How To Disciple Leaders in a New Church
Learning Objectives
1. The students will explain why it is important to train, disciple, and equip leaders in a new church.
2. The students will write a short paper on how Christ discipled His followers so that the church would grow qualitatively and quantitatively.
Introduction - Once you have helped start a church, it is necessary to train leaders who can help shepherd the new flock. Some Christian researchers have said that at least 30% of new churches that start fail to grow qualitatively or quantitatively due to the ineffectiveness of leadership.
Most of Christ’s three years of ministry were given to the training of His disciples. Jesus knew that the success or failure of His church would be measured by how well his disciples carried on his ministry. Perhaps, the same could be said about the success of our church planting efforts as well. Unless, we train leaders to shepherd, teach, counsel, administrate, evangelize, pray, give, serve, and fellowship in a spirit of truth and love; all our efforts may be in vain!!!
Let us ask the Lord for wisdom in understanding principles of discipling leaders for the churches that we will help begin.
I. Understand the Problems in Failing to Train Leaders for the New Church
A. Without leaders people tend to stray like sheep without protection, guidance, and feeding.
Example - One missionary started a church in Mutu of Bendel state. The church grew so quickly that the people gladly erected a 500 seating capacity building. However, since the church planter failed to train the leaders to withstand attacks, the church died. Today, the building is unoccupied and the government is talking about taking it over.
B. A church planter is by his identity, not to remain and shepherd the church for a long period of time. A church planter is to help start the church, see that it is established, and then move to a new area to begin another church.
C. Multiple leadership (A Pastor and elders) is the model used in the New Testament church.
D. Without leadership people lose their sense of purpose, relevance, and unity.
E. Prov. 24:3,4 says, ``Any house is built with wise planning, it becomes strong through understanding, and profits wonderfully by keeping itself abreast of the facts.’’
F. Prov. 15:22 says, ``Plans fail without consultation, but with many counselors they succeed.’’
G. Jesus said in Matt. 9:36-38, ``The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send our laborers into His field . . . for the people are like sheep without a shepherd.’’
H. Without leaders, people tend to lose their motivations.
I. Christ did not start a church, but chose to spend His time preaching, teaching, healing, and training the 12 apostles who would eventually form the foundation of His church. (Matt. 16:18)
II. Pray For Wisdom in Choosing Those Who Will Share the Leadership
A. Jesus spent all night in prayer before He selected his 12 apostles. (Lk. 6:12)
B. Jesus called those who He wanted to help lead His flock. (Lk. 6:13). Be sure the people who you pick for leadership are led of God and committed to their positions.
C. Jesus observed, analyzed, and took His time in selecting those who would lead His church.
D. Jesus chose men who were willing to learn, make sacrifices, and follow Him. (Matt. 4:19)
Example - If a Pastor inherits elders from a previous Pastor, he should try to work with the elders as far as it is possible. But, in the event that the elders are found lacking in spiritual qualifications (I Tim. 3:1-6) he should ask the D.C.C for help in calling for a new election of elders. One Pastor was rejected by the elders of a certain church. Apparently, the elders had been loaning each other church money. The elders knew that the knew Pastor would find out about their dealings and become angry. The elders tried every means to block the new Pastors coming by spreading vicious rumors about the new man. Eventually, the D.C.C. stepped in and the church accepted the new Pastor!
E. Jesus concentrated on a few selected disciples instead of preaching thousands of sermons to the masses. Most Pastors find it easier to preach a sermon than to disciple an elder in their church.
F. Occasionally, Jesus tested His disciples to see if they were still committed to Him. (Jn. 66-68)
G. Jesus selected men on merit not on political motives. (I Tim. 3:1-6) Here are the qualifications for leaders:
1). ``Leaders should be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wind, not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.’’
2). ``He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?’’
H. Jesus picked men who were opposites of the religious leaders in Israel at that time. The best leaders may not be the ones that everyone naturally assumes will be leaders.
I. Look for those leaders who are willing to be trained. If they are not willing then do what Jesus did: go into the fields where men are still available to be used of God!
III. Train Your Disciples by Spending Time With Them
A. Mark points out an important principle of Christ’s training procedures with the disciples in Mark 3:14:
``He appointed 12 (designating them as apostle) that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach!’’
