Sam Newman Testimony During the fall of 2014, I then began to pray for a group of 10 or less Christians in my church who had servant hearts and were teachable and open to learning how to disciple someone one-on-one to the point where their Timothys would go out and…
SOMETHING WAS WRONG. I took my first church staff position when I was 18 years old and a freshman in college at Union University in Jackson, TN. Fast forward to 2013 and after 30 years in ministry I felt clearly during my quiet times that the Lord was telling me something…
In the hallway at church on Sunday, Timothy approaches you and expresses an interest in being discipled. You have not previously gotten to know Timothy. He says, “I need your help.” You agree on a time and place for a meeting. What would you include/cover in your meeting? Consider the…
In my doctoral research, I discovered that dropouts tend to have two or fewer “friends they can call on in time of need” in their Sunday School class. Those who had six or more friends tended to be the most frequent attenders. Relationships (plural) matter! In your disciple-making strategy, don’t…
I hear testimonies about individual and church disciple-making regularly. Some are stories of what was learned from failed attempts. Sometimes disciples move. Sometimes resources used were ineffective. Sometimes plans were too cumbersome. But in all cases, learning about disciple-making was strengthened. The biggest failure is not trying. In addition to…
In Greeters Help Make Positive First Impressions, I said: If we make negative first impressions (individually or as a church), we may not get a second chance. It is also difficult to disciple people who don’t return or who drop out. This post is about what we can do to…
Disciples come in all shapes and sizes. Some disciples are brand new Christians. Others have been walking with Jesus for years. Some have grown spiritually very little. Others desire to grow more in a specific area, such as prayer or scripture memorization. Some have had encouragers and disciplers while others…
The majority of Christians and even pastors have never been discipled by anyone. Satan uses that fact to discourage disciple-making. We develop a Moses complex. When we have never been discipled, we believe we cannot speak, lead, or be used to disciple others. Stop believing the lie. Just do it!…
People today are busy: leaders and disciples. Commitments can often be shallow and fleeting. On the other hand, disciple-making is best done through the context of consistent relationships and discipline. Knowing those realities, how can we encourage faithfulness in our disciple-making meetings (even our own)? One of the most important…
I recently read an article by Real Life Ministries entitled 12 Simple Small Group Guidelines You Should Be Using. These guidelines were developed to “give your small group boundaries to operate with” and to “create an environment that is safe for transparency, vulnerability, and growing closer in relationship with each…
Two encounters are critical. First, the leader encounters God in His Word and is changed. Second, the leader guides the group to have a life-changing encounter.