Called to mission

But as we shall see, we are called to be disciples, not just believers. How are they different? And how can we be involved in making disciples ourselves? That is what we will look at in this article. As with our previous articles, we will be exploring the what, the why and the how of making disciples.

What is disciple making?

One-to-one mentoring

To start looking at the what of disciple making, I want to tell a story of my own experience. As I mentioned in a previous article, a guy named Garry was one of the gospel bringers in my life. I could see a difference in his life, he was generous with his time and even the things he owned, and he spoke the good news to me.

As is often the case, it wasn’t all about him. There were Christian friends of Garry’s who he introduced me to. They were also different. They were different in the way they thought and acted. And they also spoke the good news to me. They backed up that Garry wasn’t a one off or just happened to be a nice guy. The common factor that they all shared was their faith. But Garry was the main person who faithfully over a long period, lived and spoke the gospel to me. And eventually I responded and decided to make the step of following Jesus myself.

But that decision was not the end of Garry’s work. It was just the beginning. I had become a follower of Jesus. And a disciple is simply a follower or apprentice. So, I had also become a disciple. But as with any apprenticeship, it is a time of growing and learning and building skills.

Disciple making is simply the process of supporting someone to grow as a disciple, as a follower of Jesus. It is a process of growth. A process of formation. Discipleship is not just an intellectual decision of belief. Believing may be all that is necessary for our salvation (Romans 10:9-11). But over and over again the pattern in the Bible is that belief leads to action. Jesus didn’t just invite people believe in him. He invited them to follow him, to the life of being his disciple.

And a life of discipleship is about being called to all those things we have been exploring – to grow in our relationship with God, to grow in Christlikeness, and to be involved in ministry and mission. It is a process of formation and growth and service that continues all our lives. Our making and formation as a disciple continue until the day we die.

In my case, Garry encouraged me in that process of growth as a disciple. He met with me. He taught me how to read the Bible. How to pray. The importance of attending church regularly. How to share my faith. How to use my time and money well. How to navigate relationships in a way that honoured God. Simple things but hugely important for learning how to follow Jesus.

I am hugely grateful to Garry and the time and the effort that he put into supporting and encouraging me in those early days. The practices that he helped me build into my life were a wonderful foundation for the life of discipleship. The impact and the influence that he had on my life was so helpful that it also gave me a passion for the same thing – to encourage others to grow in discipleship.

What qualifications are necessary for such an influential ministry? Garry wasn’t theologically trained. He was only a few years older than me and had only been a Christian for a few years. He didn’t have all the answers. And he wasn’t perfect. He was just seeking to faithfully follow Jesus with humility, integrity and authenticity. And he was prepared to be open and vulnerable as he shared his own life with me.

Making disciples in community

But my own experience can actually be unhelpful in the way that I see disciple making. My experience of a one-to-one relationship was so helpful, that I can tend to think of disciple making in that way – as one-to-one mentoring. There is no question that was hugely helpful. But to limit disciple making to that process is very narrow.

Garry was central in supporting me to grow as a disciple. But of course, there was a large number of other people who were involved in that process. There were the leaders of our Christian group, my Bible study group leader and the others in my Bible study group. There was the pastor in the church I attended, the church Bible study group I attended, and the other young people I met at church. And there was the elderly couple in the church who had been faithfully living as disciples for over fifty years. Their example of long lives given to following Jesus and the genuine love and care and interest in what I was doing showed me discipleship in action. And it wasn’t just people I knew directly. There were the speakers I listened to at conferences and the books I read.

When I say all that, it sounds obvious. Of course, one person cannot be solely responsible for our growth as a disciple. God’s Spirit works through a whole range of people that He brings across our path. But as I think about that, it adds another important dimension to making disciples. One-to-one mentoring can be an important part of making disciples. But making disciples is much broader than that. It happens whenever I am around other people who support, encourage and challenge me to grow as a disciple. Disciple making happens in community. When we are around people who are using their gifts and faithfully following Jesus, they support us to grow as disciples.

What does that mean for us?

Some may become full time disciple makers

If that is what disciple making is all about, what does it mean for us? If disciple making is part of our calling to follow Jesus, then all of us should be involved in doing that in some way. The question is not whether I should be making disciples, but in what way. Some people have been given gifts of preaching and teaching and pastoring. With study, training and development of those gifts, they can have an important role in making disciples. For many of these people, that will be a full-time supported role in a local church, mission organisation or other Christian organisation.

