Equipping the Saints to Make Disciples

Equipping the Saints to Make Disciples

When I think about Core Discipleship training, I do not think first about curriculum. I think about obedience.

Jesus did not give us the Great Commission as an option for the especially gifted. He gave it to ordinary believers. Yet across much of the Church today, many sincere followers of Christ are not making disciples. This is rarely rebellion. It is uncertainty, lack of modeling, and not knowing where to begin.

Research confirms what we see in the field. Barna reports that nearly 40% of self‑identified Christians are not currently engaged in discipleship—they are neither being discipled nor discipling others. Only about one‑third are actively helping someone grow spiritually. Many say they don’t feel equipped or qualified to make disciples, and pastors report that disciple-making is rarely prioritized in churches. Few congregations provide practical training or a reproducible pattern that ordinary believers can follow.

In short, the system has unintentionally created a gap: Christians want to obey Jesus, but they often lack confidence, clarity, and opportunity. They have been taught information but not shown how to live it out relationally and reproducibly.

A consumer culture says, “Be fed.”
Jesus says, “Follow Me.”
A consumer-minded believer thinks, “I’ll bring people to church so that they can meet Jesus.”
The Bible says something different: We are the church. We introduce Jesus. We carry His presence. We embody His love.

Why Many Believers Are Not Making Disciples

Over the years, I have found three main reasons.

First, they lack confidence.
Many quietly assume that disciple-making is for pastors, theologians, or missionaries. They believe they do not know enough Scripture. They worry about difficult questions. They feel spiritually unqualified.

But the Gospels tell a different story. Jesus did not begin with trained scholars. He called fishermen. He called a tax collector. He called ordinary men and shaped them as they followed Him. Their growth did not come from mastering information before acting. It came from walking with Him in obedience. Confidence was formed on the road, not in isolation.

Second, many believers have never been shown how to make disciples.
They have attended services. They have heard sermons. They may even know their Bible well. But no one has personally modeled a simple, reproducible process with them. They have received content without seeing a pattern. And without a pattern, obedience feels abstract.

When someone finally sees how to begin with two or three people, how to open Scripture together, how to end with specific obedience, and how to pray toward multiplication, something shifts. Clarity replaces hesitation. Obedience becomes tangible. Faith becomes actionable.

Third, even willing believers don’t know where to start.
They ask honest questions: Who do I approach? What do we study? How do I lead a discussion? What if it feels awkward? Without simple answers, they delay.

Our task as disciple makers is not to complicate the vision. It is to remove obstacles. We give believers a clear starting point that is faithful to Scripture and reproducible anywhere in the world.

The Pattern of Jesus

When we look carefully at Jesus, His pattern becomes clear. He did not build a classroom model. He invited people into relationship.

“Follow Me” was the starting point. As they followed, they listened to His teaching, but they also observed His life. They watched how He prayed. They saw how He engaged the lost. They witnessed His compassion and His boldness. He involved them in ministry before they felt ready. He corrected misunderstandings. He strengthened weak faith. Over time, they were shaped not merely by what He said, but by how He lived. Eventually, He entrusted them with the mission they had seen embodied in Him.

This is the pattern we follow. When we gather two or three believers, we are not choosing between relationship and training. We are building relationship while helping one another obey Jesus. We are developing doers of the Word, not just learners of facts. We are forming followers of Christ whose lives align with His Word and who are prepared to help others do the same.

The Simple Disciple-Making Process

1. Relationship
   Intentional, personal relationship is the foundation. Look for faithfulness, availability, and teachability. Start small. Meet weekly. Be honest about your own obedience and struggles. Disciple-making is not content delivery. It is life shared under the authority of Christ.
2. Scripture
   Open the Word together and allow it to speak. Instead of lecturing, guide discovery. Ask:

• What does this reveal about God?
• What does it reveal about human nature?
• What must we obey?
• What promises can we trust?

The authority is Scripture, not the disciple maker’s experience.

3. Obedience
   Every meeting must move toward obedience. Discussion alone can feel productive, but Jesus commanded us to teach people to obey all that He has commanded.

Ask specifically:

• What must change this week?
• Who needs to hear what you have learned?
• Where is God calling you to act?

Obedience builds confidence. Acting on Scripture shows God’s faithfulness firsthand.

4. Prayer
   Sustain the process with prayer. Pray for boldness, for specific lost people by name, for one another’s obedience, and for multiplication. Prayer keeps disciple-making dependent on the Spirit rather than method or personality.
5. Mission
   From the first meeting, expect reproduction. Do not wait until someone feels ready. Ask:

• Who are you investing in?
• Who will you start with?
• When will you begin?

Reproduction is part of the DNA from the beginning. Confidence grows as obedience is practiced.

Launching a New Group

1. Pray – Ask God to show you who He has already prepared. Listen. He will make it clear.
2. Make the Ask – Invite 2–3 people personally:
   “Would you consider going through a 14-week journey in Galatians with me? I believe God could use it to help us grow and multiply disciples.”
3. Set a Time – Weekly, 60–90 minutes. Be consistent.
4. Choose a Place – Quiet, comfortable, and distraction-free.
5. Clarify the Purpose – This is not just Bible study. It is a journey to love God, love others, and make disciples.
6. Keep It Simple – All you need is a Bible. Read Galatians together chapter by chapter. Discuss, obey, pray, repeat.

Before releasing someone to start their discipleship group, ensure they understand the process, can facilitate Scripture discussion, are personally obeying what they study, praying for the lost, and intend to multiply. Faithful obedience, not perfection, is the standard.

The Goal

We are not building programs that depend on oversight. We are equipping saints to make disciples who make disciples. Ordinary believers, taken at Jesus’ word, living out obedience, can multiply.

Start small. Invest deeply. Expect God to multiply.

The question is not whether this works—Jesus has already proven it. The question is whether we will follow His model and trust Him with the results.