Jesus’s last words before leaving in the Gospel of Matthew were for his followers to make disciples of all nations (Mat 28:19). Would you say this commandment still stands today? Do you think this applies to you personally? Would you like to make disciples for Christ?

If you answered “yes” to these questions, I’ve got good news for you. We have a new comprehensive discipleship tool to help you to fulfill the great commission of Jesus. What’s more this approach requires zero preparation and it’s effective.

Here’s how it works. Choose one of our three books in the discipleship series that you think will meet the needs of the person you want to mentor.

Follow the Way of Jesus (19 Chapters)

For those new to Christianity, this book starts with a five-chapter gospel presentation then moves to explaining how to live as a Christian. It’s a handbook on how to follow Jesus today.

Read the Bible for Yourself (17 Chapters)

For those wanting to understand and apply the Bible to their lives, this book walks them through principles of interpretation and practical application. Then students will see how to read each section of Scripture profitably.

Explore What We Believe (13 Chapters)

Systematically going through the major doctrines from a biblical yet non-confrontational way, this book is ideal to help people understand doctrine.

We’ve designed these books to be read aloud by two or three people in a group setting. Each chapter will take between thirty minutes and an hour to get through, depending on how much discussion you have along the way. If you take three weeks off for holidays, you could get through all three volumes in a year. Or. you could finish just one book in two or three months if you meet twice a week. The pace is up to you. The goal for this kind of mentoring is not to get done quickly, it’s to take your time so that the student is able to absorb these new ways of thinking and living and put them into practice in real life.

To get things started, you simply need to ask someone if he or she would like to meet weekly for a while to work through a book designed to help them in their Christian walk. If the person is not yet leading a Christian lifestyle, then suggest to start with Follow the Way of Jesus. If they’re coming from a different church tradition, you’ll want to work through Explore What We Believe. If it’s someone who is ready to develop their ability to understand the Bible better, do Read the Bible for Yourself. If you aren’t sure where to start with someone, then you can show them all three books and ask them to choose.

Once someone has agreed to do this, set a time and place to meet. You can meet at a coffee shop, at work, at home, in the park, at the church, at a restaurant, online, or wherever you can have a distraction free hour together. Each of you can purchase the book you’re working through at the church or on Amazon. Make sure each of you has your own books and that you each have a pen. Although most of the discussion questions are oral, some parts of the book ask you to write something in. Plus, it’s good for you to circle, underline, or otherwise mark up the books with questions, thoughts, or whatever.

Begin the session with prayer. Say something like, “Dear God, we pray that you would help us to draw closer to You and better live out our faith as we work through this book today in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.” Of course, you may want to add to that prayer to include other petitions, but that’s the basic version.

After prayer, begin by reading the chapter you’re on this week out loud until you get to the discussion questions. Then it’s time to take a break from reading and discuss answers. The point of discussion questions is not to get the right answer, but on open-ended engagement with the content in a way that helps you to get to know each other better. After you have each answered the question, the student should take a turn reading aloud until the next discussion question. After discussing, take your turn again and keep alternating until you get to the end of the chapter. Some people are not comfortable reading out loud. If that’s the case, try and encourage the person, but if they refuse, you’ll just have to do all the reading yourself.

The Discipleship Series is not only great for those who are new to Christianity, its also a resource you can use with your teenage children. Children in high school should be able to follow along well enough. You’ll have to use your own judgment if a child is old enough to understand the content. Once again, you can decide which book to start with or give your teenager the choice. (Teenagers generally love having agency.) When working with someone in your home, you may want to accelerate the time together. You could do an hour each morning before school, an hour before dinner each evening, or an hour before bed each night. Another option is to just do a chapter a week on Saturday or Sunday. You’ll have to decide what works best for you and your child.

Whether you’re working with a friend or your child, it’s best to work through all three books. They each complement the other two and together present a full picture of Christianity. When you finish one book, see if the person is willing to do another one.
In addition to the person you’re mentoring, it’s great to invite another person along who is interested in learning to mentor others. This way you are training a future mentor while also working with a new student. Honestly, any mature Christian should be able to pick up one of these books and start mentoring. (They require zero preparation ahead of time.) However, some may lack confidence and want to see you do it before they feel capable of doing it on their own. What’s more, three people is really a perfect size for this kind of study. Consider whom you can train as you both disciple someone new.

Our heart in producing these books is to equip you to make disciples. Discipleship does not need to be hard, but it does take courage, intentionality, and consistency.

You can do this.

You just need to step out in faith. When we put ourselves out there in serving God, that’s when we grow the most. Who can you work with? Who really needs discipling? Reach out to someone and see if you can get into a regular rhythm.