Feeling stuck in auto-pilot ministry? You’re not alone. We’ve been diving deep into 5 key disciple-making habits, but what’s the real point? Here’s why it’s crucial to assess how you’re creating a ripple effect of disciples who make disciples.
STOP, REFLECT, and REIGNITE your disciple-making strategy:
1. Reignite Your Why:
Have you ever been on autopilot? Ministry can become routine. Summer’s a perfect time to rediscover your passion!
Reflection Question: What gets you FIRED UP about your ministry?
2. Evaluate Your Impact:
Is your ministry bearing fruit? Take a courageous look at the results. Are you excited, frustrated, or somewhere in between?
Reflection Questions:
What’s THRIVING?
What NEEDS WORK?
What NEEDS to CHANGE?
3. Make the Main Thing THE Main Thing:
Busyness can steal your focus on what truly matters: disciple-making disciples!
Reflection Question: What activities are DISTRACTING you from your core purpose?
4. Simplify Your Disciple-Making Cycle:
Busy schedules cloud the essentials. Refocus on the actions that truly transform lives.
Reflection Exercise: What are the FEW, CRUCIAL STEPS to cultivate apprentices of Jesus ?
5. Refine Your Invitation:
A clear, compelling invitation is key! Think about your own journey to faith. What drew you in?
Reflection Question: What are you inviting people to become, as followers of Jesus?
Ready to Refine Your Strategy? The Napkin Challenge Awaits!
In our Discipleship Collective, we challenge participants to describe their entire disciple-making cycle in a 3-minute video using just a napkin!
Here’s how:
Grab a napkin (or paper).
In 3 minutes, sketch out your disciple-making cycle.
Keep it SIMPLE, CLEAR, and COMPELLING.
The previous five blogs have been dedicated to unpacking 5 discipleship habits. In case you missed them, here they are:
For over 30 years, I’ve witnessed countless approaches to discipleship. The beauty of that? It’s not a one-size-fits-all game; new methods are constantly emerging, fueled by imagination and the ever-changing world.
But what if you’re facing a unique challenge? What if the people you are coming alongside, or those you are leading, are not seeing the results they want to see? Things are taking much longer than expected; they are experiencing setbacks. Deep down, their commitment is wavering, and they are asking if it is time to quit!
The answer lies in a powerful secret weapon: Strategic Partnerships.
Think of it as a three-legged stool. Each leg represents an essential partnership:
Leg 1: Your unwavering connection with God. This is your source of strength, wisdom, and spiritual fortitude.
Leg 2: The bond with your disciples. You walk alongside them, a trusted companion on their path of self-discovery.
Leg 3: The guidance of experienced apprentices of Jesus. Their experiences keep you focused, and provide invaluable insights as you navigate challenges.
Each leg is crucial. Try becoming and making disciples with just one or two, and things get wobbly. But when you leverage all three? That’s where the magic happens.
Imagine a community of fellow apprentices of Jesus encouraging each other. They celebrate the victories, big or small – a first-time prayer, an act of service, a deepening faith. This supportive network becomes the wind beneath your wings, amplifying your impact.
You are not doing this alone! It goes back to the principle of synergy: 1+1=3! You are part of a community that is pulling in the same direction.
But what about reaching those outside the faith, especially in a secular world? Creativity is key. I found the use of 3 Thirds Groups to be a helpful format to introduce newer disciples to, and a tool that allows everyone to engage regardless of where they are in their spiritual journey.
A 3 Thirds Group is a group format that’s structured into three segments.
Looking Back: this first segment gives group members the opportunity to provide care and support for one another based on what’s happening in their individual lives. It also provides accountability for the goals each person sets for themselves.
Looking Up: this second segment directs the group to “look up” to the Holy Spirit for direction, guidance, and revelation for the group’s journey through a passage of Scripture. What is the Spirit saying? What can we learn from this about God? About ourselves?
Looking Forward: this last segment offers the opportunity to look ahead and explore how each person can apply what they have learned or discovered.
