Discipleship is the way to go!

Leaders get you discipleship right.

A number of months ago I sat with a pastor discussing his leadership Development programs and evaluating their success. He then asked me a question that on the surface seemed easy to answer but when I thought about it I saw that perhaps we as leaders were getting some things wrong. He asked; "Can you teach discipleship in a class room environment." The right answer to be really honest is NO.

Firstly you need to choose those you want to disciple

Identifying those you wish to Disciple.

Look for character—disciples must be stable and humble. They should be teachable and have integrity (for example, the local gang leader probably doesn’t fit into this category!). Look for passion—a disciple needs to be passionate about what they do and to do it with energy and drive. It doesn’t matter if they are passionate about something outside the church (motorbikes or rock climbing, for instance). So long as being passionate is in someone’s DNA, they will also be able to get passionate about being disciples. Look for emotional intelligence and life experience—not just academic excellence (though that does sometimes help). Look for people who are willing to learn and grow.

Investing in Your Disciples

In some ways, discipleship can be taught in the classroom. However, disciple training is a gradual process that requires on-the-job training and practical work. Allow those you choose to disciple to have access to you, spend time with them, take them away on ministry trips and to meetings, and let them see you in action in various circumstances. They need to see you in prayer, and reading the word of God. They need to see you listening to people and teaching and ministering to them. They want to see your relationship with God. Discipleship is about observation they want to see Christ being outworked in your life.

Entrusting Your Disciples

In his early ministry, Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, and taught the people while his disciples watched. When Jesus sent out the seventy-two, he watched what they got up to. Finally, after he ascended into heaven, the disciples did the work on their own (although with the Holy Spirit’s power, of course!) The process Jesus followed could be summarized as follows: I do, you watch; you do, I watch; you do.

Your disciple trainees have watched you, so now it’s time for you to watch them at work and then release them to do it on their own. It’s time to start cutting the apron strings. It is more than likely they will get things wrong from time to time, but they are learning just the way you did.

Food for thought.

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