What Does Disciplemaking Look Like? One-to-One Disciplemaking The church in America has become expert at ministering in the large group context. We also enjoy great effectiveness when it comes to small-group settings. But the one-on-one ministry dynamic is almost non-existent. And yet this personal, intimate context is the best place to deal with the personal, intimate issues that paralyze a person and keep him or her from growing on to maturity. What's more, there is no better environment for effective, high-retention teaching than in a tutoring-mentoring-apprenticing relationship. Need Focused Rather than focusing on a one-size-fits-all program, or on a set of static, linear-sequential materials, Disciplemakers International advocates a flexible need-focused approach. It enables the disciplemaker to first conduct an assessment to determine - with the help of the Holy Spirit - what a person's most crucial need is right now in his or her journey to maturity and then introduces materials and/or activities that target the need. In this way, the Holy Spirit is given major access to the discipling process, instead of allowing the program to dictate the depth, sequence, pace and thrust of the training. Combining Intuitive and Systematic Discipling Skills Intuitive disciplemakers have a God-given or God-blessed ability to pick up on subjective cues to assess needs in their disciples and formulate specific plans to meet those needs. They don't rely on external programs very much to direct their ministries, they just seem to "know" what is needed. Systematic disciplemakers rely more on external, objective systems to guide their disciplemaking. Both approaches have strengths and weaknesses. While the intuitive discipler can be very sensitive and precise, his intuitive abilities are not transferable to the next generation. In addition, he will tend to emphasize his own areas of strength and avoid his weaknesses when discipling - unless something external "keeps him honest". The systematic discipler isn't as flexible or sensitive, but what he teaches is more easily passed on and - since his "system" provides ob jectivity and usually a wide range of resources - he feels more confident covering areas of personal weakness with his disciples. We have discovered ways to help the systematic discipler greatly increase his assessment abilities, and ways to help the intuitive discipler minister in a thorough, transferable style. Three-Phased Approach Assess: Using a series of "Self-Assessment Questionnaires" as a springboard to conversation and interaction, the disciplemaker can construct a specific profile of the disciple's current spiritual status. Major trends of strengths and weaknesses can be identified as well as specific, crucial areas of need. (sample of the questionnaire) Target: By comparing the disciple's growth profile with the standardized, Bible-based "Disciplemaking Growth Grid", the disciplemaker can work in concert with the Holy Spirit to identify and prioritize areas of need and to pinpoint the disciple's next step of growth. Personalize: Once the specific need is targeted, the disciplemaker can apply available resources to tailor-make an approach that is compatible with the unique characteristics of the disciple.  We have available Connecting With God, a solid tool to establish a young believer in twelve foundational areas of growth.  Check our listing of other publishers to find good resources for growth. For more information on the above materials visit our Catalog.
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