More Good Discipling Ideas from Barna's Research

Last week I wrote about two of the most important discipling ideas in George Barna’s Growing True Disciples: New Strategies for Producing Genuine Followers of Christ (Colorado Springs: WaterBrook Press, 2001). The first was to develop a long-term strategy with observable and measurable goals, and the second was to start with children and youth. Today let’s move ahead to:

Develop a mentoring or coaching plan 

The jury is now longer out on this: discipling happens best in one-on-one relationships. For way too long, we have relied on preaching and teaching to disciple people. Note: there is nothing wrong with preaching and teaching – in fact, both of them are necessary! – but all by themselves they are not effective means of discipling. Sound doctrine is imparted in both preaching and teaching, but discipling happens in interpersonal relationships.

So Barna recommends a mentoring or coaching plan. And the absolute best mentoring or coaching plan that I have ever seen goes under the name “T4T” (see my August 8, 2014 post). T4T means Training for Trainers. Its philosophy is that we train others who train others who train others; kind of a 21^st Century spin on discipling others who disciple others who disciple others. I cannot give too high a recommendation to T4T. Check it out! J

And here is another option, With Me: Relational Essentials for a Discipleship Ethos, by Lance Ford. It is available free at https://my.exponential.org/ebooks/withme/. 

Get this book and read it. J

The congregation must emphasize personal spiritual growth.

Most of the churches that I have been in emphasize things like attending worship, coming to events, participating in small groups, giving time and money, and many other good things. But they do not emphasize personal spiritual growth. So this is the next important insight from Barna’s research: emphasize personal spiritual growth.

Now watch how this all fits together: By having a long-term strategy with observable and measurable goals that starts with children and youth, and includes a mentoring or coaching plan, every member of the church develops a personal plan of spiritual growth. Note that nobody does this on their own, as an isolated individual; each one does this under the guidance of a coach or mentor. Each one has a personal growth plan.

To support and fulfill these plans, the congregation provides tools for personal spiritual growth (that’s where materials like T4T and With Me come in!). And there is an accountability system, sort of like John Wesley’s Class Meetings (see http://www.warnerpress.org/Product/9781928915706/A_Model_for_Making_Disciples.aspx). Every week, members of the class would answer the question, “How is it with your soul?” Honesty was expected. Accountability was on the line. And discipling happened.

Don’t buy curriculum from “successful” churches

This is the final idea from Barna that I wish to share. One of the key mistakes made by pastors and lay leaders is to look for “what’s working” and to purchase curriculum from so-called successful churches. Thirty years ago, when I was a pastor, this is what I did. And it didn’t help. It still doesn’t help, so don’t do it (!). 

You can certainly use good ideas that you find in other places, but you are only going to be disappointed if you buy the latest and greatest curriculum that worked somewhere else and expect it to do miracles in your church. Forget about buying curriculum, programs, materials, etc.

A home-grown approach to discipling is best – as long as it’s a biblical approach! Develop a long-term strategy with observable and measurable goals that starts with children and youth, includes a mentoring or coaching plan, with every member of the church developing a personal plan of spiritual growth, and the congregation providing tools and accountability.

Make it so.