MODULE 10: MAKING DISCIPLES

OUTCOME: The disciple makes a disciple.

It all comes down to this! For the past several months, you’ve been rehearsing the up, down, and forward arrows. Now it’s time to address the backward direction of discipleship: Making other disciples. This is where we turn around and reach out to someone behind us on the journey and invite them into our care. In other words, this is where we become disciples who make disciples. Once this happens, a multiplication movement has begun.

The Pathway Comes Full Circle

Everything on the Discipleship Pathway has been leading to this moment. For months the disciple has been growing in the "up" direction (prayer, Scripture, awareness of God), the "down" direction (confession, self-denial, generosity) and the "forward" direction (hospitality and justice). Module 10 turns to the backward direction of discipleship: turning around and reaching out to someone behind us on the journey, and inviting them into our care.

This is how the Great Commission becomes real. Jesus did not ask his followers to make converts or fill buildings; he told them to "go and make disciples" (Matthew 28:19). When a disciple makes a disciple, a multiplication movement begins — disciples who make disciples who make disciples. As Paul wrote to Timothy, the things you have heard "entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others" (2 Timothy 2:2). That verse describes four generations of disciples in a single sentence.

Why Disciple-Making Multiplies

Addition says: one pastor reaches ten people this year. Multiplication says: one disciple invests in one person, and next year both of them invest in someone else. At first addition looks faster, but over time multiplication far outpaces it. More importantly, multiplication is personal. Most people meet Jesus not through an advertisement or a programme, but through a friend who follows him. As Alan Hirsch argues in Missional Velocity, the answer to reaching people is not simply bigger churches, but healthier, holier disciples who live on mission where they already are.

The Four Meetings of Module 10

Meeting 1: Thomas the Disciple Maker — journey through the life of the apostle Thomas and the Saint Thomas Christians to see how one faithful disciple can shape generations.
Meeting 2: Looking Back — review your notes and growth across the previous modules using the Looking Back resource.
Meeting 3: Missional Living — discuss Missional Velocity, cultural distance and what it means that there is no such thing as an "unsent" Christian.
Meeting 4: Inviting a Disciple — debrief inviting someone onto the Pathway, celebrate the journey and commission one another.

How to Invite Someone to Be Discipled

For many disciples, "the ask" is the most intimidating part of the entire Pathway. A few practical steps make it easier:

Pray first. Ask God to show you one person. Often it is someone already in your life: a friend, co-worker, family member or newer believer at church.
Look for hunger. A person of peace who asks questions or wants to grow is a good sign.
Keep the invitation simple. "I have been meeting with someone to grow in my faith and it has changed my life. Would you be open to meeting with me every week or two to do the same?"
Explain the commitment. Share how the Pathway works: eleven modules, four meetings each, at a pace that suits you both.
Start with Module 0. Friendship first. Use the starter questions and covenant just as you did.
Hold it loosely. If the answer is "not now," keep praying and keep being a friend.

Tips for Disciplers

Help your disciple see how much they have grown. Read back through old journal entries together, name specific changes you have noticed and celebrate them. Encourage your disciple not to wait until they feel "ready." None of us ever does. Remind them that you are still available for questions as they begin discipling someone else, and consider staying in touch as friends and prayer partners.