Discipleship and disciple-making is a collaborative effort. By cultivating strategic partnerships with God, your newest disciples, and mentors, you unlock a community of support. It’s about walking hand-in-hand, celebrating victories, and weathering challenges together. Unleash the power of partnerships and watch your disciple-making journey take flight!
Curious about your unique strengths as an apprentice of Jesus?
Ignite Your Disciple-Making Engine: Start with the Big Why
Ever feel like you’re spinning your wheels when it comes to disciple-making? It’s easy to get lost in tactics without a clear vision. That’s why, before you build your strategy, you need to answer the fundamental question: What am I trying to achieve?
1. Mission Trumps Religion: When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Discipling
A shocking statistic: 1 in 3 churchgoers stopped attending church during the pandemic. This revealed a crucial truth: true faith goes beyond religious routine. Church leaders who were already making disciples saw this as an opportunity to double down on their mission. Others, forced to re-evaluate, discovered the power of a clear purpose.
2. The Gospel Thrives in Adversity: Crisis Breeds Innovation
“Thriving” might not be the first word you associate with a pandemic, but in this case, it describes the spirit of those who embraced the challenge. Some churches chose fear and isolation, while others chose to be open, curious, and explore new ways to connect. The results speak for themselves: churches with disciple-making communities or strong small groups thrived, while those without scrambled to catch up.
3. Disciple-Making Needs a Playbook: Keep It Simple, Keep It Shareable
We challenged a group of leaders we were training in our Leadership Collective to a fun competition: explain your disciple-making process using only a napkin and a 3-minute video. This forced them to distill their approach into its core essence. The result? Reproducible systems. Leaders with clear, transferable processes invested their energy in multiplying disciples who could then multiply themselves. Others refined their existing methods, making them easier to share and implement.
Ready to ignite your own disciple-making engine? Start with the big “why.” What are you trying to accomplish? Once you have clarity, you can build a strategy that gets you there. To help you understand your “why” – begin with the question: “What is the fruit of a disciple?” The answer will propel you into your disciple-making cycle.
“In order to develop a framework, it is necessary to be clear about what you are trying to accomplish; what are the identifiable traits of loving God, loving others and making disciples. You need to start with the big picture.”As You Go… Make Disciples by Colin Noyes
Here are a couple of coaching resources to help you assess, refine, or create your disciple-making cycle.
Resources to cultivate disciples that make disciples!
Humans aren’t designed to be islands; we’re wired for connection. It’s in our DNA, dating back to our hunter-gatherer days when survival depended on strong social bonds. Science now backs this up, showing that isolation can be as detrimental to our health as smoking. Strong relationships boost our immune system, lower stress hormones, and even help us live longer.
Beyond Survival: The Power of Shared Experiences
Connection isn’t just about survival; it’s about the richness life offers. Sharing laughter with friends, offering a shoulder to cry on, celebrating victories together – these moments weave the tapestry of our lives. They bring joy, provide comfort, and give our experiences meaning.
Building Bridges, Not Walls: Connection and Growth
Think about a time you learned something new or grew as a person. Often, it wasn’t in a vacuum. Maybe a friend challenged your perspective, or a mentor offered guidance. Connection exposes us to different ideas and experiences, helping us grow and evolve. It also allows us to share our own gifts and make a positive impact on others.
The Ripple Effect: Connection Creates Community
The connections we build don’t exist in isolation. They form a web that strengthens our communities. When we connect with our neighbors, support local businesses, or volunteer our time, we create a ripple effect of positivity. This sense of belonging fosters a more vibrant and supportive environment for everyone.
Connection Fuels Disciple Making
In the context of faith, connection takes on an even deeper meaning. Jesus himself modeled the power of relationships. He wasn’t just preaching to crowds; he was building a community of disciples. It’s through genuine connection that we can share our faith authentically, answer questions, and walk alongside others on their spiritual journeys.
Have you ever felt like your prayers are getting lost in the heavenly hum? We all know prayer’s importance—it’s echoed in scripture and preached from pulpits. But sometimes, it becomes a rote recitation, a to-do list on the divine grocery run. But what if prayer felt like less of a duty and more like a direct line to the heart of Christ?
