Your Discipleship Toolbox
I’m asked quite often, “What is the discipleship method that you have found to be the most effective?”
When I hear that, I know what the individual is looking for. They’re hoping to find a neatly packaged program that they can implement in their church to dramatic results.
They’re hoping to find the “silver bullet” that will take a new believer and turn them into a spiritually mature, emotionally healthy, self-feeding, Kingdom-loving disciple who is trained and deployed to live on mission.
I know that because I’ve been there!
But here’s what I’ve learned. There is no magic discipleship bullet.
Rather, what I’ve discovered is that there are numerous great discipleship tools that each serve a unique purpose in developing men and women into missional disciples.
There is no magic discipleship bullet. Rather, there are numerous great discipleship tools that each serve a unique purpose in developing men and women into missional disciples.
What we must do as pastors is find the tools that work best in our context, with our people, and add them to our discipleship toolbox.
We as pastors must find the tools that work best in our context, with our people, and add them to our discipleship toolbox.
What sort of disciple do you want to develop?
Before I offer some of my favorites, let me speak to something more basic. If you’re going to be a discipler, you’re going to have to first determine just what sort of “disciple” you’re looking to develop.
The fact is, in all too many cases, discipleship is quite truncated. It’s seen in and measured by the following:
Right theology about Jesus and salvation.
Modified sinful behavior.
Practice of a few spiritual disciplines (Bible study, prayer, etc.)
Attendance at church.
Commitment to stewardship.
Embrace of a ministry in the church.
Not that these things are wrong or bad. In fact, they’re good. But this isn’t all there is to being a disciple of Jesus.
It’s more than becoming a better version of what you used to be so that you don’t embarrass yourself or God. Then, with Jesus in your life and your ticket to heaven punched, you are free to live out “the American Dream.”
As you can tell, I take issue with that sort of reductionary discipleship. But if that’s the sort of discipleship you’re satisfied with, it can be studied in a fill-in-the-blank book or learned in a 5-week follow-up course.
However, if discipleship is in fact following Jesus, becoming like Him in His character, acquiring His skills, and sharing in His mission to redeem the world, it will require much more.
For one thing, it will require intentional relational investment in a few individuals over time. It’s rightly been noted that disciples are not mass-produced. They are hand-tooled.
Disciples are not mass-produced. They are hand-tooled.
That “hand-tooling” requires an intimate knowledge of where the disciple is, as well as skill in how to move them along the path toward a life of maturity and mission. It also requires the right tools to get them there
The Right Tools for the Job
As I’ve observed great handymen at work, I’ve noticed that they have an array of tools at their disposal. They also have specific brands that they’ve tested and trust. DeWalt drills, Milwaukee saws, Craftsmen hammers, Rigid wrenches, etc.
The wise worker sees the need and uses the appropriate tool to address it.
In the same way, over my 40 years of leadership, I have not found any one tool that will fully develop disciples who live on mission. Rather, I have discovered that it’s better to have a toolbox filled with quality tools that can be utilized according to the need.
Here are some of the tools in my discipleship toolbox that I have found helpful.
3DM – excellent for helping churches create a culture that empowers disciples toward a life on mission.
Deeper Walk International – great resource for issues such as spiritual warfare and emotional healing
Called to Obedience – very helpful in the areas of confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation
Those are just a few examples. I have other tools that I pull out of the box as specific needs arise.
I would encourage you to consider developing your own discipleship toolbox. It doesn’t need to mirror mine. Just make sure that, in the end, it “gets the job done.”
One more thing. Make sure you know how to use your tools. Even good tools can be used badly if the user is inexperienced.
This may require some personal coaching or training before you seek to help others. As you in fact “live it before you lead it,” you will be discipling out of experience and not just knowledge.
And, as you discover some that have worked well for you, pass on the good word. I’m always open to adding new and even better tools.
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