Example - One Pastor decided to meet with his elders weekly for prayer. He asked if they could meet in each man’s house for a meal, for prayer, and sharing of what the Lord had been teaching them. Through this process of discipleship, the Pastor had excellent relationships with his elders. The church grew in both quantitative and qualitative ways as a result!
B. Jesus did not set up a formal seminary, but just spent time in the disciples homes, walking with them, letting them observe His ministry, delegating responsibilities to His disciples, sending them out to preach and having them report back to Him.
C. Jesus taught His men through an apprenticeship style training.
D. Jesus invited people to ``come and see’’ as in the case with John and Andrew. (Jn 1:39)
E. Jesus would take His disciples on retreats with Him to pray, to listen to His teaching, and to be together. (Mk 7:24)
Example - Occasionally, call your elders, leaders, or heads of various departments together for a seminar, workshop, or conference. This will allow people to share with each other, encourage one another, and learn together new things for their ministries!
F. Jesus was willing to give Himself, His time, and His energies to the disciples outside of any classroom!
G. Jesus’s association were always for the purpose of helping the disciples to learn how to witness, love, and become more like the Master. (Jn. 4:39-42)
H. Jesus recognized the limits to follow-up training of women by men, but still Mary, Martha, and several others were often seen in association with Christ. (Lk. 10:38-42) Use women to disciple other women. The Pastor’s wife should be trained how to disciple other women in the church!
IV. Christ Required Commitment, Obedience, and Evidence of His Disciples’ Allegiance to Him and His Mission
A. Jesus told His disciples in Lk. 9:23,24: ``If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.’’
B. Jesus told His disciples they would have to be willing to give up all possessions to follow Him fully in Lk. 14:33:
``In the same way, if anyone of you does not give up everything he has, cannot be my disciple.’’
C. Jesus told his followers that they must count the costs of being His disciple in Luke 14:28-32!
D. Jesus insisted in Luke 16:13: ``No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other!’’
Example - In the eastern part of Nigeria, one church allows members to belong to secret societies. Some of these people have been reported to possess the power to transform themselves into balls of fire which can fly at night to their gatherings. The discipling Pastor must stress Luke 16:13 to all members, but especially to his leaders! ``A house divided against itself cannot stand,’’ Jesus said.
E. Jesus recognized that few would be willing to pay the price for total commitment. (Jn 6:67)
Example - Remember that Proverbs 20:6: ``Many a man proclaims his loyalty, but a faithful man, who can find?’’ The faithful are almost always few.
G. Disciples must be willing to humble themselves to learn. Psa. 25:8,9 says, ``The humble He teaches in justice, the humble He will instruct in His ways.’’
H. He expected results, fruits, and converts from their ministry. (Jn. 15:16) We must also expect results & not just play games!
V. Christ Discipled By Giving Himself To His Disciples
A. Christ gave through His teaching. (Matt. 6-8)
B. Christ gave through his preaching and healing. (Mt. 4:23)
C. Whatever the Father gave Him, he gave to His disciples (Jn. 15:15; 17:4,8,14)
D. Jesus gave Himself as a servant to His disciples through planned and unplanned demonstrations. (Jn. 13:1-20)
E. Jesus gave them numerous clinics on prayer, evangelism, healing, teaching, and preaching.
F. Jesus gave His power and authority to the disciples through the great commission. (Mt. 28:19,20)
Example - Many people are afraid of the powers of darkness. In one tribe, the people believe that certain witches enjoy sucking blood from their victims. If a man appears to have died under mysterious conditions, his spleen is placed in a bowl of water. If the spleen sinks, it is taken as a sign that the death was the work of a demon! We must convince people that God’s power is greater than all powers of rulers, principalities, and evil! (Eph. 6:12)
G. Jesus gave Himself to the disciples through the person of the Holy Spirit. (Jn. 16:13)
H. Jesus gave Himself to the disciples in His identities, roles, and responsibilities as a prophet, priest, teacher, shepherd, servant, evangelist, preacher, healer, counselor, mediator, Savior, listener, helper, friend, encourager, exhorter, advocate, interpreter, supporter, and proclaimer of truth!
Example - A church planting Pastor must learn to assume the many roles and functions that Jesus played. No man can do everything Jesus did because he is God! But, with the Lord’s help, we can be given supernatural enablement to do the work that Jesus did and in some instances in even greater ways --see John 14:12!