Imagine prayer as a hidden chamber within your soul, a chamber where the flame of Christ flickers, waiting to be fanned into a roaring fire. Within lies a direct line to the source of salvation, a force capable of shaping reality and igniting transformation through the power of His love. This isn’t about checking boxes; it’s about forging a heart connection with Jesus, a connection that ripples outward, reflecting His light in the world.
But how do we fan this flame into a beacon? How do we transform our prayer lives from a dusty attic to a vibrant, Jesus-centered dialogue? The key lies in active prayer. It’s about ditching the autopilot and stepping into a dynamic, intentional conversation with our Savior.
1. Rekindle the Flame of Jesus: Pray for Yourself. This isn’t about begging for earthly treasures. It’s about deep soul-searching. Ask Jesus to chisel away the layers of self-interest and reveal your authentic purpose in His grand plan. Pray for a heart overflowing with Jesus-like compassion, a heart that aches for those who haven’t yet experienced the transformative power of His love. Imagine yourself as an extension of Jesus’s ministry, channeling His love outward, drawing others towards His light.
2. Become a Bridge to Jesus. The people you encounter daily – the barista, the stranger on the bus – they’re not random bumps in your life’s journey. They’re divinely orchestrated opportunities to share the love of Jesus. Actively pray for them! Ask the Holy Spirit to open their hearts to Jesus’s voice, to make them receptive to the whispers of His grace within. Pray for the wisdom to speak words that resonate with Jesus’s teachings and the courage to act with His love, even when it feels awkward or uncomfortable.
3. See Jesus in All. Every face you see is a reflection of God’s creation, a soul for whom Jesus died. Start your day by actively praying for two random people. Ask for Jesus’ wisdom and understanding to flow through them. Pray for the opportunity to be a tangible expression of Jesus’ love, even in a small way. A simple smile, a listening ear, or a helping hand – these seemingly insignificant acts can be the spark that ignites a fire of faith within another soul.
Passive prayer keeps you on the sidelines, a silent observer in the grand drama of salvation. Active prayer throws you into the heart of the story, empowering you to be a co-laborer with Jesus, a difference-maker who reflects His light in the world. Don’t settle for the flickering ember of a rote prayer life. Step into the hidden chamber within, fan the flame of Jesus into a blazing fire, and watch as incredible possibilities unfold in His name!
I’ve been pondering this question for some time now: “What essential support, resources or training does a disciple need to make disciples that make disciples?”
Back in the fall of 2020 I began a conversation with one of my friends who was asking the same question. Glenn worked in an industry his entire career and has a pretty good pulse on how to make disciples in places the local church is having little success. In fact, one of the catalysts for Glenn has been his frustration with participating in local churches but seeing little impact made beyond the walls of the church building. Simultaneously, I’ve informally asked people what they really need. I’ve blogged about some of those ideas. Glenn and I are working at refining the list.
In my last blog I presented the habit: Active Prayer. We identified two areas of focus that a disciple could benefit from in his/her prayer life.
Prayer for self
Prayer for people God has placed in their life to coach on their spiritual journey
Now I want to circle back around to the second habit on the list: Missional Values. What do I mean by missional values? Let’s start by defining both “missional” and “values”.
Missional = disciples making disciples into the 3rd & 4th generation
Values = principles that drive missional behaviors
Simply put, Missional Values guide people who are making disciples into the 3rd & 4th generation.
In our conversations with people, the three missional values we see in Scripture and are verified in ministry with other leaders include:
Loving God
Loving your neighbor
Making disciples
It is like a three-legged stool.
One leg without the other two is worthless. Two without the one is broken. All three legs must be solid.
This is the reason this habit made its way into the list. Without missional values the motivation will always be lacking. A person may make disciples for other reason like:
obligation
guilt
legalistic teaching
When a person embraces these it is hard to NOT make disciples: Loving God, loving your neighbor and making disciples.
How important are these three values to you?
Ready to take action?
Find your starting point: Take the FREE Discipleship Quiz and discover your strengths and weaknesses as a disciplemaker.
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
