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How to start a disciple-making movement
Fusion, an organisation committed to championing a worldwide movement of student mission, shares its latest resource to help establish disciple-making cultures.
Jesus didn’t say go and make friends. He didn’t say go and tell people things about the Bible. He didn’t even say go and find people to fill your churches.
Jesus said go and make disciples of all nations.
Jesus showed his disciples what it was like to walk with him, and then told them to do the same for others. If we count ourselves as disciples of Jesus, who are we leading towards him?
This kind of discipleship is crucial because it turns believers into builders, church attenders into kingdom participators. It’s an antidote to consumer Christianity and the Church is growing rapidly in places where this is happening because good, dynamic discipleship is exponential. If one disciples three, who each disciple three more, this unleashes a movement. Pretty soon, you have a church full of people actively walking with Jesus and helping others to discover him for themselves.
This has always been at the core of Jesus’ mission. But over the years, it seems to have slipped out of focus for the Church. Now, though, we are living in a season of increased openness. We are seeing thousands of young people walking into churches and wanting to follow Jesus – so what can we as the Church do to make sure they are still following Jesus in ten years’ time?
The answer is to invest in and grow a discipleship culture in your church. Fusion has written a new resource to help you do just that. We’ve called this book How to Make Disciples that Make Disciples, and it’s all about how one person can meet with a friend and disciple them in the way of Jesus so that they can then go and do the same for someone else.
This kind of discipleship is about giving the disciple the space and time to reflect on their own life, experiences, and walk with Jesus. The book is written for the discipler; it’s really simple and almost anyone in a church can do this. All they need is to have some time, be attentive and listen well, and be able to ask good questions.
Take a minute and think about the people in your church community. Who could they disciple? Are there students or young adults that they could encourage to grow in their faith? Has anyone asked them a question like: what could it look like to live out your calling right now? Has anyone asked them how they feel about generosity? Has anyone ever given them space to talk about their experiences of family growing up?
Are you doing this? When you next meet with someone in your church for coffee, try asking them a question like this. They may never have been asked questions like this before and they’ll be led deeper as they think about how to answer. Now imagine what your church could look like if, in a few months, this person started discipling their friends, and then their friends discipled their other friends. You’d have a church full of people actively walking with Jesus. But more than that, you’d have a church full of people aware of their gifts and how to outwork them. You’d have a church full of people who know how to work hard and rest well. You’d have a church full of people who are actually carrying out the Great Commission.
All it takes to start a discipleship culture like this in your church is for you to decide to invest your time in someone. The book will guide you through the rest. This simple framework is how we will build a sustainable discipleship culture in our churches. This is how we can strengthen the next generation. This is how we can release an unstoppable Jesus Movement.
Go to fusionmovement.org to get a copy and start a movement.