VI. Jesus Taught By Example to His Disciples
A. Jesus did not just give them theory but practical life demonstrations of His truth. (Jn. 13:15)
Example - One Principal requires all his students to start a church before they are allowed to graduate! As a result 500 new churches have started in the southern part of India around Madras through the Hindustan Bible Institute. The Principal’s name is Bobby Gupta!
B. Christ’s class sessions were held anywhere. Jesus demonstrated a truth through His preaching, teaching, or healing.
C. Christ taught the disciples about faith during unexpected problem situations. (Mk. 4:33-37) ``Oh, where is your faith?’’
D. Jesus gave the disciples a model prayer and then demonstrated it in the ``Lord’s Prayer.’’ (Mt. 6:9-13)
E. He often demonstrated how to use the scriptures in evangelism. (Mk. 12:36; Mt. 22:43)
F. Jesus demonstrated how to teach to the masses, but He often held a special explanatory sessions for His disciples. (Mk. 4:1-22)
G. At times Christ had to initiate clarification on the disciples misunderstanding of a point. When Jesus told the rich man to give up all that he had and come follow Him, Jesus turned to His disciples and said; ``It is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.’’ (Mt. 19:23) This allowed Jesus to explain how to approach a man who believes that his morality will get him into heaven.
H. He did not ask the disciples to do something unless He first demonstrated it.
I. Jesus was willing to let the disciples follow Him to see what they wanted to see, not only what He demonstrated in public. We must be willing to be transparent and open with our disciples.
Example - Frequently, visit your elders, disciples, and leaders in training in their homes. Invite them to visit you in your home to see your family!
VII. Jesus Delegated Authority, Responsibility, and New Identities to His Disciples
A. Jesus promised incentives for following and obeying Him in Matt. 4:19 He said, ``Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’’
B. Jesus used His disciples to see which ones would be faithful in little things, before He gave them bigger assignments to do. (Lk. 16:10,11)
C. Jesus let them baptize some people, cast demons out of people, and arrange for food for the others. (Jn. 4:2)
Example - Kagoro Bible College in Kaduna State sends all their students into the field for 6 months of practical service before graduation. Consistently, the school has produced some of the best leaders in ECWA!
D. He sent them forth like a mother bird sending out her young to learn how to fly. (Lk. 9:1,2)
E. He told them what to do: ``Go and preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick.’’ Jesus taught how to be concerned for the people spiritually and physically. (Matt. 10:1,2)
F. He told them who to see first and who not to go to: ``Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. (Mt. 10:5,6)
G. He assigned them ideas to preach and tasks to do:
``The kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick. raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy . . . Freely you have received, freely give . . .’’ (Mt. 10:7)
H. He told them how to go about witnessing: ``Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave . . .’’ (Mt. 10:11,12)
Example - Jos seminary gives its students one years worth of training in evangelism and discipleship through the Great Commission Movement’s plan. Many students are able to lead at least 10 people to Christ and disciple most of them in their first year of seminary!
I. He told them what to do if they experienced rejection: ``If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. . . (Mt. 10:14,15)
Example - People need to be taught what to do when a Muslim rejects them with an argument like, ``How can Jesus be God’s son when the Lord has never married?’’ People need to see that Muslims are right if they are thinking of God only in physical terms of human reproduction. However, God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth!’’
J. He told them of the expected hardships they would face: ``I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves . . . (Mt. 10:16)
K. He told them what to do when persecutions come: ``On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them . . . But do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. (Mt. 10:19,20)
L. He assured them that eventually they would be able be like Himself if they continued in His teaching: ``A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master, but every pupil after he is fully trained will be like his teacher.’’ (Lk. 6:40)
VIII. Jesus Kept Evaluating His Disciples Progress
A. Jesus kept checking up on His disciples by calling them together occasionally for discussions. (Mk. 6:30, Lk. 9:10)
B. Jesus wanted the disciples to learn from their mistakes, their victories, and improve!
C. Jesus wanted His disciples to know that He would help them understand the reasons for their successes or failures. He wanted to help correct little mistakes before they became disasters.
Example - When Jesus met with his disciples on the beach, after his resurrection in John 21:4-10, the first thing he said to them was, ``Friends, haven’t you any fish? Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some!’’ When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
We must learn to follow-up our leaders and help them figure out why they are not being as fruitful as they might be!
D. Jesus knew His disciples would learn best through continual review, reinforcement, and evaluations.
E. Jesus supervised them so that they would stay true to their calling, goals, and mission of evangelism, discipleship, and church planting!
