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Calvary Pampa’s disciple-making process offers a pathway for members to walk closer with Jesus—and each other
There’s getting into the word of God, and then there’s letting the Word of God get into you.
That phrase is often spoken by Robby Gallaty, a Southern Baptist pastor in Tennessee who has developed a disciple-making method used worldwide. Calvary Baptist Church in Pampa has adapted Gallaty’s method and is seeing lives changed as its members take a deeper dive into the Bible through its own D3 disciple-making process.
“What I really find is most people in the church have a great desire to learn or study Scripture but don’t know where to start,” said Paul Beam, who has served as Calvary Pampa’s lead pastor since 2017. “D3 gives people that opportunity to meet with others and to find that starting point for a closer walk with Jesus.”
Calvary’s D3 process begins with a leader who chooses up to three others of the same gender to join him or her for a weekly discussion of the Bible. Participants sign a covenant to be an active participant for the dura- tion of the study.
Each week, participants study one chapter of the Bible per day for five days, read one chapter of a discipleship book, and memorize one passage of Scripture. They use a journal to make notes about what they’ve studied and how they have applied it to their lives.
The weekly sessions provide a time for encouragement through Scripture memory, transparent discussions, and accountability.
Calvary Pampa’s D3 disciple-making process groups believers by gender. These groups read, study, and memorize Scripture and journal about how God’s truths apply to their lives. SUBMITTED PHOTOS
“What I really find is most people in the church have a great desire to learn or study Scripture but don’t know where to start.”
“We need each other,” said Kevin Costley, a Calvary Pampa member for 13 years. “We weren’t created to make this journey alone D3 prepares us through God’s
Word to be true Christians, the way Jesus was with His disciples and the same way He discipled. I think it’s one of the best things the church has ever done.”
Since 2021, 60 people from the church have participated in D3. When the study is complete, participants are encouraged to start a group of their own.
Jennifer Puryear, a member of Calvary Pampa for about 17 years, is among those who have graduated from D3 participant to group leader. She said she has been encouraged by the fact the program relies on participants becoming more skilled at handling the Word of God for themselves.
“It’s always good to read the Bible, of course, but D3 helps you read through the whole story,” Puryear said. “You look at the verses more, and depending on what we’re going through or our season in life, different verses appeal to us.”
After participating in a D3 group, David Land, a member of Calvary Pampa for eight years, now leads two other men in a group. Land said D3 has helped him continue to grow in many ways, including through his prayer life, his ability to share the gospel, in leading his family, and at church.
“For anybody who has reservations about doing a dis- cipleship program, it’s basically just studying the Word and doing life with your brothers,” Land said.
Costley agreed.
“When you get together with other Christians, you can see how they handle Scripture and how they’ve handled whatever they’ve gone through,” Costley said. “As we read Scripture, we talk about how we use that Scripture in our daily lives. We may apply it differently. As I hear about guys with the same struggles I have, I learn from them what they learned from Scripture.”
Beam is encouraged with the results he’s seen since Calvary Pampa started D3 and dreams about what it could mean for the community.
“We did the math,” Beam said. “Over 10 years we could reach the entire city of Pampa. I’m optimistic and yet realistic. Even though we might not reach everyone, if we are faithful, we’ll develop a large number of disciples for the kingdom.”
