Jim Putman is the cofounder and senior pastor of Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho. Prior to his role as senior pastor, he served as a youth minister in two small churches. In college, Jim won three All American titles in wrestling and went on to become a successful wrestling coach. Real Life was launched in 1998 with a commitment to discipleship and the model of discipleship Jesus practiced, relational discipleship.” Outreach magazine has regularly listed Real Life Ministries among the top one hundred most influential churches in America. Jim is also a cofounder and leader with the Relational Discipleship Network. Jim holds degrees from Boise State University and Boise Bible College. His voice reaches hundreds of thousands across the world through speaking conferences, the web, podcasts, and weekend services. He is the author of five books: Church Is a Team Sport (2008); Real-Life Discipleship (2010); The Power of Together (2016); The Disciple’s Journey (2022); and RelationShift (2023) and the coauthor of four books: Real-Life Discipleship Training Manual (2010) with Avery T. Willis Jr., Brandon Guindon, and Bill Krause; DiscipleShift (2013) with Bobby Harrington and Robert E. Coleman; Hope for the Prodigal (2017) with Bill Putman; and The Revolutionary Disciple (2021) with Chad Harrington. Jim’s passion is discipleship through small groups. With his background in sports and coaching, he believes in the value of strong coaching in discipling. He and his wife, along with their three sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren, live in scenic North Idaho.
You can learn more by visiting his website at jimputman.com and by watching the history of Real Life Ministries at thestoryofreallife.com.
As a senior pastor of Real Life Ministries and a board member with the Relational Discipleship Network, I am passionate about the importance of a relational environment to making disciples of Jesus. Small Groups are one such relational environment that works well when trying to create a culture of disciple making in your church. Because…
Spiritual maturity should be the goal of every Christian, but we need to be sure we are on the journey ourselves before we attempt to help the body of Christ become more mature. Some people will “check out” of church because they will not get what they had hoped or expected. They will think of…
On part two of this Focus on the Family podcast, Pastor Jim Putman and his dad Pastor Bill Putman, representing three generations of prodigals, candidly discuss the difficult challenges they and their families have experienced, and offer practical advice and encouragement to families with prodigals. You can watch the video of this podcast by clicking…
On part one of this Focus on the Family podcast, Pastor Jim Putman and his dad Pastor Bill Putman, representing three generations of prodigals, candidly discuss the difficult challenges they and their families have experienced, and offer practical advice and encouragement to families with prodigals. You can watch the video of this podcast by clicking…
James 5:14–15 asks, “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will…
Jesus modeled relationship by being with His disciples. Being an intentional and relational leader means making time to spend with those you are discipling. Disciple Makers are more likely to accurately evaluate their disciples growth stages and aptitude if they spend time together. If Jesus had interacted with His disciples only once a week for…
Most people who study the church in America lament the fact that the church has a crisis in leadership… one of the problems I see is that we have redefined leadership, and now we are looking for the wrong thing. All too often we are looking for men who can entertain or teach, rather than…
“Too many Christians have accepted an improper definition of spiritual maturity, rather than understanding God’s definition. And this improper definition is only causing frustration, disappointment, and chaos in their lives, not to mention the lives of those they are discipling.” I’m sure some of you may consider this a bold statement, and wonder how I…
Why Believe (Free Resource) I started as a pastor’s son in a Christian home. My parents were sincere, faithful followers of Jesus, but because sin entered into my life at a very young age, guilt and shame isolated me from them and from God. When I went to college, the professors taught me that there was…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/Ht9ip9xTDCo” align=”center” title=”Where Do You Look For Wisdom?”][vc_column_text]Discipleship Coach Jim Putman takes you through the process of gaining wisdom for life through the lens of the book of Proverbs.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]