Discipleship Survey
Making Disciples
“What I have learned about this over time…”
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:19-20
How do you define disciple/discipleship?
This is not so easy to define as it was in the past for me. I have always looked at the root word disciple and have seen the word discipline as the key word and thought OK it is all about discipline. It is not just being disciplined though and it is not just disciplining someone else. It is just not something done by yourself and it doesn’t end with the person you are mentoring.
Discipleship is the effort one puts forth to accomplish an objective in which others are enlisted to achieve the same task. Greater results are realized through the efforts of many following the example of one. In true discipleship the objective must not change and the intensity should not change that was passed on to the disciple from the mentor. The “principles” involved are passed on one to another in the attempt to spread the “desired outcome” over a wider area in which transformation takes place in heart of the leader primarily and is passed on to those he or she is disciplining through a passion that comes from understanding the task or objective becomes the primary incentive not only the relationship between two people but achieving a Kingdom focus together. The “goal or task” is the driving force behind discipleship not the actual “one on one relationship” established during the accomplishment of that task.
How do you “make disciples”?
The task of making disciples is not easy. Many obstacles have kept this from becoming a pattern of life for me. Initially in life I tried to make disciples simply by teaching them the Bible and making sure that those under my teaching understood the seriousness of Scripture, the consequences of not following what they understood to be true and the importance of not compromising. All of the initial disciplining was done in a homes or buildings and always at a scheduled time. I then moved to a- hands on, get people the gospel at all cost; share with everybody I could; just wait to see what happens to them once they get saved- approach to discipleship. I spoke to anybody and everybody I could throughout the course of three years without putting the focus on the “making of disciples” even though a few did immerge. I then realized my desire to win an entire city to Christ was not really happening at the rate that I intended it to happen. I now realize that I had been off course and in all my work I really had very few people helping me (that I had “personally” discipled) win the city I live in to Christ. All the time that I was trying to make disciples, it seemed that I was producing a different kind then of the Bible described.
Years ago, I began with what you might call “indoctrination” calling it discipleship. I then went to “broad sowing” of the seed and called that discipleship if someone happened to be with me. This method included the element of “fellowship” which was nice but not actually full blown discipleship. The way to make a disciple is driven by the actual objective. If you just want to get together and study the Bible, do it! If you just want to do evangelism, do it! If you choose an objective that is far greater then what you could possibly do alone then you will be forced to “make disciples.” Once, my desire to expand the Kingdom of God was understood as my heart’s desire it became very clear what I needed to do, (compared to filling the pews with people) by setting my sights a little higher. I began to see the need for making disciples would be the only way to have a real impact on the Kingdom of darkness and the forces of evil.
I make disciples by taking a person through several phases of objectives. I want them to see the big picture by the time they are finished. I want them to see the need to reach out and start groups that can grow and multiply. They need to be taken from nothing to something in each step. I begin with simply taking them out to see the task first hand. They must go out into the city we are trying to win to Christ and look around. Then I begin to show them how to share their faith with a lost person in a way that makes them want to do this again and again. We use a question based approach where the conversation is driven by listening not preaching. Then I try to show them what an evangelical Bible Study looks like. We go into the homes of people and spend time with them while they are still lost and begin a series of lessons that bring them closer to understanding the Gospel. This takes time and effort.
We then move them into a group setting where we believe most of the people are now in Christ and teach them from the books of John, Romans, Galatians after studying a book describing the Born Again experience and the new direction their lives are now headed. This is done with the disciple along side. Sometimes you are working with the person that you are discipling even thought they don’t actually know they are begin discipled! I then move them into an intense doctrinal study in which they come out with a solid understanding of sin, the promise we have in Christ and the dangers of tradition and hypocrisy. They learn about the New Heavens and New Earth along with the return of Christ concentrating on the Day of the Lord concerning the two groups that will face it as described in the Scripture. They are also taught about warnings of turning from the faith from the book of Hebrews. They are taught details about the way that a small group of believers is to be considered a church. All this is a byproduct of trying to win the city I live in to Christ. The objective is the reason we make disciples. The transformation of the individual is part of the process but is NOT the objective! It is simply a way to ensure the primary objective is accomplished.
How do you measure success in “making disciples”?
Each person can do a certain measureable amount of work for laying the foundation of Kingdom. Each person can pray, share their faith, work at spending time with lost people in their homes, lead Bible Studies, and make leaders from those they find. We do measure and record this progress in some way. We do not even count things like conversions or money collected as this is not helpful at all to us because neither are certain to happen and are things that only God can do. This sort of guides us… only “measure” what is possible to do not what is impossible to do. So a measure of success in my eyes is when we find a person wanting to do what we do and with the heart that God has prepared to do the work. We know that the harvest is ripe but the workers are few. If I were to stop doing what I am doing would the task still be completed? This is the true test of success.
How do your definitions compare to those of your church?
