Why Make Disciples?
Talking Points:
- We make disciples because Jesus said so. Matthew 28:18-20
- We make disciples because Jesus envisioned a church where pastors equip and people do the ministry. Ephesians 4:11-12
- We make disciples because people need help on a personal level. Matthew 9:36-37
Discussion:
- Share about a person who has encouraged you in your pursuit of God. What did they do that was so impactful?
- Read Matthew 4:19. Why do you think Jesus picked fishermen instead of Pharisees as his disciples? Which group of people do you most relate to?
- Read Ephesians 4:11-12. What’s the pastor’s job in the church? What’s your job?
- Define “full circle” faith in your own words. Where are you on the circle?
- Do you think you can help someone else pursue God? Why or why not?
How to Make Disciples
Talking Points:
- PursueGOD offers a simple 3-step strategy for conversational disciple-making.
- First, engage the person you’d like to disciple. Meet regularly to cover topics together as you build a relationship.
- Second, establish the person in the Christian faith. Complete The Pursuit together to learn the essentials of the Christian faith.
- Third, empower the person to become a disciple-maker. Help them get connected to someone else who needs a mentor.
Discussion:
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Engage, Establish, Empower – which one seems the most difficult to you? Explain.
- Describe the three mentoring principles in your own words. Which one resonates most?
- Describe the pathway for disciple-making in your own words. What’s the point to taking someone through a discipleship track?
- Do you feel qualified to make disciples? If not, what would qualify you?
- Make a list of a few people who might be interested in going through a discipleship track with you. Begin praying for those people.
- To finish your training, cover this full discipleship track with a training partner or group. Take turns leading each topic, and be sure to track your progress. Then start discipling someone on your list.
Disciplemaker Essentials
Ready to make disciples with the tools at pursueGOD.org? Remember these five important essentials, and then go out and start helping people pursue God!
Disciplemaker Essentials:
- Commit to a real relationship. Discipleship is relationship, and none of this matters if you don’t care about the person you’re mentoring. John 15:12-17
- Share the right truth at the right time. Pay attention to the kinds of topics that they need to talk about, and don’t cram your favorite conversations down their throats. Luke 12:12, 1 Corinthians 2:14
- Just do your part, not God’s. You can’t make someone else pursue God; just walk alongside them and keep showing up, even if they don’t! Acts 8:29
- Point it all to Jesus. Remember, you’re not just helping someone become a better person; you’re helping them meet Jesus.
- Pray, pray, pray. Keep a prayer journal and make a habit of praying for the people you are mentoring – and let them know you’re doing it.
Discussion:
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- What are some ways you can show your mentee that your relationship with them matters more than the content you’re covering? Make a list.
- Share about a time when someone shared the right truth at the wrong time. How did it make you feel? How could they have timed it differently so you had ears to hear?
- What’s your part in a mentoring relationship? What’s their part? What’s God’s part? How does knowing this information take the pressure off of you as a mentor?
- For someone who hasn’t had their defining moment of faith, how do you know when it’s time to point them to Jesus?
- How would it make you feel to know that your mentor was regularly praying for you?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
Find additional training topics in the #Mentors tab on this series page.
- How to Make Disciples
- Discipling Through Topics 1-3
- Disciplemaker Essentials
- Making Handoffs for Premarital Mentoring
- How to Use a Mentor Journal
- How to Make Disciples When You Can’t Meet Face-to-Face
- The Holy Spirit’s Role in Disciple-making
- The Starter Convo: How PursueGOD Mentoring Works
- Discipling Through Topics 10-12
- Expectations in Mentoring
- Getting Rejected in Mentoring
- Disciple-Making Tips for Introverts
- How to End a Failed Mentoring Relationship
- Mentoring Tips from a Millennial
- Discipling Through Topics 7-9
- Discipling Through Topics 4-6
- The Tension Between Relationship and Mission as a Mentor
- Using FLEXTALK as a Bridge for Disciple-making
- Using Good FORM to Make Disciples
- How Groups and Mentoring Work: The Basic Commitments
- 5 Practical Tips for Marriage Mentors
- What Are the Qualifications for a Marriage Mentor?
- What Mentors Make
- Getting from A to X
- Key Discoveries in a Pursuit of God
- Pushing Past the Awkward in a Mentoring Relationship
- Am I Qualified to Baptize Someone?
- Becoming a Disciple-Maker | Get in the Game #1
- How to Power Through in Mentoring
- Here’s What You’ll Get Out of Mentoring
- Boundaries in Mentoring Others
- The Mentoring Law of Discovery
- Listening for Someone’s Defining Moment
- Next Steps in Mentoring
- 3 People Lists for Biblical Mentoring
- Frameworks Make Mentoring Better
- Marriage Mentoring Handoffs in Ministry
- You Were Born to Reproduce
- Here’s How Marriage Mentoring Really Works
- What Does Mentoring Look Like?
- 7 Tips for Getting Started as a Mentor
- The Mentor Tree and the Law of 2 Generations
- Getting the Vision for Discipleship
- The 4 Mentoring Environments
- The Maturity Myth
- When to Call In a Pro in Your Marriage Mentoring
- 9 Things Your Pastor Won’t Tell You About Mentoring