Down to Earth Discipling

At the 2017 Canberra Men's convention, there was an elective about meeting one-on-one with people and in that there was also a rundown on the inductive Bible study method. These are two things that check my boxes and then afterward the speaker said if we gave him our address he would post out a free book. I'm a sucker for free books, so a few months later I got this book, and yes it has taken me over year to get to it.

This book is by the Navigators and seems like their handbook in how they meet one-on-one or in a small group. There were a few frameworks and models in here which I think aren't the only way to do things but are helpful to think about.

There were the Stages of Ministry moving from reaching to discipling to equipping to sending. Depending on who you are dealing with will affect what you look at when meeting one-on-one.

There was also a wheel analogy with Christ in the center, and four spokes coming out which are prayer, fellowship, the word, and witnessing and when they all spin you may not see them but the wheel on the outside moves which is the obedient Christian in action. It felt a little naff, but you can't really complain about it as it is alright.

There also was mention of the Bridge to Life analogy with a man on one side, God on the other and the only way to cross it is with the Cross, not by works but by what Jesus has done for you. Again, a little naff but it's alright.

But more than these frameworks, there were lots of helpful tips and steps in evangelism, meeting one-on-one and building disciples. The guy who wrote this tells from many personal experiences what he has done, what has worked and what has failed. I appreciated that.

The heart, motivation, and character of the discipler/mentor is examined and focused on. While the main goal is to point people to Jesus - what He has done and what He has taught, there is always some traits of yours that rub off onto someone. So being mindful of when to discipline, when to encourage, make a joke etc are talked about.

There are some suggested programs to look at, mostly topical, whereas I would lean on going through a gospel or epistle with someone, but the book wasn't against that either. This book would also be helpful for someone who is doing something like multiply too.

What I liked most about the book was that it was practical and aiming to set something that is Biblical and easily reproducible. It is worth reading, and more than that, worth putting into practice.