This year, several people in the Church I lead have been attempting to do “intentional discipleship.” The people who have stepped up as leaders in this project have been using one of two books to assist them. One is titled “Rooted,” and the other “The Disciple’s Journey.”

It has been exciting to see people stepping up to disciple others, and it is equally thrilling to see people grow as followers of Jesus while being discipled.

As the year winds down and most groups finish, I have had several conversations about the process. Some people loved the material, and others didn’t. Some people didn’t like the time commitment of daily readings and weekly discussions. The feedback has been insightful for improvements in the coming year.

The most common response has been, “They want to know what study we are going to do next.” The people who went through the material loved the small group of 2 or 3 people working through a book. They wanted to keep learning together as a group when it was finished.

While this is not entirely bad, there is a need for a mindset shift. This adjustment is from “I want to know more” to “I have so much to teach others.”

Jesus, after spending three years with his disciples, instructs them to go and make disciples. Then those people will go and make disciples, and so on and on it goes. The goal is not for us to keep learning and learning throughout our Christian lives but for us to keep learning and teaching others. 

These are two very different viewpoints. It is like going to a restaurant, eating a delicious meal, and saying, “I am going to come eat this every week.” Compared to having a meal and saying, “I want to make that at home for my family and friends to enjoy too.”