Disciple Making: Developing Reproductive Disciples

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF A PROPOSED INTENTIONAL DISCIPLE MAKING PROJECT
“…as you are going, make disciples….” Matt.28:19, 20

This proposal is intended to be information only, and in general will reflect my viewpoint on doing disciple making within the local church. It draws on about 24 years of experience in making disciples. It is intended to be a source of support for those wanting to see a church become more intentional with regard to producing disciples. It is not to be taken as a criticism of any program, effort or plans already in place or in consideration. Coach Charles Powell, MCC

Part 1: The stages of production of laborers.

I. A description of the Stages under consideration:
Stage 1: Conversion progressing through discipleship. (Recruit)
Stage 2: Discipleship progressing through ministering. (Train)
Stage 3: Ministering progressing to being a Laborer. (Send)

II. Stage 1: Conversion progressing through Discipleship: Discipleship is another way of saying living the Christian Life, by growing in the grace and knowledge of God. It is essentially the development of skills, foundations and a life which honors God. Ideally it would commence at the time of conversion and continue throughout the disciple’s life. Often this is not done, or if done, more by coincidence than by intent. Most churches seem to have this method by default.
A. Discipleship is one of the best ways to describe the committed Christian life.
B. Discipleship at this level is committed to developing skills for living the life of following Christ. It has essentially six elements: Christ the center of one’s life, obedience to the known will of God, knowledge of the Scripture and the tools for learning the Word, knowing how to talk to God, fellowshipping with believers and witnessing. Every Christian needs these six things, which if in place guide the disciple in pursuit of God and in the propagation of the Gospel.
C. These things can be learned in various ways, but mentoring is the most likely way to produce best results, things are better caught than taught.
D. The evidence of this would be that the disciple continues to practice these skills for the rest of their lives. It is hard to say enough about the seriousness of being skillful in these fundamentals without which the Christian life becomes mediocre. So, however it is done, it must be done.
E. These skills are fundamental to the life and should be constantly worked on so as to be the best one can be under God. It is the best you can be that is the measure, not the best you can be compared to others.

III. Stage 2: Discipleship progressing through to developing a Ministry.
A. In general, I see this stage as the development of ministry skills. By this I mean that the now maturing disciple begins to carry on a ministry where they help reach, and mature new believers under the mentorship of a Disciple Maker who is further along.
B. This is more or less dealing with character and performance in helping someone else mature, and while there certainly are skills involved in this, the focus is on the heart that the disciple has for God and for others. It is as Paul said of Timothy, “I have no one like him, who will genuinely care for you.” Phil. 2:20-22. The Disciple in Ministry cares deeply for others.
C. My general term for this stage is Disciple Maker. (Note that these terms for this come from The Navigators and were used in the 60-70’s)
D. Disciple making is a skill and an attitude of obedience to God. It is a mentored relationship with a more mature Disciple Maker.

IV. Stage 3: Ministry of Disciple Making to becoming a Laborer (Matt.9:37-38)
A. A laborer or equipper in this kind of ministry is one who has a growing sense of God’s intent to use him to reach out and to disciple those around him and seeing that this responsibility extends to all the world.
B. This stage can involve many kinds of training, such as Bible School, seminary, specialized training, coach training, etc. Some of this can be done on a local scale, within a given structure, i.e., the church.
C. Depending on the location, purpose and indications of God’s Will the training may involve various experiences beyond the scope of an individual trainer, or disciple maker.
D. This stage builds on the fundamentals of the first two stages and requires, beyond performance a commitment to fulfill the Great Commission.
E. There is a lot more which, at this stage remains undefined as the disciple maker extends the scope of his passion for the glory of God and the extension of His Kingdom.
Part 2: The skills, attitudes and qualities that a disciple maker endeavors to impart. You can communicate knowledge, train in the fundamentals and shift character and commitment.


Part 2 Personal Christian Life Skills (The Fundamentals): (Not in order of importance, but the sequence is partially included)

(This list is neither complete nor comprehensive.)
1. Following Christ, as Lord.
2. Being completely obedient to the known will of God.
3. Knows and behaves the Scripture through hearing, reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on it.
4. Prayer, both personal and intercessory, both alone and with others.
5. Fellowship with others, primarily in the church, those of a similar heart, those willing and committed to following Christ at any cost.
6. Witnessing, testimony, tools, etc.
7. Follow-up, moving a new believer from infancy to young to maturity.
8. Being Discipled, learning how to disciple, ministering to individuals.
9. Ministry to people, other believers, being sympathetic, supportive.
10. Discipling experience, even internship
11. Developing world vision.
12. Giving to those who teach you.
13. Giving to those who are involved in the work of missions.
14. A growing Desire for God and His glory regardless.
15. A ongoing commitment to communicate the Gospel world wide.
16. A heart(passion) for the individual.
17. A heart(passion) to serve.
18. A godly attitude(passion) of Trust in Him
19. A team player(a passionate desire to see the team do its best)
20. A team leader
21. Being an example
22. A commitment to finish well.
23. Knowledge of and support of other works
24. A willingness to continue to grow.
25. A passion to be the best one can be.

Note: Passion seems to come naturally or not at all. I seems to grow through relationship and through having a model of someone who is totally caught up in a vision, in this case, the vision of what God can do through the one totally given over to Him. God would that we all were.

Part 3: A Short Annotated Bibliography

Adsit, Christopher B., Personal Disciple Making, Here’s Life Publishers,1988

A very comprehensive treatment of the whole realm of disciple making and well written guide to step-by-step guide for leading a Christian from the new birth to maturity. This is a serious book and well written. It suffers from the possibility of being used as a cookbook, where the DM goes to look for ways to do something. It is better for helping the DM develop his vision and performance overall.

Bennett, Ron Intentional Disciplemaking: Cultivating Spiritual Maturity in the Local Church, Navpress. See also his book The Adventure of Discipling Others.

This is an introduction to how the church can develop a disciplemaking plan and implement it. Book is brief, but well written.

Eimes, Leroy, Lost Art of Disciple Making, The, This is one of the original books on disciplemaking and certainly worth reading. It provided input for the Adsit book above.

Participatory vs. Directive Change

Distinction: Participative change Vs. Directive change

Originally Submitted on 9/2/99.

Definitions
Participative change - Change initiated and executed by the participants
Directive change - Change initiated by a leader and executed by the participants

Comparisons
Team vs. Leader Cooperative ownership vs. Compliant ownership
Self-directed vs. Hierarchical

Example
The hierarchical model is being used less and less, with a flatter, more cooperative form developing where every member is a "change agent."

Key Point
Involvement is the key to enthusiastic participation. Neither participative nor directive change making is better than the other and in fact both are necessary. Both require clear direction and participation.

Benefits
Increased commitment to the process is the result of greater involvement in its formulation. The talents, skills and abilities of more of the participants are applied to getting the task(s) defined and accomplished in times of great change.

Related distinctions:
Direction vs. Control Effective vs. Efficient Lead vs. Manage

About the Submitter
This piece was originally submitted by Charles Powell, MCC, Personal Life and Christian Life Coach, who can be reached at sinapup@excite.com, or visited on the web. Charles Powell wants you to know: he is especially skilled at assisting clients in learning phrasing that makes a difference in their success