How to Start a Disciple-making Revolution – Part 1 of 2

Changing yourself is one thing. Changing the culture of a people is something else. Yet, change is possible. Just think it – we’re wearing seatbelts in our cars, mothers are breastfeeding infants, and cigarette smoking has all but stopped. Churches must be patient to implement change. To many churches, change is like starting a revolution.

People are studying revolutions, like I did. There are typically 10 ways to start revolutions, even in a Southern Baptist church.

#1: Create Followers

Many church leaders deeply want to see revival and growth in their church and community. Some are so weak that only revitalization will salvage their efforts. But what does it take to spark a revolution? A real sea-change? A course-altering realignment with God’s will and His ways?

The first step to revolution requires an unwavering commitment to making disciples. Jesus commanded that His followers make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). The Apostle Paul was following Jesus’ lead when he instructed his protégé Timothy to entrust to reliable men who can teach others, also (2 Timothy 2:2).

We envision healthy churches that make disciples that regularly lead others to spiritual transformation that only exists through Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). The revolution will only succeed as we align with God’s will and His mission to redeem our lost communities and beyond.

We must have a bedrock commitment to seek to make disciple-making the new normal. And those disciples must make disciples.

#2: Build momentum

Revolutions are not passive, but very active. Momentum comes from communicators that are committed disciple-makers. These key leaders must be equipped with appropriate resources to share their story and the story of the movement’s advances.

Communication that promotes testimonials, first-hand experiences, and helpful tools must be highly valued. In our world, it is important to take a multiple-media approach. News releases, short video clips like TikTok, Facebook, X, LinkedIn and other media such as TV, radio, and news outlets still bring influence. Your messaging must become regular and consistent to provide information and discussing issues, providing training, and linking to others with a similar conviction. And don’t forget word-of-mouth. You can’t buy good “buzz” these days! It’s one thing for YOU to talk about it, but something else for it to be passed-along.

Social scientists say that Innovators (2.5% of a defined group) must build up the body of Christ to maturity through oral approaches (Ephesians 4:11-15). This group might be your church body, denomination, etc. Early adopters (12.5%) and Early Majority (32%) will follow based upon the likes and even dislikes experienced by the Innovators that they observe. Late adopters and Laggards are expected, but must not sidetrack the movement.

Personal sacrifice will be required to do whatever it takes. We must not major on the minors. This is hard work. Unity will emerge in practices even though theology might differ from group to group.

We, as active practitioners, should remove all possible barriers to the movement taking off! When the Holy Spirit is ready to MOVE, then there should be as few barriers as possible for a revolutionary movement to get started and pick up speed as people give it a shot.

#3: Equip

Revolutions around the world rely on training. Disciple-making requires nothing less.

Training must be on several levels: Each “revolutionary” (practitioner) must become as knowledgeable as possible. There will likely never be one central authority; never has. We all just keep being driven back to the Bible as the touchpoint.

Revolutions rely upon well-informed leaders who can teach others without approval from anyone. They must be empowered to bring others along in the movement.

They may coach or support others for a season, but they should have the authority to make disciple-makers using methods that are proven and work. Diversity in approaches that get orality functioning widely is appreciated and never criticized. However, each new pattern or schema embraced must bear fruit and advance the cause or be ruthlessly abandoned.

#4: Expect Attacks

Our culture is full of pithy sayings about revolutionary leaders catching grief: “Parked cars don’t get chased.” Think Iditarod on this one: “If you’re not the lead dog, the view never changes.” And then the foreboding line: “The tallest blade of grass gets cut first.”

Disciple-makers should expect attacks. Here are a few firsthand experiences:

1. Our battle to make disciples of all people is against Satan (Eph. 6). Satan’s attacks must be expected in the form of condemnation, hypocrisy, temptation, and lies (not to mention half-truths).

2. Among other believers who hold to our way or the highway, there is a selfish pride that wells-up into confrontation (Is. 5:21). There is a great deal of misunderstanding or an emotional threat to how they were trained in seminary or Bible college. One pastor I met in Central America refused to let his church observe the Lord’s Supper because the church couldn’t afford the fancy pre-formed Communion wafers that he had been given during seminary. The axiom holds, “As was done for us, will be done for others.”

3. Some would rather live in fantasy than in the reality that making disciples requires (Prvbs 12:11). By “fantasy” I mean that intentional disciple-making efforts are being squelched or eliminated by some churches. Sunday School is dismissed as being for children only. Bible study is a nice past-time, but the pastor is considered the only one capable of conveying God’s Word by some churches and church plants, so those committed to disciple-making face being bypassed, ignored, or ridiculed.

4. And, some attacks will come from Bible study curriculum printing houses that erroneously see any change in methods as a threat to sales and bottom-line profitability. A Lifeway executive once confessed that their focus was on selling paper and ink, not the content, in order to stay in business. Since that confession, Lifeway has stumbled year after year.

5. And lest we forget among those who are the staunchest supporters of the movement — we can “shoot our wounded” as we attack each other rather than lovingly confront and reconcile (John 15:17).

6. 
   

Revolutionary disciple-making will likely elicit an angry reaction. Guiding reckless passion of those who are negative into positive kingdom work is a real victory! But the disciple-making revolutionaries cannot be naïve to think that we will not become lightning rods for serious issues that God must resolve for us.

One of the gravest attacks is for those in the movement to settle for less than complete disciple-making.  It is possible to experience success along the way and begin to compromise. We must never settle as revolutionaries for an uptick in engagement statistics or some other measurement (2 Cor. 10:12). What the Holy Spirit provides as encouragement, we must never value as completion.

It’s the Lord’s battle, yet He encourages us to gear up and pray, keep alert, and persevere (Eph. 6:18).

#5: Add Value:

A Minister of Education pointed to a trashcan with unused leader guides, student quarterlies, and other adult discipleship training “stuff.” He said, “I get so tired of over half of our materials not being used. Isn’t there a better way?”

Church leaders, like that Minister of Education, will be attracted to check out alternatives such as the Orality Movement simply by increasing the stewardship of his available — and often dwindling — resources.

Bible Storying methods such as what was taught in the book, Truth That Sticks, that Avery Willis and I taught adds value on a number of revolutionary fronts.

·        Reduce the financial burden of purchasing expensive curriculum. We’re not just throwing away Bible studies, but relying more on God’s Word to keep the attention of followers of Jesus — and bring them back week after week.

·        Delight pastors and other church leaders as they see their church transform communities with the gospel. When church members pepper their conversations with the biblical account glorifying God, then the conversation changes. And when they pass along Bible heroes, answers from Scripture, and insights into spiritual awakening, everyone gets blessed.

·        De-mystify the Bible so that the average guy can delight in the Word of God! (Gal. 6:10)

·        Experience the joy of entire churches praising God who is actively meeting the desires of their heart (Ps. 37:4).

Not everyone will buy into the cost of change that results in quality disciple-making. Expect them to either leave or start their own versions of the revolution. Bringing significant change to a church is not the objective, but often necessary to see change in lives, churches, and communities.

Throwing off the tyranny of lecture-driven elitism in order to draw out and then live out Bible Truths is as controversial today as it was among those who followed our Lord over 2,000 years ago. 1 Cor. 10:31 reminds us to do everything with all our might to the glory of God.

It’s liberating to become a change agent that adds value to the lives around you.

This ends part one. There are five more requirements for a disciple-making revolution. Check back next time.

--Mark Snowden serves as director for the Cincinnati Area Baptist Association