F. Jesus knew that when people are encouraged through follow-up visits, they will be motivated through added growth, achievement, responsibilities, creativity, and productivity!
Example - Occasionally, Abel Kantoma, a church planting local overseer in Yola, visits his church planters in the field. Whenever, he visits them he tries to motivate them in their responsibilities by listening to their problems and offering advise from the scriptures and from his experiences!
G. Jesus recognized the advantages of preventative medicine over maintenance or therapeutic medicine. In other words, Jesus showed them it is better to prevent problems than have to remedy them!!!
H. Jesus wanted the disciples to feel their own involvement in the planning, praying, and evangelistic processes. He wanted the disciples to see themselves as a body, mutually dependent on one another. He did not want one disciple to think he was more important than another.
I. Jesus evaluated the disciples progress to see which one would best be suited for different jobs.
J. Jesus wanted to teach Peter how to check on the progress of his converts, churches, and followers.
K. Jesus warned the disciples of the hireling who just does his job when it is convenient. However, when trouble comes, the hireling flees for his own life, because he does not really care about the sheep. John 10
L. Jesus wanted to give a sympathetic ear to the problems of His disciples and not just leave them on their own.
M. Jesus wanted to teach His disciples that it is best to evaluate, check up on people, and discuss the progress of evangelistic works.
Example - EMS missionaries constantly complain that they are not visited enough by their supervisors. Young men need supervision in order to stay encouraged, motivated, directed, loved, and provided for.
IX. Jesus Expected RESULTS from His Disciples
A. Help your disciples to see successes in their evangelism, discipleship, and church planting ministries.
B. Pray with your disciples about their successes or how they might learn from their temporary set-backs.
C. Jesus knew that not everyone would be saved, but He did expect everyone to have a chance to hear the gospel. Christ’s foreknowledge was did not determine men’s response to the gospel!
D. Jesus warned the disciples that they would have to endure much persecutions and hardships in His name.
E. Jesus assured them in John 17:20 that others would believe ``Through their words.’’ Give your disciples confidence that as long as they faithfully sow the seed of the gospel, eventually, they will see converts, new churches, and other leaders to multiply their efforts.
F. Jesus told His disciples that they could do greater works than He did if they just believed, in John 14:12:
``He who believes in me, the works that I do. Shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do because I go to the Father!’’
G. Help your disciples claim promises like John 14:12; Matt. 4:19; Phil. 4:19; and Jer. 23:19.
H. Occasionally you might have to rebuke, correct, chasten, or discipline your disciples in order to help them focus on what the goal is! (Heb. 12:10-14)
Example - No doubt, Paul’s rebukes toward John Mark, did some good. Eventually, he wrote the gospel of Mark and Paul even asks for John Mark to come to visit him in prison. Do not hastily rebuke someone, but pray about it first. ``Open rebuke is better than secret love, faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful!’’ (Prov. 27:5,6)
I. Have your disciples report their results to help them stay accountable for their efforts. (Rom. 14:12)
J. Help your disciples prepare prayer letters to circulate to prayer supporters for financial, prayer, and material backing.
K. Ask people to pray for protection from Satan, disease, and attacks from the people of this world. (I John 4:4)
L. Hold a conference, seminar, or training meeting periodically to keep your disciples encouraged, sharpened, and informed about the progress of the work of evangelism in their areas.
M. Expect new converts to be won and discipled through your disciples.
N. Expect new church to be planted and developing through your disciples.
O. Expect new branch Bible schools to start through your disciples.
P. Expect new Pastors Evangelists, and Church Planters to be developed through your disciples. (John 17:20-23)
Q. Help your disciples to remember, that they may plant or water the church, but it is still God who causes the growth! (I Cor. 3:5-9)
Note - Many of the above ideas were adapted from Robert Coleman’s The Master Plan of Evangelism, Asbury Press, 1971)
Study Questions
1. Why is it important to disciple your leaders?
2. On what basis, standards, and methods should you select your leaders for the many responsibilities in the church?
3. How do you go about discipling your leaders?
4. What errors to avoid should you watch out for in training your leaders?
5. What specific things can you do to encourage the growth of your leaders?
6. What sorts of things should you expect from your leaders?
7. What are the some of the most important things that Jesus did in training His leaders?
