A woman I disciple recounted to me that the woman she disciples had asked Jesus to save her from sin during their discipleship appointment. Tears streaming down her face, the woman, who had grown up in church, came face-to-face during the one-on-one discipleship meeting, with the reality that she had never been saved from sin. I rejoiced with the woman I disciple.

We often dismiss the one-on-one model of discipleship when seeking to multiply disciples because, in this impatient society, it does not seem an efficient strategy up front. This is a misconception, as David Lanier explains:

                “Multiplication is much more powerful than mere addition. If you won one convert a week to Christ and added him to the church but failed to disciple him, in ten years you would have 520 immature believers. If I won one convert a week and disciple him so that he could lead another to Christ and disciple him each year, in one year I would have 52 disciples. In two years I would have won 52 others while those 52 would have won another 52, for a total of 156 disciples. The third year there would be 312. The fourth year 520. The fifth year 780, the sixth year 1,092. The seventh year…1,456. The eighth 2,860 mature converts. You would have 520 immature believers. The next year you would add 52 immature believers; I would multiply 2,860 disciples.” (Lanier, 1999)

Authentic Relationships

Spiritual multiplication of mature disciples is but one of the benefits of one-on-one discipleship. Another is the depth of relationship one builds as someone takes time to invest him – or herself in the life of another. With this comes a transparency that is only possible when two people share their lives in the context of studying together and learning to apply the Word of God to life. A heightened level of trust develops when two people commit to pray with and for each other and to keep each other accountable.

The South Carolina Baptist Convention (SCBC) Ministry to Women has found that women, especially those in leadership, are hungry for authentic relationships. We offer this through one-on-one discipleship.

The SCBC Ministry to Women Experience

Since March 2008 when the Ministry to Women held its first discipleship training, women have been building one-on-one discipleship relationships with other women. The biblical basis is 2 Timothy 2:2 where Paul instructs Timothy, his disciple, “to view himself as a teacher…Paul wanted Timothy to pass on what he had learned to (others) who would become teachers. They in turn would teach others, and the line of teaching would continue.” (MacArthur, Jr., 1990)

The Ministry’s three core leaders spent four months in prayer to prepare for the one-day discipleship training on March 1, 1008, conducted by Ron and Della Proctor, authors of the discipleship series, Mentoring 101. Immediately following, the core leaders began to disciple their assigned regional leaders with the expectation that after the third discipleship session, each regional leader would multiply by beginning to disciple a women’s leader. This resulted in a multiplication effect illustrated by the Multiplication Tree.

These discipleship relationships have had profound effects on women’s leaders. They report being encouraged in their ministries with an effective new tool for discipleship; becoming connected to others as they develop authentic spiritual relationships; experiencing growth in leadership potential by helping other women grow; experiencing increased intimacy with God; gaining a better grasp of the basics of the Christian faith; and becoming more confident to evangelize.

Two Lessons

That discipleship requires a major commitment of one’s time is clear, in an era when there is little time to spare. But investing time in the lives of others is in keeping with the examples of Jesus and the Apostle Paul who spent TIME teaching their disciples to carry on the work they began.

Equally clear is how critical PASTORS are to multiplying disciples through churches. Pastors must not only encourage, give approval, and teach about discipleship, they must commit to being discipled and then disciple others.

The Ministry to Women experience speaks powerfully of what God will do if one person is faithful, teachable and makes her - or himself available to disciple another person.