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Training Disciples to Make Disciples

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.

—2 TIMOTHY 2:2

Being a follower of Christ implies making followers of Christ. Matthew’s Gospel concludes with Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples, known as the Great Commission (MATTHEW 28:18–20). He told them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

In a sense, the Great Commission is Jesus’ summary command. The primary verb, the imperative verb, is “make disciples.” The other verbs (go, baptize, teach) are actually participles in the original Greek, and they describe how we are to make disciples. One of those descriptors is “teaching them to observe [obey] all that I commanded you.” Hence, we make disciples by teaching them to obey all of Jesus’ commands. The output of the disciple-making process should be disciples who obey Jesus’ commands. And, of course, one of the commands of Jesus is to make disciples. So an obedient disciple is, by definition, a disciple-making disciple.

How can we effectively do that? How can we make disciples who obey Jesus’ commands, including His command to make disciples? How can we ensure that we are learning to obey all of Christ’s commands and to teach that same discipline to others, who will in turn teach it to others? How can we do this in such a way that the process will continue for spiritual generation after spiritual generation?

The MAWL training cycle is one helpful pattern to accomplish this. MAWL is an acrostic describing the four phases of the training cycle: Model, Assist, Watch, Leave.

Let’s look at an example: training someone to ride a bicycle. This follows the four phases of MAWL. Modeling does not take long, but it is necessary. Before people can learn to ride a bike, they need to see somebody else riding one. The role of a model is to create the concept of what is being taught. This happens the moment a person sees someone else riding a bicycle. In the modeling phase, the trainer performs the skill and the trainee watches.

The “assist” phase is a bit longer. Here, the trainee is the one on the bicycle, but the trainer is there to help—perhaps walking alongside the cyclist with one hand on the handlebars and the other on the seat. This phase can be relatively short, giving the learner a basic understanding of what it feels like to ride. We don’t want to assist for too long, lest we develop a pattern of dependence.

The “watch” phase is far longer. The learner is now developing independence as the instructor introduces additional skills and some of the finer points of riding: how to mount a bicycle, how to start from a standstill, how to steer around obstacles and curves, how to brake, how to go uphill and downhill, where and when it is safe to ride, how to obey traffic laws and follow traffic patterns, etc.

Once the learner has mastered all the basics, the instructor can leave. The newly trained bicycle rider can ride independently and can even begin teaching others how to ride.

We could describe the four stages of the training cycle as developmental levels. People at level 1 need a model. At level 2, they need hands-on assistance and guidance. Level 3 learners need more refinement in their application or understanding. Level 4 means that they have mastered the basic skills and are able to teach others.

Of course, people are not at the same level of development in everything they do—their level varies depending on the skill. I am at level 1 in gene splicing, level 2 in yodeling, level 3 in playing the harmonica, and level 4 as a scuba diver, since I am professionally certified to train other divers.

Generally, people can train someone who is at least one developmental level below them in that particular skill. Because teaching a skill is one of the best ways to learn that skill better, we encourage people to participate in teaching as soon as they reach level 2.

Mentoring someone through the training cycle requires flexibility on the part of the mentor. At level 1, people need clear direction. At level 2, they need clear direction plus encouragement. At level 3, they need encouragement but much less direction. Specifically, they should be encouraged to take the initiative with regard to the topics and pace of their further growth. Level 4 people have few needs other than the fellowship of other practitioners.

The time length of the equipping roles differs: Modeling should be very short, assisting relatively short, and watching quite long. The first two phases are face-to-face and intensive in most cases. The watching phase can often be managed at a distance, especially with the electronic communication devices available today, and it is more ad hoc in nature.

Finally, if I am mentoring someone in a range of related concepts and skills, then I use a coaching checklist. Once I believe that the trainee has reached level 3 on all the skills, I give the checklist to the trainee, who then rates himself or herself on each skill. This helps me to ensure that the learner is ready to take charge of the remainder of the equipping process and confirms that we are in agreement as to how much progress has been made.