We can all be involved in making disciples

But disciple making is not just for those with the gifts, training and education that suit them for church leadership roles. And it is not just for people in full-time, supported church work. All of us can be involved in disciple making. As we saw, disciple making is simply using the gifts and resources we have to support others to grow as disciples (Ephesians 4:15,16). Whatever gifts we have, we can do that in our local church or outside church. That may be by meeting with someone one-to-one if we feel equipped and have the capacity to do that. But it may also be by praying with and for people, by listening, by encouraging, by leading or being part of a small group or by giving financially to people who are in a disciple making role that requires support. Whenever we are using our gifts and resources to encourage and support others to grow as disciples, we are in the business of making disciples. 

Jesus’ disciples not ours

There is one more thing to say before we move on to the why of disciple making. It may be obvious but just in case it is not, it is important to make clear. Disciple making can be a wonderful ministry to be involved in. But it is important to recognise that it is God’s work. We can be part of that work. But ultimately it is God who transforms and changes us through the work of His Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). They are disciples of Jesus, not us. There is no room for egotism. And there should be no abuse of authority or control.

But that can also be freeing. Because our job as disciple makers is to simply walk alongside them. To give them the tools to dig down and build their own relationship with God and then see the work that God does in their lives. We can nudge them to deepen in their relationship with God through the practices we have explored. And we can encourage them to consider how they can best use their gifts and skills in ministry and mission. But ultimately, we need to stand back, to pray and to recognise that God is doing the work of transformation not us. And we are helping them to discern God’s will for their lives, not ours.

Why do disciple making?

We are told to

So, what about the why? Why be a disciple maker? There are a number of reasons. The first that we’ll start with is that it is simply a command. Part of our calling as disciples is to make disciples. As we looked at in the previous article, one of the most well-known commands of Jesus is the last one that he gave to his disciples – the Great Commission – to “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.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

But as we looked at before, this passage doesn’t leave it there. The mission that we have been given is to see people become not just believers but disciples. Our mission then is to make disciples not converts. We are called not just to be disciples, but to make disciples.

We have examples

Another motivation for making disciples is the example that we have from others. Jesus of course was literally a disciple maker. He called together a bunch of people to follow him and to be his disciples. We tend to think of the twelve as the disciples. But there were larger crowds that Jesus also refers to as his disciples. They may not have been part of the inner circle, but they were still disciples - they followed Jesus.

And Jesus modelled disciple making in the way that he ministered to the people around him. He taught and preached to the crowds around him. He spent intensive time with the twelve, explaining in more depth his teaching to the crowds. And teaching them in conversation as they went about. He also spent time with a smaller group of the disciples or had individual conversations. All of these conversations had a purpose. To deepen their understanding, their character and their faithfulness in carrying out the ministry and mission that he would give them.

Another great example of disciple making is the apostle Paul. Paul spent time teaching the churches. He spoke to them directly and he wrote letters to them. His words are full of urging and encouragement for those in the church to grow as disciples and to live out their calling to follow Jesus. He did it in large groups and he did it one-to-one. Over and over in Paul’s letters to the churches, we see his encouragement and exhortation to church communities. And we see how important it was to him and how deep his love was for them.

His relationship with Timothy is a wonderful example of one-to-one disciple making (2 Timothy 2:1-2). Through Paul’s letters we have a glimpse not only of what Paul said to Timothy to urge him on in growth in character and ministry but the deep love that he had for him. And he could point to himself as an example of what it looks like to follow Jesus (Philippians 3:17). Disciple making is not about impersonal teaching or coaching. It is infused by a deep love and concern for those we are encouraging to grow as disciples. And it is backed up my example.

The privilege and reward of making disciples

Being told that we should be disciple makers and seeing the example of Jesus and Paul can spur us on to be involved in disciple making ourselves. But there are a couple of other reasons. One is simply the joy and privilege it is to be involved in disciple making. There is nothing more rewarding and satisfying than walking alongside someone and seeing the work of transformation that God is doing in their life and seeing where God takes them as they grow in obedience and faith.

The impact of making disciples

The last reason that I will mention for being involved in disciple making is the impact. Would you like to use your gifts and skills – whatever they are – to see others grow in discipleship? Would you like to have a deep impact on the spiritual life of others – to see them grow in their relationship with God, to be growing in Christlikeness and to be stepping out in acts of love in ministry and mission? If you do, then making disciples is the way to do that. Of course, we all have an influence and impact on others. As we grow as disciples ourselves, that will encourage and have an impact on those around us. But disciple making is an intentional process, where we have a goal to do what we can to support others in their own growth in discipleship.