The church is centered on many things that could be called programs. The need to have workers is driven by the number of ‘felt” needs inside the building and the “environment” is shaped by the leadership to “keep the people from leaving” the building and going to another. The actual hopes and desires of a modern day church seems to have lost its passion for reaching out and has chosen instead to minister to “felt” needs ” inside the church building almost completely ignoring the actual command to GO. It has no real way of putting its members in “harms way” while at the same time always “protecting them” . The local church pastor really concentrates on “keeping” people not “sending” them. The bottom line is there really is no vision beyond the walls of the church beyond a one week mission trip to some part of the world which sometime looks more like a vacation. Of course there are many, many exceptions to this generalization but is still very accurate picture of the problems Kingdom builders face.
Is your strategy of “making disciples” something that others can implement?
My strategy of making disciples is possible to be reproduced and sent to other places. It does seem to need a strong male leader to accomplish that which needs to be done. The plan I use is now being used (to some extent but none including my own are fully implemented) in four cities here in Romania and also in one city on the east coast of Russia. None including my own are examples of “success.” They are the result of failing miserably with other methods and realizing this plan offers some the needed solutions to existing problems. It is more about stopping the things that are not working. The plan I use is specific in that is designed to reach Orthodox people with the Gospel in a way that works in an urban setting (VERY DIFFICULT TO ACCOMPLISH). It is designed to work in a communist designed city where there are many blocks of apartments. It works in villages also but we don’t target them so much. The plan is simple and could be used all over the world as a skeleton to start churches. We begin with our first step “Find One Person” in the zone of a city. Then we move to the second step “Ask One Question” in the street on to “Teach One Lesson” in a house or apartment, we then “Form One Group” and “Make One Leader.” We are always trying to “Repeat One Time” the entire process. This part of the plan can be reproduced anywhere in the world. The materials we use for each step could also be used for steps four and five. Form One Group and Make One Leader. The first step of prayer walking is also very reproducible. The steps where we present the Gospel and teach the EV studies are not universally effective but would work and does work in Catholic and Orthodox countries.
(Consider variations in location, skill level, established protocol, etc.)
How does it impact the local church?
Unfortunately not so much as you would hope. Our Church Planting strategy is driven by the need for more healthy churches that know how to multiply. The local church is not usually so excited as I am to get his people out of the building. I see the Word’s of our Lord very different in practice. “GO and make disciples” is the product of another verse. “Pray to the Lord of the harvest for the harvest is ripe and the workers are few.” “Who wouldn’t leave the 99 sheep to go after the 1″, and so on. We seem to have conflict at the local church level. This can come from several directions though. They see what we are doing as “only” evangelism. They seem to believe that what we are doing is the result of arrogance, pride, pragmatic Christianity, they also see a dollar attached to helping the lost person become a believer (false motives), they see that our doctrines are different, ect.
How long have you practiced this strategy?
The strategy is compartmental and builds on itself. So stages of the plan, specifically the first three stages have been in place now for four to six years. The final three steps are being implemented now and have only really began in the last year to show some fruit. The strategy is really descriptive not prescriptive. It was written as a result of working and describes the process that happened. So it is still sort of unfolding as it grows we learn more. It is more like navigating!
What critical lessons have you learned in developing this strategy?
Without a shadow of doubt it is the importance of “having a plan” to “make disciples.” This is driven by the need to accomplish an objective that others will help you try to achieve for the Lord’s purposes not mans. Recently, I have learned another important lesson concerning “discipleship” in that we must serve (not dictate) to those we are working with.
What key obstacles make it difficult to apply?
The amount of time it takes to train a disciple to do the work is immense (Luke spent 52 chapters on one person! –Theophilus). The amount of problems you have when putting people together who have different hidden agendas and motives. The spiritual warfare that you will face trying to change the way things have always been done. People don’t want to take up their cross and follow you “out into the city” but are more likely to take up their Bible and “go into the church” for prayer meeting!
My own lack of discipline and education is becoming a bigger issue over time. Over all though the thing that makes it most difficult to apply is the mentality of those coming from the local church who have not been properly discipled in the faith.
What advice would you give to someone beginning in a similar ministry?
Have a plan, work the plan, be kind to people along the way, don’t use them, train them to do the task. Don’t assume they actually get it until you SEE them doing it on their own. Make sure you have the faith of Josua and Caleb. Concentrate on what you can do and do it well. Do not count number of conversions (unless it is the ones YOUR convert wins) and DO NOT think that money from abroad will help the spread of the Gospel (It can actualy keep it from spreading past the first layer of disciples). Stay humble and worship our wonderful Savior each and every day. I love the story of Abraham and the Promise….learn this well and try not to produce little “Ishmaels” out of your human effort…keep your eyes on the promise God has made to us in Christ Jesus. Don’t be afraid of failure …at some time you have to “get out of the building and get into the harvest” moving towards the goal of building the Kingdom….even if NO ONE MAY FOLLOW!!!
I was asked to participate in a study on Making Disciples and these were my thoughts on the subject.
Troy Geddes,
Church Planter, Romania, IMB
