FAQs
Submit a QuestionWhat is Downline Ministries?
Downline is an interdenominational, evangelical Christian ministry. Downline Ministries exists to encourage a restoration of biblical discipleship in and through the local church by strategically partnering with church leadership to equip men and women to make disciples in their home, church, and community for the glory of God and exaltation of Christ among the nations.
The Downline Builder is just one of the avenues we provide for biblical discipleship training. To learn more about Downline Ministries and our other discipleship resources, please visit 30-Day Free Trial.)
What is the Downline Builder?
Downline Builder is an interactive discipleship tool that will allow you to create a customized discipleship curriculum for one-on-one relationships or small groups.
In contrast to the typical one-size-fits-all approach, the Builder will give you the opportunity to customize and personalize discipleship curriculum as many times as you want with as many different people or groups as you want for whatever period of time you want, all while providing built-in accountability for real, life-on-life relationships so that discipleship doesn't become a mere academic exercise.
All proceeds from the Downline Builder help fund the life-changing work of Downline Ministries - equipping Christ followers to make disciples of all nations.
What is Downline's Statement of Faith?
We believe the Bible—the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments—to be the inspired and authoritative Word of God.
We believe it is inerrant in the original writings, and it is the complete, sufficient and final authority for faith and practice.
We believe there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
We believe all humanity is sinful and in a lost condition apart from saving faith in Jesus Christ.
We believe salvation is a gift of God’s grace through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross, and for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they who are saved unto the resurrection of life and they who are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
How much does it cost?
The official price of the Builder is $49.95 for an annual individual subscription. Let us reiterate: This isn't a monthly fee, it is a YEARLY fee (just over $4 a month!). But, most our users will find it easy to access the Builder for even cheaper through invites and other discounts that are floating around via Twitter, Facebook, and email. It is important to note, however, that each subscription is meant to be used by one individual and not shared among a group. One person can use it as many times as they want with as many different "disciples" or groups as they want, but each leader/disciple-maker should purchase their own subscription.
Do you have Church or Group Pricing Options?
Yes, we do. We do this by providing two options:
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Option 1
- Payment: GROUP PAYS up front for a set amount of codes.
- Example: A small groups pastor wants each of the church's 10 small group leaders to utilize the tool, so the church pays for 10 subscriptions.
- Discount: 50% off ($25 for a year subscription).
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Option 2
- Payment: INDIVIDUALS PAY with a code from the group that will expire in a set amount of time.
- Example: A para-church director wants all 25 of the organization's Bible study leaders to have access to the Builder at a discounted group rate, so Downline will activate the promo code "ExamplePromoCode" for the month of March. We can either limit the promo code to 25 uses or make it unlimited.
- Discount: 40% off ($30 for a year subscription).
If you're interested in taking advantage of this group pricing option, email admin@downlineministries.com. (*Note: There is no minimum or maximum number for churches to take advantage of group pricing.)
How Do I Sign-up For The 30-Day Free Trial?
To sign-up, please visit 30-Day Free Trial.)
*Note: You will not need to enter your credit card information to sign up for the free trial. You will only be billed if you sign-up for an annual subscription.
Can I see a sample of the content before signing up for a free trial?
Who wrote the lessons in the Builder?
The final editor of the current Builder content was Downline's previous Director of Online Resources, Corey Latta. He came on staff with Downline in 2016, and created, edited and updated Downline Builder lessons. Before Corey, Jason Seville was responsible for all Builder content. He began writing and developing the idea for the Builder in early 2010. Corey and Jason both enlisted the help of some excellent curriculum writers and disciple-makers across the country. This includes submissions from pastors as well as seminary students, grads, and professors from at least eight different seminaries. We didn't just go after the "ivory tower" intellectuals, but for thoughtful theologians who also had their feet on the ground in practical discipleship ministry.
What is the theological/doctrinal basis for these lessons?
The curriculum in the Downline Builder was put together by Downline Ministries. We are an evangelical and inter-denominational ministry, holding to the essentials of the Christian faith as expressed in our statement of beliefs. When it comes to the non-essentials of the faith, our curriculum is written in such a way as to present what the Bible affirms and leave a more nuanced interpretation in the hands of the discipler, who can contextualize to his or her particular denominational beliefs.
Can a husband and wife share an account?
We are so glad that you and your spouse are interested in using the Builder in your discipleship! However, the Builder is intended for individual use. If your spouse would like to use the Builder, we ask that they also purchase a subscription. Thanks for your honesty!
Why are "Life-On-Life" sessions included in the curriculum?
One of the big emphases here at Downline Ministries that we wanted to carry over to our curriculum is that discipleship involves life and truth transference in the context of real relationships. Too often, discipleship involves teaching truth and doctrine, but doesn't involve getting genuine, authentic times in each others' lives where deep transformation takes place. We're hoping that requiring you to schedule life-on-life times will help counteract this current weakness.
How customizable is the Builder?
The Builder is customizable in the sense that you can choose your curriculum sessions and arrange them in your desired order. Some users have wondered if the system itself would automatically tweak each individual session to meet the needs of people in your context (i.e., If you are ministering to High School students and choose a lesson on prayer, will the lesson be catered to the prayer life of High School students?). The system isn't designed to do this. The system is loaded with preset PDFs (i.e., using the previous example, everyone would use the same lesson on prayer and adapt it to the context as they deem necessary).
Can I upload my original content into the Builder or into the curriculum that I've built?
Is it possible to White Label the Builder?
What do the blue and green icons on each lesson mean?
We tried to classify our lessons as either doctrinal (blue icon) or practical (green icon) in nature. We are convinced that doctrinal lessons should be lived out practically and that practical lessons must be doctrinally based, so the lines are admittedly blurry at times. But, we still felt like these were helpful distinctions to use.