We began last week by exploring a series of thought-provoking questions together. With each question, I will share insights and reflections to guide our discussion. This week, our focus is on:
- Disciple Making and Leadership Development
I invite you to engage in this journey with an open heart and mind. Your thoughts, experiences, and reflections are valuable, and I look forward to meaningful discussions. If you would like to dive deeper into any topic or spend time praying together, I am available and would love to connect.
Disciple-Making and Leadership Development
- Who are you intentionally discipling right now, and how are you equipping them to disciple others?
- What barriers exist in your current discipline-making efforts, and how can you overcome them?
- How are you identifying and raising up new leaders within your church?
- What intentional steps are you taking to empower leaders to lead beyond your direct influence?
- What cultural shifts need to happen in your church to create a strong, stronger, disciple-making movement?
Leadership thoughts for pastors and leaders regarding disciple-making and leadership development
- Be Intentional in Discipleship
- Identify individuals, you can personally disciple and equip to disciple others.
- Invest time in mentoring, teaching, and modeling Christlike character.
- Encourage a multiplication mindset; disciples should be making disciples.
- Overcoming Barriers In Disciple-Making
- Recognize common barriers, such as a lack of time, resources, or commitment.
- Address fear or insecurity that may prevent people from stepping into discipleship.
- Create a simple, clear discipleship pathway to make it easier for people to engage.
- Raising Up New Leaders
- Look for potential leaders in your congregation who demonstrate faithfulness, teachability, and a servant’s heart.
- Provide mentorship and hands-on leadership opportunities.
- Equip emerging leaders with biblical training and practical ministry experience.
- Empowering Leaders Beyond Your Influence
- Give leaders real responsibility and trust them with ministry.
- Encourage decentralized leadership- leaders should be equipped to lead others without constant oversight.
- Create a culture where leaders are encouraged to develop other leaders.
- Creating a Disciple-Making Culture in the Church
- Shift from a “consumer” mentality to an “equipping” mentality- church is not just about attending but about being sent.
- Celebrate stories of discipleship and leadership development.
- Align preaching, small groups, and church ministries around disciple-making.
- Foster an environment of accountability and spiritual growth.
Implementing a Disciple-Making & Leadership Development Strategy
For pastors and leaders, creating a culture of disciple-making and leadership development requires intentionality, structure, and empowerment. Below is a practical framework to implement these principles effectively in your church.
- Be Intentional in Discipleship
- Define Your Disciple-Making Process – clearly outline the pathway for discipleship [new believer – growing disciple – disciple – leader].
- Personally Invest in a Few – Jesus discipled 12, with a focus on three [Peter, James, and John]. Choose a few individuals to pour into deeply.
- Set Discipleship Expectations – Help members to understand that discipleship is not optional, but a core part of following Christ.
- Provide Tools & Training – offer resources, such as discipleship curriculum, small group guides, and personal mentorship strategies.
- Encourage a Multiplication Mindset – make it clear that those being discipled should disciple others in return.
Key Question: Are you discipling people who will disciple others, or just accumulating followers?
- Overcoming Barriers in Disciple-Making
Common Barriers and Solutions
- Barrier: “I don’t have time.”
- Solution: Integrate discipleship into everyday life – meet during meals, coffee breaks, or exercise.
- Barrier: People are uninterested
- Solution: Cast vision and share testimonies of life-change to inspire people
- Barrier: “I don’t know how.”
- Solution: Offer a simple discipleship model [read the Bible together, pray together, apply together].
- Barrier: No Clear Pathway
- Solution: Develop a step-by-step discipleship plan that is easy to follow and reproduce.
Key Question: What is stopping people in your church from engaging in disciple-making? How can you remove those obstacles?
- Raising Up New Leaders
- Identify potential leaders – look for faithfulness, teachability, and servant-heartedness rather than just charisma.
- Start small leadership roles – Give emerging leaders responsibility over small tasks, then gradually increase their leadership role.
- Provide leadership training – offer courses, mentoring, and practical ministry experiences.
- Develop a leadership pipeline – establish a system for moving people from participant to volunteer to leader to mentor.
Key Question: Are you developing leaders who will lead in your absence, or are you creating dependence on you?
- Empowering Leaders Beyond Your Influence
- Trust and release leaders – avoid micromanaging; instead, equip and empower.
- Encourage leaders to lead others –Leaders should be responsible for raising up other leaders.
- Provide Accountability Without Controlling – Have regular check-ins, but give leader the freedom to lead in their own way.
- Celebrate and Commission Leaders – Publicly affirm and send out your leaders in a way that inspires others.
Key Question: Are you building a team of leaders who will continue the mission without you?
- Creating a Disciple-Making Culture in the Church
- Shift from “Come and see” to “Go and make” – move from a consumer mindset [ attending church] to a disciple-making mission [ being the church].
- Align teaching with Disciple-Making – sermons, small groups, and ministries should reinforce the importance of discipleship.
- Share stories of life change – testimonies inspire others to engage in disciple-making.
- Develop a culture of accountability – regularly ask leaders: who are you discipling? How are they growing?
- Equip every member to make disciples – offer workshops, mentorship programs, and clear steps for every believer to engage in discipleship.
Key Question: What cultural shifts need to happen in your church to make disciple-making the norm?
Final Thoughts for Leaders and Pastors
- Lead by example – People will follow what you do, not just what you say.
- Prioritize disciple-making over programs – A thriving disciple-making culture is more impactful than a busy church calendar.
- Trust the process – Discipleship takes time, but long-term investment yields lasting kingdom impact.
Final Encouragement for Leaders
Pastor, leader, disciple-maker, your work matters. The effort you put into making disciples and raising up leaders is not just building a church.; it’s advancing the Kingdom of God.
- You are Called, Not Just Employed I’m on.
You are not in leadership by accident. God has trusted you with people, influence, and vision. Even when it feels overwhelming, His strength is enough for you. [2 Corinthians 12:9]
- Success is Faithfulness, Not Just Numbers
The world measures success by growth charts, attendance, and budgets. God measures success by Faithfulness. If you’re pouring into people, equipping leaders, and making disciples, your fulfilling the great commission- even if it feels slow.
- Your Labor is Not in Vain
On hard days, when it feels like no one is listening, when disciples fall away, and when leadership is exhausting, remember God sees your faithfulness. [Galatians 6:9]. Keep going; your work is planting seeds of eternity.
- You Are Not Alone
Jesus, the Great Shepherd, is walking with you. The Holy Spirit is empowering you. The Church is standing beside you. You are part of something greater than yourself.
- Keep Your Eyes on Jesus
Methods and strategies are helpful, but the heart of it all is Christ. Stay close to Him, and He will lead you [Hebrews 12:2]. Don’t let busyness replace intimacy with God.
You are making an impact. Keep leading, keep discipling, and keep trusting. The best is yet to come!