See the following chart for the coaching checklist I use in my discipling. Don’t be concerned with the specific topics in the left column. Those are merely illustrative and can be adapted for your personal approach.

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In situations where the cluster of skills and concepts is complex, a worksheet like this one helps to ensure that the entire set of abilities is passed on in its entirety and that the skills, abilities, and attitudes of succeeding generations remain consistent. Also, if you are mentoring several people, it helps to remind you what you have and have not covered with each one.

Once a person has achieved level 4 in all relevant skills, then the mentoring relationship ends and a peer-to-peer relationship begins. Mastering the training cycle itself is almost always the last item on which a person achieves developmental level 4. The reason why people need to be at the fourth generation of reproduction to “graduate” is that only then have they demonstrated their ability to successfully carry out each of the roles of being a trainer. They need to appropriately leave generation 1 after generation 1 is watching generation 2; meanwhile, generation 2 is assisting generation 3 and generation 3 is modeling for generation 4. This takes a while, especially with complex clusters of skills and concepts. Most people don’t do it well the first time, and training must be carried out effectively through all four generations.

Implementing the training cycle is an important skill not only in disciple making but in any training or equipping that we hope to see reproduced to multiple generations. Doing it well requires discipline. If someone you are mentoring proves to be unmotivated and unfaithful to the process, then you should not invest a large amount of time in that person. Invest instead in those who are faithful in applying and passing on what you give them. Invest deeply in the few in such a way that they do the same with others. The fruit harvested from such an approach will be abundant within a few generations.

I strongly suggest that you go through the Zúme training online to gain experience in the training cycle and other tools I have introduced. Zúme means yeast in Greek. In MATTHEW 13:33, Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.” This illustrates how ordinary people, using ordinary resources, can have an extraordinary impact for the Kingdom of God.

Zúme is a free online introductory training on how to multiply disciples and simple churches. It can be found at zumeproject.com. It is being translated into forty languages so that it can be used in most parts of the world. By participating in Zúme, you will have access to a coach who can guide you through the process of implementing what you have learned and answer any questions you may have.

Once you have begun to practice these patterns, you may want to become part of 24:14 (2414now.net), a coalition that derives its name from MATTHEW 24:14: “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” The 24:14 practitioners have banded together and are working collaboratively to ensure that multiplicative approaches to disciple making are being implemented in every place and among every people group globally by the end of 2025. The 24:14 network is a good place to get more advanced training and coaching as you progress in your disciple-making journey.

Finally, because it is an integral part of making disciples, it is helpful to give detailed thought to what exactly are all the commands Christ gave. I would encourage you to read the “Commands of Christ” blog series, which is one of the documents available for free download at obeygc2.com. It covers a multitude of specific practical areas of life. Examining our own lives in the light of those specific commands is a helpful practice.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, You have given me the job of making disciples who obey You and who will make more disciples. Help me to do it well. Bring me to faithful people. Help me train them as Jesus trained the Twelve. Give me patience, but not too much patience, because I want to maintain a holy dissatisfaction with the status quo. Give me faithfulness, sacrifice, and discipline. Teach me to teach them to teach others, for the expansion of Your Kingdom and for the praise of Your glory!

QUESTIONS

Read the following questions, then pray and ask God what He wants you to learn and do. Listen quietly.

Review your journal. Are there any past commitments you have not completed? If needed, schedule revised completion dates.

1. Am I intentionally making disciples? If not, with whom should I start doing so? If so, in which aspects of the training cycle am I the most deficient? How can I begin to improve in this phase?

2. What specific actions does God want me to take in response to this chapter? (Note them in your journal and schedule them in your calendar.)

3. With whom (at least one name) does God want me to share what I have learned?

Ask the Lord to enable you to follow through on these commitments and to prepare the hearts of those with whom you intend to share insights.