PATHWAY
- God's word.
- pray
- Discover
- Train
- Coach
FOCUS ON GOD'S WORD
Develop the habit of reading, obeying, and sharing the Bible. Reading Scripture is as essential to our spiritual health as eating food is to our physical health. Matthew 4:4 NIV. Obedience is the true measure of faith. 1 John 2:5
Resource
Resource
- One Thing Study A simple, powerful, and highly transferable devotional that enables focusing on God's word.
Pathway is for anyone who wants learn how to start a disciple making movement (DMM). DMM consist of seven elements (sails). They are listed below.
The sail concept comes from a sailboat analogy. For a sailboat to move forward requires two things: someone to raise the sails and wind. It is our responsibility to raise the sails (implement the elements listed below). It is the Holy Spirit who provides the wind. We do our part and pray for the wind of the Holy Spirit. Both are essential for DMM to occur.
Notice the various parts of DMM are elements, not steps. The disciple making process is not always sequential. Instead, view the elements as a whole and focus on the one that needs the most attention.
The sail concept comes from a sailboat analogy. For a sailboat to move forward requires two things: someone to raise the sails and wind. It is our responsibility to raise the sails (implement the elements listed below). It is the Holy Spirit who provides the wind. We do our part and pray for the wind of the Holy Spirit. Both are essential for DMM to occur.
Notice the various parts of DMM are elements, not steps. The disciple making process is not always sequential. Instead, view the elements as a whole and focus on the one that needs the most attention.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
“DMM gave us the much needed tools to make the Great Commission personal for each person in our church. The Biblical principles within DMM empowered us to make disciples who make disciples and birthed a new dawn for our church.”—Pastor Brent
“I wish I had discovered DMM training years ago. These biblical principles have taught me that fruitfulness that flows from God’s power rather than human effort. It's thrilling to experience. I highly recommend DMM for any pastor or church looking for a way to help their people engage the Great Commission.” —Pastor Kevin
"The principles within DMM have enabled me to truly make disciples that make disciples. They also have empowered so many people in our ministry to move from good church goers to authentic disciple makers. I can truly see how a movement could take place in our city and it’s so exciting." —Pastor Jim
"DMM has resulted in a spiritual awakening for me. I used to rely on the church bringing people to me to make disciples. I now go out to people in my community, utilizing opportunities found in government subsidized housing, clean and sober living facilities, the county jail, and my neighborhood. I go with the vision of making disciples who will then make disciples." — Tom
“I wish I had discovered DMM training years ago. These biblical principles have taught me that fruitfulness that flows from God’s power rather than human effort. It's thrilling to experience. I highly recommend DMM for any pastor or church looking for a way to help their people engage the Great Commission.” —Pastor Kevin
"The principles within DMM have enabled me to truly make disciples that make disciples. They also have empowered so many people in our ministry to move from good church goers to authentic disciple makers. I can truly see how a movement could take place in our city and it’s so exciting." —Pastor Jim
"DMM has resulted in a spiritual awakening for me. I used to rely on the church bringing people to me to make disciples. I now go out to people in my community, utilizing opportunities found in government subsidized housing, clean and sober living facilities, the county jail, and my neighborhood. I go with the vision of making disciples who will then make disciples." — Tom
FOCUS ON GOD'S WORD
Develop the habit of reading, obeying, and sharing the Bible. Reading Scripture is as essential to our spiritual health as eating food is to our physical health. Matthew 4:4 NIV. Obedience is the true measure of faith. 1 John 2:5
Resource
Resource
- One Thing Study A simple, powerful, and highly transferable devotional that enables focusing on God's word.
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Help the DG become a church. Read Acts 2:38-47 for a partial list of the principles of a church. Keep in mind a DG can multiply before it becomes a church. Church is the mature expression of a DG. If you are learning about DBS for the first time on your own or are training others, do a DBS first, then read the DBS Facilitator Notes. Reading them after doing a DBS is more helpful. Use the DBS Story Sets if you are looking for content. |
DMM stands for Disciple Making Movement. It's a strategy for making disciples that make disciples. It consists of seven elements (sails). The sail concept comes from a sailboat analogy. For a sailboat to make headway requires two things: someone to raise the sails and wind. It is our responsibility to raise the sails (implement the elements). It is the Holy Spirit that provides the wind. We do our part and prayerfully plead for the wind of the Holy Spirit. Both are essential for DMM to occur.
Notice the various parts of DMM stated as elements, not steps. The disciple making process is not sequential. Instead, view the elements as a whole and tend to the one that needs the most attention.
Resource
Notice the various parts of DMM stated as elements, not steps. The disciple making process is not sequential. Instead, view the elements as a whole and tend to the one that needs the most attention.
