Ministry Blog

What an incredible gift, blessing and responsibility it is to disciple a new Christian!

This discipling plan is divided into 2 main parts. The first part consists of a 12 week series which a new disciple is to begin with their discipler (mentor) the first week after they are baptized. The second part is comprised of a 52 week topical series which you may begin after completing part 1. Here is one way to think about these two parts and their function: Part #1 is like the launch phase of a rocket ship while Part #2 is like the orbit phase.

There is a difference between teaching and training. Jesus was the master discipler. When you read through the gospels, you quickly see Jesus doing a considerable amount of both teaching and training. A follow-up study series like this one can provide you with useful teaching and even useful teaching about training someone, but the actual training itself must be done by you! Follow-up studies cannot replace person to person training. For the most part, Jesus taught the masses and trained his disciples. We must imitate that.

The student needs a separate notebook or journal that is solely dedicated to this series. I don’t suggest using the same notebook for taking notes on sermons, midweeks, and Bible discussions or you may become easily overloaded or unable to find and relocate certain topics to review.

My recommendation is a minimum of an hour and a half per week for these first 64 weeks of training (12 weeks + 52 weeks). For example, they may break down roughly into a 30 minute Bible study, a 30 minute prayer time, and 30 minutes of sharing your faith or serving someone.