{"id":8653,"date":"2017-01-23T20:06:14","date_gmt":"2017-01-24T01:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ben-sternke-live.prev17.rmkr.net\/?p=8653"},"modified":"2025-03-07T18:54:59","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T22:54:59","slug":"disciples-make-disciples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gravitycommons.com\/es\/disciples-make-disciples\/","title":{"rendered":"Groups Don’t Make Disciples, Disciples Make Disciples"},"content":{"rendered":"

When\u00a0leaders realize that their churches aren\u2019t consistently producing disciples of Jesus, they often begin to search for a new technique they can implement that will solve the problem.<\/p>\n

They think that if we could just learn how to do missional communities, or LTGs, or huddles, or triads, or T4T\u2026 THEN we\u2019ll be on our way. THEN we\u2019ll be making disciples.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been through a couple of these phases. I have a tendency to fall in love with ideas, and then try to make reality conform to the idea in my head. \u201cIf you people would just do it like I see it in my head, it\u2019d be great!\u201d<\/p>\n

Groups don’t automatically make disciples<\/h2>\n

But it just doesn\u2019t work that way. The hard truth is that groups don\u2019t automatically make disciples<\/a>. The kind of group you use is\u00a0way<\/em> less important than the kind of people you\u2019re producing.<\/p>\n

The vehicles<\/i>\u00a0doesn\u2019t matter nearly as much as the leaders<\/em> of those vehicles. Programs don\u2019t automatically make disciples. Techniques don\u2019t make disciples. Methods don\u2019t make disciples. You can’t automate discipleship.<\/p>\n

People\u00a0make disciples. Disciples make disciples.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Disciples make disciples<\/h2>\n

You can’t get around the fact that you reproduce who you are<\/em><\/strong>, not what you say or what structure you put in place.<\/p>\n

This is why the Apostle Paul reminds the church in Thessalonica, “We were glad to share not only God\u2019s good news with you but also our very lives<\/strong><\/em> because we cared for you so much” (1 Thess 2:8).<\/p>\n

The life lived in the gospel witnesses to\u00a0the veracity of the message of the gospel.<\/p>\n

Nothing can ever replace the actual training of people, in wisdom and love, to become more like Jesus in character and competence.\u00a0Wise, adaptive leaders who are full of love for those they\u2019re discipling.<\/p>\n

A lot of our energy and money goes into trying to bypass this reality.<\/p>\n

I know my tendency is to try and design groups in the \u201cpure\u201d environment of my\u00a0idealism and then \u201croll out\u201d the program with the predetermined steps.<\/p>\n

But if there\u2019s anything we can learn from the way the Apostle Paul did this, it\u2019s that there is no program that works. There is no one perfect \u201cmodel,\u201d in that sense.<\/p>\n

It’s about people more than programs<\/h2>\n

Making disciples can\u2019t be just grinding people through a program. That might make us feel better. It might give us a sense that \u201csomething\u2019s happening,\u201d\u00a0but it won\u2019t mean that we\u2019re making disciples.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean there aren\u2019t paradigms, postures, and practices that are simple and reproducible (our coaching<\/a> is built on these kinds of things).<\/p>\n

But it does<\/em> mean that underneath all the reproducible principles, you need to train people in the way of Jesus, to love others from a pure heart, to know themselves and God.<\/p>\n

Grounding your disciple-making efforts in this deeper place, in\u00a0who you are becoming,<\/em>\u00a0is a process we call\u00a0Finding Your Center<\/a>. <\/em>Your leadership can never really become transformational until you find the center of your leadership in your life with God.<\/p>\n

How to start at the beginning<\/h2>\n

If you find yourself frustrated\u00a0with your church\u2019s inconsistency in disciple-making, here are a few steps you can take to get moving in the right direction:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Relax and realize God\u2019s not frustrated.<\/strong> This\u00a0first step is the most important. We aren\u2019t getting discipleship right so God will show us his favor. He is\u00a0already<\/em>\u00a0smiling, and working\u00a0with<\/em> us to make us more effective in discipleship. He cares about this more than you do, and he\u2019s with you to empower you to do this!<\/li>\n
  2. Write out what a disciple lives like.<\/strong> Many times, the reason we don\u2019t know whether we\u2019re doing well in disciple-making is because we simply don\u2019t know what we\u2019re aiming for! Take some time and list 1) the character qualities of a fully-formed disciple of Jesus, and 2) the competencies of a fully-formed disciple of Jesus.<\/li>\n
  3. Evaluate the effectiveness of your current vehicles.<\/strong> Take stock of your worship services, small groups, Bible studies, classes, etc. Be ruthlessly honest about what the consistent results are (good or bad) in the lives of people who participate in them.<\/li>\n
  4. Begin to dream about what it would look like to\u00a0train<\/em> people into discipleship.<\/strong> After you notice the gaps in your current vehicles, begin to think about what people would need to know and experience if they were going to grow in the character qualities and competencies you listed earlier. (Hint: they\u2019re going to need\u00a0way more<\/em> than teaching!)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Then invite\u00a0others to join you<\/h2>\n

    Once you\u2019ve got\u00a0a sense of\u00a0vision<\/em> for discipleship, then you can begin to reach out to see who might be able to help you in that pursuit. That way you won\u2019t fall for the pipe dream of believing that adopting some new kind of group will solve all your discipleship problems!<\/p>\n

    The leaders who make the most progress in our coaching cohorts<\/a> are those who have at least some clarity in the kind of leaders they want to become, and the kind of disciples they want to produce.<\/p>\n

    How about you? Leave a comment below and let us know where you\u2019re at in this journey!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Churches spent lots of time, energy, and money every year trying to implement new programs. But programs don’t make disciples. 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