finding more creative ways to resource local churches. These were big dreams, emphasis on the big and the dreams. We knew it would take a little time and a lot of work, but that we wanted to improve upon our continued goal of publishing resources that help make, mature, and multiple disciples of Jesus. At our board meeting earlier this year, these dreams quickly began to become realities. After much prayer, conversation, and the general angst that comes with several 5-hour white-boarding sessions, it was clear that a needed first step was to improve and expand upon our staff. And we've done just that. Allow me to introduce them to you:

Mathew Sims

Mathew now serves as Managing Editor of GCD.

He is the author of the stellar A Household Gospel: Fulfilling the Great Commission in Our Homes and writes for several websites, including his own site, Grace for Sinners. You've seen his work here at GCD already.

He has completed over forty hours of seminary work at Geneva Reformed Seminary. He works with technology by day and is married to LeAnn with three daughters. His family attends Downtown Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Greenville, SC.

Mathew's role at GCD will primarily be to solicit and edit articles, work with book authors on their projects, and directly lead our editorial team. His addition allows me to become Executive Director and to focus my time on leading and overseeing the mission and vision of GCD.

Matt Manry

Matt now serves as Assistant Editor of GCD.

He is Director of Discipleship at Life Bible Church in Canton, GA and an editor at Credo Magazine. He has a B.S. from Kennesaw State University and is currently pursuing master's degrees at both Reformed Theological Seminary and Knox Theological Seminary. He blogs at Gospel Glory.

Matt has already been assisting me with editing articles over the past few months, and has done an exceptional job. He deserves official recognition for what he's done and will continue to do for us.

Please check out our staff page and connect with us on Twitter. We're excited about what God is doing in our midst! Also, we'd be honored for you to consider supporting our endeavors. We have a few ways you can do that.

Guest User 2/14/14 Guest User 2/14/14

Help Support GCD

Dear Friends, Gospel-Centered Discipleship exists to publish resources that help make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus. That is our heart. Our board members and staff pray daily that we will continue to resource the Church to this end.

And we have seen God answer these prayers in tangible ways. Over the past year, we:

Saw over 250,000 visits to GCDisicpleship.com, a nearly 30% increase from the previous year.
Increased book sales, with our last two books becoming #1 bestsellers on Amazon.
Increased our reach, as we donated the rights to two of our books (Raised? and The Unbelievable Gospel) to a larger publisher with greater marketing potential.
Published our articles into foreign languages, including Spanish and Swedish.
Distributed 1,000 copies of Make, Mature, Multiply to a church in Houston to help launch their new discipleship initiative.

God has blessed our work this year. We give him all the praise for this fruit.

Free and Reduced Resources

We join with the Apostle Paul in saying, “What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:18). We are working hard to make all of GCD’s resources freely available as often as possible. Our hundreds of articles are, and will continue to be, free. While we charge for books, we price them below market value so that we can get them into as many hands as possible. Serving the Church in this way is our primary goal.

However, providing these resources free or at a reduced cost is not free to us. Like Paul’s ministry (2 Cor. 11:7-8), GCD is a donor-supported ministry. Publishing books, running websites, and creating resources costs us about $15,000 every year.

Partnering with Us

Will you consider financially supporting this work? We need to raise $15,000 over the next three months to keep this work going for another year. All gifts to Gospel-Centered Discipleship are tax-deductible and will be used to create more material that helps make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus.

If you’re interested in partnering with us, here are two ways you can give:

Online: click here to make a donation online. You or your ministry can make a one-time gift of any amount, or a monthly recurring gift.
Mail: make checks payable to City Life Church c/o GCD, and mail to: P.O. Box 19594 Austin, TX 78760.

Thank you for all that you do to help us serve the church with gospel-centered resources. Through purchasing our books, distributing our resources, and referring us to other friends, you’re helping us fulfill the work God has entrusted to us. Please pray that we will be faithful to steward this calling with excellence.

Yours in Christ,

The Board of Gospel-Centered Discipleship

Brandon Smith Jonathan Dodson Brad Watson Austin Becton

Guest User 12/30/13 Guest User 12/30/13

New Director of Gospel-Centered Discipleship & Merger with Project TGM

Dear Friends,

A lot of change comes with the start of new organizations. Once the vision is set, the strategy is refined, funding may rise and fall, and staff comes and goes. As GCD.com enters its third year, we say goodbye to an outstanding person and great director—Brad Watson. Brad loves the church, which why he is a pastor. Brad also loves the gospel, which together with his administrative skill, made him a strong director. His commitment to integrating the gospel with life, to generate discipling wisdom, is a strength we will miss but a value that will remain.

I am very excited to introduce the new Director of GCD, Brandon Smith. Brandon is passionate about editing, writing, and publishing gospel-centered content. In fact, as former Editor-in-Chief for Project TGM (Theology, Gospel, Mission), he’s bringing a whole ministry into his new role. As we discussed the prospect of working together, it quickly became clear that a gospel partnership was in the works. Today, I’m also excited to announce the merger of ProjectTGM.com into GospelCenteredDiscipleship.com. We believe the Spirit has led us into a ministry that will deepen and further our ministry of making resources that help make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus.