Resource
- Watch Introduction to DMM and Discipleship (9:08)
FOCUS ON GOD'S WORD
Develop the habit of reading, obeying, and sharing the Bible. Reading Scripture is as essential to our spiritual health as eating food is to our physical health. Matthew 4:4 NIV. Knowing the Bible is necessary, but obeying it essential. Obedience shows our love for Jesus. John 14:15
Resource
- One Thing Study (OTS) A simple, powerful and highly transferable resource for focusing on God's word.
MULTIPLY EXTRAORDINARY PRAYER
Increase your time in personal prayer and fasting. Extraordinary prayer is simply praying more than you presently do. One characteristic of movements the world over is significant prayer and fasting. The book of Acts records over thirty instances when the early Christians prayed.
Increase your time in corporate prayer. Join, form, or host a prayer group focused on starting a disciple making movement. The meeting can be in-person or virtual and may last one hour or multiple hours. One idea for a one-hour prayer meeting is to begin by sharing God stories: updates on disciple making. Then read from a book of the Bible, a section at a time, beginning to end, meeting by meeting, and let it activate DMM prayers.
Resources
- Ideas for longer prayer meetings.
- Watch Prayer (9:54)
CAST VISION
Tell others what God is doing through your disciple making efforts. Casting vision is especially compelling when everyday Christians share their stories. It removes the myth that the Great Commission is for trained pastors, church staff, or gifted believers. Casting vision is often the first step in others becoming involved in DMM. Invite those with whom you share stories, to be trained.
TRAIN BELIEVERS
Show them how to do a Discovery Bible Study (DBS). This may take a few meetings. Include DBS Facilitator Notes and DBS Story Sets.
Teach them in the different aspects of a Discovery Group (DG). A DG consists of three or more people who meet weekly and use DBS. Help them form their own DG. Encourage them to coach those from the original group that start their own group. Coaching consists of meeting regularly to review the last meeting and help with next meeting.
Take catalytic leaders through the DMM training. A catalytic leader is someone who has demonstrated the capacity to reach an entire area or large groups of people. Either train them yourself by using the notes from your DMM training, or direct them to the eLife DMM training.
Show them how to do a One Thing Study.
GO OUT AMONG THE LOST
Go out among the lost locally. There are two ways to go out among the lost locally: situationally and intentionally. Situational consists of encounters with people in the course of everyday activities. The FARM Conversation is an excellent resource for this. Intentional includes a planned time to witness about Jesus Christ. An excellent resource for this is Prayer Walking. Try to take others with you as you do this.
Remember, the aim of going out among the lost is to find persons of peace (those ready to be discipled), help them form a Discover Group (DG), coach the DG to become a church, and encourage the church to multiply by repeating the process.
Resources:
- Watch Person of Peace (5:41)
- Watch Compassion (8:04)
- Watch Church (6:34)
- Watch Leadership (10:30)
Go out among the lost globally. Specifically, among the unreached, those without access to the news about Jesus Christ. Presently, over THREE BILLION people are in this category. Over 40% of humanity does not have the opportunity to learn about the gospel! They are unreached because there are not enough people in their own culture to evangelize the rest of their people. Only if Christians bring the gospel to them will they be reached.
Resources:
- REACH. An in-depth small group or individual mobilization resource.
- Joshuaproject.net. An in-depth website about unreached peoples.
- Beyond.org/videos
- Infographics.
- Unreached Library.
- Mission Frontiers magazine. It's free online.
- Beyond.org. They focus on using the Disciple Making Movement (DMM) strategy among the unreached. Become SOGY (Support Others or Go Yourself).
SEE GROUPS START
Encourage a disciple to form a Discovery Group (DG). A DG consists of three or more people who use DBS. Groups have a dynamic not present in individual meetings. They remember more, learn quicker, replicate faster and more often, protect against heresy and poor leadership, self-correct, and increase accountability.1
Coach the facilitator so the DG turns into a church. Read Acts 2:38-47 for a partial list of the principles of a church. Inspire the church to raise its sails so it plants other churches. The goal is to become a movement. A movement is the rapid reproduction of multiple churches to the fourth generation.
ONGOING COACHING
Meet regularly with your disciples. Review the seven elements and associated resources, and ask the following questions.
- "What is going well in disciple making as you review the seven elements and associated resources?"
- "What is not going well in disciple making as you review the seven elements and associated resources?"
- "What is your next step, and how can I help you get there?"
Meet regularly with others who are coaching disciples. Join an existing coaching network, or form your own. Ask the same questions.
1. Paul Watson, Small Groups That Have the DNA of a Disciple Making Movement (Mission Frontiers, Nov-Dec, 2012) https://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/article/small-groups-that-have-the-dna-of-a-disciple-making-movement