“What is our plan for making disciples?” “Does our plan work?” Examine your disciple-making strategy and practices. Jesus trained His twelve disciples to transform the world. He became a “life-coach” who directly discipled others. The six sections below summarize an effective method to introduce Jesus’ disciple-making strategy to kids. Within weeks of practicing these steps, you’ll begin telling others, “This is my most significant ministry!”
1. Purpose
• Jesus: The Lord’s eyes never wavered from His objective—to transform the world by equipping the twelve to train other believers to do the same.
• You: Focus on producing healthy, balanced disciples who will grow to know God intimately, love Him passionately, and serve Him selflessly.
2. People
• Jesus: After a night in prayer, the Lord chose twelve men to be His special ministry companions.
• You: Prayerfully select one, two, or three children to meet with. Invite him/her/them to join you for six special sessions.
3. Period
• Jesus: The Lord was nearly always available to His disciples. For three years, they fished, fasted, and feasted together at all hours of the day and night.
• You: Find a time when you can enjoy 60 uninterrupted minutes together for six successive weeks.
4. Place
• Jesus: The disciples heard the Lord preach in the synagogues, teach on a mountainside, instruct small groups on the road, and give individual guidance in a variety of settings.
• You: Select a living room, lounge area, restaurant, or other location where you are comfortable and can talk freely. If you’d like, vary the setting each week.
5. Plan
• Jesus: He taught and trained them. He prayed and wept with them; He praised and rebuked them. To equip His followers with practical ministry experiences, the Lord sent them out two-by-two, gave them authority over sickness and Satan, and made sure they learned to trust God for their daily needs.
• You: Divide your weekly time into these activities:
- Snack (10 min.) —While you eat, “catch up” with each other.
- Play (10 min.) —Enjoy a simple game, share an app, tell jokes, do a crossword, solve a riddle or Sudoku puzzle, etc.
- Train (30 min.) —Discuss today’s topic together. Ask questions and then find answers in the Bible.
- Pray (10 min.) —After taking individual requests, pray from your hearts.
6. Program
• Jesus: Christ’s training strategy unfolded over the course of three years. Jesus taught His followers about salvation, servanthood, relationships, prayer, God’s Word, God’s kingdom, worship, judgment, priorities, the cost of discipleship, and about future events. (For more on Jesus’ training program, Robert Coleman’s Master Plan of Evangelism remains unsurpassed.)
• You: Try six starter topics to tackle with your disciple or small band of followers: God’s Greatness, God’s Word, God’s Son, God’s Church, God’s Kingdom, and God’s Champions.
