2 Timothy 2:2 “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (NASB)
For most of my Christian life I have heard about, but rarely witnessed, the discipleship process called multiplication. Allow me to explain. Excited Christian leaders stand before a group of new believers and explain, “I want each of you to go out and start a Bible study with four or five other men.” So far … so good. “Then, I want you to emphasize that each one of them should also have in mind the idea of launching their own group.” You see a pattern here? “Then, each of those new members should, at the start, know that they will also be starting their own discipleship group and mentoring others!”
Probably, you are thinking about multi-level marketing or some nefarious Ponzi scheme for making money. However, this is the biblical, Jesus-way for making disciples. However, rarely have I seen this method work out in real life. For a time at university, I was involved with an overly excited Campus Crusade for Christ group. This was in fact one of the few times I have seen discipleship by multiplication work. Fourth year seniors at the university would tell stories about alumni who had discipled them. Second year sophomores and third year junior students would tell tales about the seniors who had mentored them. And, first year freshmen were placed into groups and expected to begin their own group their next academic year. It all seemed so natural and rational. Wasn’t this the way Jesus started with his group of twelve and changed the world?
Of course there were glitches in the system at times. An occasional group would falter and fade for lack of leadership or other reasons. Naturally, some groups were more robust than others. Some groups took on new members as the academic year went on while other groups shrunk in number. All of us felt a sense of excitement knowing we were raising up leaders of new groups. We all knew and understood we were involved in real multiplication discipleship groups.
Contrast this with the idea of addition. I have been involved with a few churches and ministries where I sensed addition was to be valued over multiplication. The goal was to have larger and larger rooms or venues. Importance was placed on taking attendance. The highest value was inviting a newcomer to visit a service or event. There wasn’t much talk of the next steps. A clear strategic pathway was never explained. The goals in the addition way of discipleship was always centered around growth and an increase in attendance.
The older I get the more I value the multiplication strategy of discipleship and mentoring. Even now I can clearly hear the voice of one of my mentors, Prof. Howard Hendricks, asking us, “Show me your men! Who are the three or four men you are meeting with on a regular basis? Guys, if you think you are a leader you need to turn around from time to time to see if anyone is actually following you. If not, you may not be a leader. You may simply be out for a walk!”
As I read the New Testament, I often see Jesus eschewing the crowd to spend valuable time with the twelve. Not me. To me, the crowd often feels more exciting. I don’t mind speaking before large groups. It’s counterintuitive to spend time pouring my life into four or five men. And yet I also hear Prof. Hendricks in my head repeating, “You can impress people from a distance, but you can only impact folks up close!”
What about you and your men’s ministry? Are you enamored by the crowds? Are you excited by putting on large-scale events? Yes, these are important. But let’s remember that multiplication is a better long-term discipleship strategy than addition. Show me your men!
© Dr. Paul Pettit
This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.
Dr. Paul Pettit is Director of Career Services; Adjunct Professor in Pastoral Ministries, Media Arts and Worship, and Educational Ministries and Leadership at Dallas Theological Seminary.
Resources for Dads
A five-time dad, Dr. Paul Pettit has become a spokesman for the responsible fatherhood movement. Dr. Pettit has founded Dynamic Dads which offers key resources to help Dads succeed in their unique role of fathering. His website provides curriculum for either existing small groups, or for forming a new Dynamic Dads group at your church.
_______________________________________________________________
Learn how to form teams of men for every widow, single mom
and fatherless child in your church at NewCommandment.org.
_______________________________________________________________