Imagine someone running in a baton race carrying a large, heavy piece of wood. It would be hard to pass on to the next runner, right? One person may be large and strong and able to run with it. But the next runner may not. Discipleship groups are very similar to this.
The baton used in a race is lightweight. It is designed to be easily transferred from the hands of one runner to another.
It is the same in a Disciple Making Movement. Discipleship methods must be simple and light. In DMMs, we are intentional about making everything we do easy for others to also do.
Reproducible Discipleship
Keeping your discipleship structure and meeting format consistent lends toward multiplication. While it is fun and interesting to do things with a lot of variety, it often doesn’t reproduce well.
Random discipleship doesn’t reproduce. Follow a simple plan. This is much more effective in rapidly equipping new disciple-makers.
A Coaching Conversation
“What did you talk about in your Discovery Bible Study (DBS) today?” I asked.
“We chose one of my favorite passages,” he said.
“That is a good one! I like it too,” was my reply after hearing the Bible reference.
“I’m curious. How do you decide which scripture to study each week?” was my next question.
“We pray and find something that we think will be good,” he said.
“Hmm,” I pondered, considering his situation.
This DMM effort had been struggling to see multiplication. They were doing regular Discovery Bible Studies. But the group members seemed hesitant to start their own groups. They lacked confidence and self-initiative.
“Have you ever considered using an established set of stories? Or a list of verses everyone leading DBS groups follows? Instead of choosing verses randomly?” I asked.
This was a new idea to him. We talked about how to go about deciding on a short and long term discipleship plan for their work. A clear decision on this would help move them toward their desire for multiplication.
Reasons To Make A Simple, Clear Plan
1) A clear discipleship plan enables new believers to disciple others.
Establish as a team what your short and long-term discipleship plans will be. What scriptures will you study with a new believer? What topics will you cover?
I personally like an adapted version of Ying Kai’s “Baby Lessons.” There are many good options to consider, or you can create your own plan. The important thing is to establish a clear strategy for early discipleship.
Then use that plan consistently. Train disciples to follow it with those they lead to faith.
Also, develop a list of scriptures or Bible stories for longer-term discipleship. Use those in the groups/house churches. Circulate this list so everyone can easily access it.
The long-term plan should provide a good Biblical overview. Take time to think about the spiritual strongholds of your particular context. Be sure to include stories and scriptures in your long-term plan that will address these things.
2) Random is hard. Structured is simple.
Confidence comes from being able to mimic. Having to choose what to study themselves will slow down (or even stop) multiplication. If they do what you did with them, new believers will feel they are doing the “right” thing with those they are discipling.
Western culture is addicted to variety. We bore easily. But consistency is more important than having lots of options when multiplying disciples. Too many options make a new disciple confused and overwhelmed. The result? They hesitate and want a more mature disciple to lead everything.
3) Avoid major discipleship gaps by following a plan.
Planning your discipleship will avoid unintended gaps in what you address.
Haphazardly choosing scriptures tends to highlight the things we enjoy studying. Instead, as the disciples grow, they need to receive the whole counsel of God.
It may be beneficial to avoid these topics in short-term discipleship phases. But as people continue to grow toward maturity, these gaps must be filled in.
“For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” Acts 20:27 ISV
Pressure To Be Exciting
Sometimes there is pressure to produce exciting discipleship materials. We want to do new things to keep our DBS or T4T meetings fun and interesting. We are tempted to put on a “show” and may be fearful of boring people.
If you have big churches nearby, the things done on stage are amazing! Expensive concerts, bands, lights, sound, etc. are considered necessary to attract people.
In launching a Disciple Making Movement, however, simple and consistent is what matters.
Quality discipleship doesn’t have to be fancy to be effective. In fact, the more expensive, flashy, creative and “interesting” it is, the less likely it will reproduce beyond the first generation.
“The testimony of our conscience is that we conducted ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you, in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God.” 2 Cor. 1:12- ISV.
Keep it simple. Keep it the same. Keep it a light baton.
Then you will watch someone who has only been a believer a few months, pick up the disciple-making baton and start discipling others. And those disciples will disciple others too. A movement will be the result.
1st Generation Skills
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Comments
Just I came to know the DDM . So I would like to know more and learn
Author
Great to hear of your interest in DMMs Mukesh! Be sure to subscribe to my blog so you get these in your inbox each week! You can use this form to do that. https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/368932?v=7 or any of the forms on the site.
I am so greatfull that I can go over these recomendations now that I have more people or cases and concrete opportunities to start DBS. From this article I remember two of them: Keep it simple and persevere in the same direction at least for some time, such that it will lead to multiplication. Confidence comes from being able to mimic. Thanks Cindy
Dear Cynthia, you write: “Random is hard. Structured is simple.”
I feel it is like the opposite. To develop a discipleship plan that works is REALLY difficult. We work with oral learners, most of them illiterate, a few semi-literate.
I looked at the resources from Ying Kai and the others… way too complicated for oral learners. My biblical material as a church planter is surprisingly limited (at least after a few years): It is pretty much only the narrative parts of scripture, which you can use for reproducible story telling. That leaves out all of Psalms and other poetry, OT prophets, and NT epistles. Correct me if I´m wrong.
Of course I´m going over all the stories several times, and sometimes adding the odd verse from a NT epistle. But still…
My wife and me appreciate your blog (and emails) a lot, it gets us thinking… sometimes frustrates us, but never leaves us cold. It is often inspiring. Thank you!
Warm Regards from Africa,
Martin with Simone
Author
Hey Martin! Thanks for reaching out and “pushing back” on something, asking for clarity. I love that!!
I agree that Ying’s stuff is too complicated for the most part. Unless you are Chinese. 🙂
I also agree that using narrative parts of scripture and stories is absolutely best for oral learners.
What I mean by random is hard, is when one week you are in the New Testament epistles and four different scriptures, and the next time you decide the day before that you want to emphasize prayer so you then go to the Lord’s prayer, then the following week you decide you want to do a study on Job.
This is random and requires a mature leader who can determine what to study. Most new beleivers can’t replicate that. What they can do is go systematically one by one through the stories in Matthew, or follow a story set, or a list like in the Discover app.
So I think we actually agree here.
Blessings and feel free to reach out if you have further questions or further “push back” on the above. I totally welcome that!