Making disciples is not dramatic. And it is often not very visible. Especially when our ministry is one-to-one. But it can be powerful. It is the ministry of multiplication. It is a generational ministry. Which means that we will not live to see the influence of what we do. But when we invest in the life of another person, they can then pass that on to someone else. And they can then pass it on to the next generation. Our ministry can leave an enduring legacy that continues even when we are gone.

Some of us may not have what it takes to be a preacher or pastor. We may not feel we have the gifts to minister to large numbers of people through a public up-front position. But, over time, a ministry of one-on-one multiplication can have an impact that is as wide and deep as any up-front ministry.

How do we make disciples?

How then we do put disciple making into practice? There are several ways that all of us can live out our calling to make disciples.

A full time role

As we looked at, some of us have gifts that suit us for full time ministry as a pastor, teacher or evangelist. Consider whether God may be calling you to this role. Pray and seek the advice of others who know you well. You may like to consider taking some time to gain training to explore your gifts and suitability for this type of ministry. And if God seems to be confirming this, to gain the knowledge and skills you need through theological and ministry training.

However, the reality is that only a small number of Christians will go on to a full time role as a disciple maker. What about the rest of us? How can we can be involved in living out our calling to make disciples? There are two keys ways.

Our general ministry in church

One way we can be involved in making disciples is through our ministry to other believers. As we explored, disciple making is a function of the church community. We can all contribute to the process of disciple making by using the gifts and resources we have to serve and build up others in our church community. 

But following our call to make disciples may mean being more intentional in the way that we serve. We can be intentional in the way that that we contribute financially, by the way that we use our time, by the conversations that we have on a Sunday, by what we pray for. It is praying for and seeking to use our gifts and time and resources to help others grow in discipleship. That doesn't mean being a person who is pushing others or acting as though we have all the answers. It is simply using the gifts that God has given us to humbly serve our brothers and sisters and encourage them in their growth as disciples.

And even if you don’t believe that you have what it takes to be a disciple maker as a full time teacher, pastor or evangelist, consider whether it is possible to be involved in a part time position. Consider limiting your time at work so that you can give more time to disciple making. This is the example that Paul modelled. Although there were times where he was supported (Philippians 4:15-18; 2 Corinthians 11:8-9), there were also times when he worked part time so that he wasn’t a drain on the local church’s resources (1 Thessalonians 2:9; Acts 18:2-3; 1 Corinthians 9). Depending on your circumstances, it may be possible to work part-time so that you can give more time to making disciples without requiring financial support.

A one-to-one ministry

Another way that we can be involved in disciple making is through a one-to-one mentoring relationship. This involves walking alongside another believer in an intentional relationship - one that aims to equip them to grow as a disciple. And ideally if we are seeking to have a generational ministry, to equip them to be able make disciples of others.

Whether we are in full-time supported ministry or part-time self-supported ministry, time given to intentional one-on-one disciple making can be hugely rewarding. With so many demands and opportunities, it can seem inefficient. But a single life that is captured with the vision of generational one-on-one ministry and equipped to do that with others can have an influence that is beyond anything we can imagine. 

This sort of relationship can naturally follow from someone you know who is just starting to follow Jesus – like my own story. Or it may mean working with your pastor to let them know you are available to follow up and support people who are young believers. Or you may come across young believers yourself who have a hunger to grow as disciples. If you are not sure where to start, pray that God would put the same hunger in the lives of others that you have to grow as a disciple. And pray for a faithful man or woman who is available and hungry for this type of ministry.

If you are interested in one-to-one mentoring but don’t feel equipped for this type of ministry, there are resources on the Practical Discipleship website that can help you. In the Additional Resources section of the website, you will find mentor guides for each of the sessions that we have covered as part of this program. You don’t have to use them. But if you are uncertain about what you would do with someone, they may be useful.

One-to-one mentoring does not have to use a such structured program like this one. You can also spend the time studying the Bible together, reading books or exploring topics. For more information and support, see the Disciple making resources page in the Additional Resources section of the website.

Bringing it all together

So, bringing together what we have explored in this article – part of our calling to mission involves making disciples – it is part of the Great Commission. Disciple making is the great privilege of walking alongside another person as God’s Spirit works in them and grows them as disciples.

Whatever gifts and skills and capacity we have, we can all be involved in making disciples.