The 4 M's of Making Disciples
A few years ago, I was trying to help a church as they developed their men’s ministry. One of the guys involved on the planning team was an ex-military guy. I asked him to help me understand military organization, for I’d long admired the structure I perceived within the military. He described how every person starts in Basic Training and then every 3 men are put into a team with a Team Leader, or 4 men. Then, 3 teams are merged together to form a Platoon. They grow and work together for a season until the time comes that the teams move into Special Ops where they find their unique place in the military. Now, if you are in the military, forgive me if I’m getting any of this wrong, but nevertheless, this was a spark for an idea.
I began to see the value of breaking a larger group into smaller parts and how this could be a model for a church or a region to organize and manage the people they are serving. The guys in Bakersfield like to use “M’s” for everything, M6, M24, M42, etc. I decided to call this idea the 4M Model. It starts with groups of 4 Men and takes them through 4 Phases. I share this with you, not as any kind of global mandate, but merely for creative inspiration.
THE 1ST “M”- MEMBERSHIP
This is the entry point, the military Basic Training phase, where someone discovers Influencers. This could be a gathering event like many of our regions use as fishing pools. This could be an invitation from a friend. In the case of a church, this could be Sunday morning, a small group, a women or men’s event. There is an invitation to go deeper.
THE 2ND “M”- MENTORING
This is where we assign every three persons who want to go deeper into a team with a Team Leader. These Team Leaders need to be people who have been through The Journey who are willing to mentor newer disciples. They are committed to pouring into 3 people for the next year. The Team Leaders will begin meeting with their 3 individuals, collectively and individually, assessing where they are spiritually. How’s their soul? Do they spend time in the Word and Prayer? Do they even know how? What’s driving them to go deeper? What are they struggling with? What is their testimony?
This mentoring piece seems to be a critical piece needed within Influencers. Paul talks about this when he says: “For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” 1 Corinthians 4:15 ESV I’ve also made note that Jesus had the 12 disciples, but he spent extra time pouring into 3…Peter, James and John. They went on to be central figures in the formation of the church after Jesus departed.
Most people do not have mentors or what I would also call “spiritual fathers/mothers” in their lives, people who go out of their way to meet with them just because they care about their spiritual development. This can make a big difference in a person’s spiritual journey.
THE 3RD “M”- MATURING
This is the step when 3 Teams form together into a Journey Group of 12. The 3 Team Leaders will be the guides for the Journey group. And the Team Leaders will continue to meet with their team outside of the Journey group to encourage them in the things they are learning. We have always felt like a good Journey Guide meets with individuals in the group outside of group time anyway. Now, as a guide, you have a clear assignment with your 3 people in whom you are investing and mentoring.
The Journey is why Influencers was created. It is the major tool we use to help individuals learn how to abide in Christ, to become disciples and to make disciples. The temptation might be to form the 4M Teams, but NOT take them through The Journey. If this happens, it will not be discipleship, for it will become one of the many “horizontal” expressions we’ve seen through the years, like an Accountability Group. So, if the 3rd M is not part of the model, I believe we are missing the most critical step.
THE 4TH “M”- MOBILIZATION
Once the team members have completed The Journey, the Team Leaders need to spend time with them, helping them understand what God has done in their lives the past 9 or 10 months and where He might be taking them. After going through The Journey, the team members will know how to Abide and what their Spiritual gifts are. All believers/abiders are called to Make Disciples, and some may be called to do this in other ways besides Influencers.
But there is a beautiful opportunity for a 4M Team to reproduce as the 3 Team Members each pray about 3 people they might invite to join them on their next Journey as they form a new Team, and they now become Team Leader. The original 3 team members now become Guides of the next Journey Group. These 3 people will have a bond from journeying together and from their time in their mentoring team. The original Team Leader can keep mentoring them until such time that they are self-sufficient and he can go form a new team.
Some people who go through The Journey the first time may not be ready to lead and feel like they need to go through the process again. The Team Leaders can assess the progress of their team members and will be able to see if they are ready. Again, the Team Leader is committed to staying with them as long as needed until they are finding their place, their calling in God’s Kingdom.
Another thought is for the Team Leader to Co-guide with 2 or 3 of his team in Year 2 so he can continue to mentor them as rookie disciple-makers. I’ve seen this done many times and it has been the most successful way to raise up new Journey Guides.
SUMMATION
So, there you have it, 4 M’s….Membership, Mentoring, Maturing, Mobilization. Where are you in these stages? Could something like this be used in your church, your region? These 4 steps are already happening in various forms throughout our ministry, but perhaps this could help you leaders formulate more of a systematic approach to how you form Journey groups. At a minimum, if you are a Journey Guide, do you have 3 people you are pouring into, just like Jesus did?
We believe the discipleship fields are ripe for harvest and there are millions of people out there who need mentors and need to be shown how to abide and become a disciple of Christ. Influencers was called into existence for such a time as this, and many of you are called as well. Please answer the call.