Practical Action Steps: How to Start This Week

Step 1: Pray. Ask God: "Who do you want me to disciple?" Don't force it. Wait for the Spirit to put someone on your heart. Look for someone who is hungry to grow (not just interested, but hungry), faithful (shows up, follows through), and available (has time to invest). This is Paul's criteria in 2 Timothy 2:2: "entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others."

Step 2: Invite. Don't overcomplicate it. Just ask: "I've been praying about discipleship, and you came to mind. Would you be interested in meeting weekly for the next six months to pray, study Scripture, and help each other follow Jesus?"

Step 3: Set clear expectations. At your first meeting, establish commitment (six months minimum, weekly meetings), time (what day, what time, how long — suggest one hour), place (home, coffee shop, church), structure (what will you do each week), and goal ("We're not just gaining information. We're learning to obey Jesus and make disciples").

Step 4: Start simple. First meeting: share your stories (how did you come to Christ? what's your journey been like?), pray together (thank God for bringing you together, ask Him to guide this relationship), pick a book of the Bible to start with (suggest a Gospel — Mark or John), and assign homework ("Read Mark 1–2 before next week. Come ready to discuss").

Step 5: Be consistent. The biggest killer of discipleship is inconsistency. Commit: treat this meeting as sacred. Don't cancel unless absolutely necessary.

Step 6: Evaluate quarterly. Every three months: "How is this going? What's working? What's not? What's God teaching you? Are you ready to start discipling someone else?"

Step 7: Release and multiply. After one to two years, say: "You're ready. Who is God calling you to disciple?" Help them start. Walk with them through their first few meetings with their disciple. Then step back. That's multiplication.