As a freelance writer, Brandon’s work has appeared in newspaper, radio, and popular online resources such as The Gospel Coalition, Baptist Press, and Church Leaders. He is also the Associate Editor for The Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood and Director of Communications at Criswell College. Brandon holds a degree in Biblical Studies from Dallas Baptist University and is completing an M.A. in Systematic/Historical Theology at Criswell. He resides in Grapevine, Texas where he and his wife, Christa, are excitedly awaiting the arrival of their little girl, Harper Grace.

Here are a few words from Brandon:

"When we started Project TGM almost exactly one year ago, Gospel-Centered Discipleship was one of the few content-related ministries that we looked at and said, “They are doing it right.” I had hoped that Project TGM – like GCD – would be a place where people could find practical, gospel-driven content that they could apply to their lives and take into their homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, and beyond. God blessed us tremendously and we were humbled by what he did through our writers. As Jonathan, Brad Watson, and I began to discuss what it might look like for these two ministries to merge, there were a few obvious “wins” for us.

First, we felt as though the two ministries had enough in common that a merge would be natural for both the audiences of each website, and the contributors and staff. I was already working as a writer/contributing editor for GCD, and some of the Project TGM contributors were also writing for GCD. We had one common goal: to see God use our articles to impact people’s lives for the gospel’s sake. Why not combine these two incredibly gifted teams and maximize our impact for the gospel?

Second, we believed that the two ministries were also unique and had serious potential to complement each other. Project TGM focused on medium-length articles and blog-like content; GCD focused on longer-form articles and eBooks. Both ministries have been big fans of what the other was doing, so why not combine the two and join hands on the same mission?

After much prayer and conversation, we felt like Project TGM and GCD would ultimately advance God’s mission much more effectively together than as separate entities. As I begin serving as GCD’s Director, I am excited and humbled at the task before me. The vision for GCD has been and will continue to be simple: to promote discipleship resources that help make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus. This should be the heartbeat of every Christian, and we aim to continue to help equip the Church by publishing material that is practitioner-tested, gospel-centered, community-shaped, and mission-focused."

The future looks bright and exciting for GCD. In the next few months, we will publish an eBook by Alvin Reid that looks at both the history of gospel movements and our role in the seeing the gospel advance today. Also, be on the lookout for Jeremy Writebol's eBook on being present in the mission. Writebol looks at the most basic but often forgotten piece of being on mission: being present spiritually, emotionally, and physically right where you are. In the coming months, we will also be rolling out a rebranding and redesign for GCD.com. As we move forward, we pray that all of these resources and changes not only mature disciples in the gospel, but also equip disciples to make and multiply disciples. Join us in praying for God to continue his work through us.

In Christ, Jonathan Dodson

Founder, GCD Lead Pastor, City Life Church

Jonathan K. Dodson (MDiv; ThM) serves as a pastor of City Life Church in Austin, Texas. He is the author of Gospel-Centered Discipleship and Unbelievable Gospel. He has discipled men and women abroad and at home for almost two decades, taking great delight in communicating the gospel and seeing Christ formed in others.

Mathew Sims

Matt Manry

Free and Reduced Resources

Partnering with Us

1. 5 Things Mistaken for Evangelism - Mark Dever

2. The Introverted Evangelist - Seth McBee

3. 9 Myths of Discipleship - Zachary Lee

4. Spiritual Warfare Prayer - Winfield Bevins

5. How Kids Learn to Follow Jesus - Seth McBee

6. 5 Lies That Kill Obedience - Brad Watson

7. 7 Ways to Keep Your Missional Community from Multiplying - Seth McBee

8. Why I'm Tired of Church Planting - Seth McBee

9. 6 Lessons I Learned as a Rookie Pastor - R.D. McClenagan

10. How Jesus Made Disciples - Winfield Bevins

1. 5 Things Mistaken for Evangelism - Mark Dever

2. 9 Myths of Discipleship - Zach Lee

3. 5 Ways to Grace Your Workplace - Nick Abraham

4. The Idol of Hospitality - Danielle Brooks

5. When a Comma Puts Us in a Coma - Robby Gallaty

1. Why I'm Tired of Church Planting - Seth McBee

2. 6 Lessons I Learned as a Rookie Pastor - R.D. McClenagan

3. Living Like a Narnian - Joe Rigney

4. 4 Anchors of Repentance - Jake Ledet

5. Why Teach the Bible's Storyline? - Trevin Wax

1. 7 Ways to Keep Your Missional Community from Multiplying - Seth McBee

2. How to Tell the Better Story - Logan Gentry

3. Why Women Should Go Beyond Titus 2 - Luma Simms

4. Singing as Spiritual Warfare - J.A. Medders

5. Food, Weight, and the Gospel - Josh Reich