HOW DO WE DO IT?- PLANS
It’s so important that we come up with a plan to make disciples. Many people read books for information, but they often do nothing with it! Some of us are creative and we are able to initiate plans and strategies to get something done. But many of us just can’t do that. We either do nothing or we find someone or something that will help us accomplish our desire. That’s good!
There are lots of plans out there and many of them are very helpful.It’s also valuable to find the right plan. Some plans produce shallow believers, filled with information but little formation. Other plans cover the right things but they don’t help you walk through the process to help your disciples become fully developed and reproducing. Find a plan that helps you develop your disciple’s mind, character and priorities. Work a plan that produces disciples who look like Jesus and are reproducing His life and priorities in others!
We are introducing a plan that you can freely take and use in your own world. And we are pointing out doorways to many plans found across the country, in books, manuals, and conferences. Look everything over, and then pick or create your own plan and just do it!
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Let's look at several subjects with a PDF then available to download. We’ll also introduce our own free set of manuals you can download and use for disciplemaking.
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They will provide much a greater detailed plan. There are articles on the value of Group Disciplemaking, how to select individuals or teams for discipling, an outline and then details of how to start discipling, and so much more. Feel free to download the manuals and use each of their parts as tools for training and discipling.
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Here are the free set of manuals you can download:
AUTHENTIC- LEADER’S MANUAL and AUTHENTIC- TEAM GUIDE
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Let’s begin by talking about disciplemaking. We can’t plan to make something until we understand what we are trying to make and how to actually make it. So let’s unpack that first. Then we’ll give you some options to consider and walk you through the planning process
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What is Disciplemaking?
Robby Gallerty wrote a great, practical book called “Growing Up.” He defines disciplemaking as “intentionally equipping believers with the Word of God through accountable relationships empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to replicate faithful followers of Christ.” I like that!
Disciplemaking is investing spiritually in individuals so they become fully developed, are living a Spirit-filled life and are in turn investing in others with the same purpose. We will have spontaneous opportunities to help grow other believers, but real disciplemaking is intentional and planned. Disciples don’t just happen. They are developed, over time, with lots of care and effort.
What do we call Disciplemaking in Today’s Culture? It’s Biblical to use the terms disciple, discipler and disciplemaking. But it may not work in your culture. We must never compromise the principles and practice of making authentic disciplemakers. But we can use all kinds of terms that seem better or more relevant to us or to the people we are working with. The terms that I’m hearing are:
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Disciplemaker, Mentor, Coach, Mentor-Coach,
Trainer, Fathers, Mothers, Group Leader
Disciple, Student, Team Member, Apprentice,
Sons, Daughters, Group Attendee
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Some like to “Team Up” for Disciplemaking,
others Group, Huddle or form a Cohort.
Some people feel awkward approaching Peer-to-Peer Discipling,
so they call it “friends getting together” around disciplemaking principles.
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Call it anything you want- But Just Do IT!
Never lose sight of God’s passion for disciplemaking.
I’ve heard some people react negatively to each of these terms. For example, something in their past experience has made a specific word carry a bad connotation. I’ve heard a younger generation of leaders crying out for fathers and mothers to disciple them as sons and daughters. Then I’ve heard others condemning the use of the term “father” in disciplemaking because of the abuse, control and domination of some “fathering” leaders in the past. I’ve heard of leaders misusing the term “disciple” in the same way. Then there’s the battle over what mentor or coach means. Some fight for purist definitions like the goals-only oriented coach and the goal-less listening mentor. By the way, websites are springing up to bridge the language barrier. You can now find a mentor/coach- they’ve covered all the bases. Come on! Let’s stop fighting over words and terms. Pick a term that you like and one that works and use it. Let’s get past this and get going.
What are the Essentials for Disciplemaking? Let's answer that and move over to our PDF.
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