FAQ

Ideally, all the people who go through the Laying Foundations Experience (Phase II) will be ready to begin Ministry Training (Phase III). In reality, not everyone will be ready for Ministry Training. Some will need more time to learn and apply the truths of the Laying Foundations Experience. Other people may have emotional and relational problems that keep them from moving forward spiritually.

We need to help those who are not ready to move on in their growth assess where they are and develop a plan to deal appropriately with the issues in their lives (See Disciple Building: A Practical Strategy, WDA). It is the responsibility of the mentor (or small group leader) to help the person decide what the next step will be for him. The resource Disciple Building: Mentoring for Progressive Growth (WDA) will help the mentor with this task.

The person may need to repeat some portions of the Laying Foundations Experience (Phase II), or he may need to be in a community group that encourages his growth while he deals with other issues that are slowing him down. If the issues are particularly troublesome he may need to be in a restorative group. (Refer to How Emotional Problems Develop, WDA for a further discussion of this.)

Some disciples are ready to be challenged for a leadership role (Developing New Leaders: Phase IV). But not everyone who participates in a phase is automatically ready for the next phase of development. Several factors affect the timing:

1. The ability of a disciple to assimilate and apply truth. Not everyone grows at the same rate. It's a fact. Don't rush the process. The goal is maturity, not covering material. Encourage those who are ready to move on to join the Phase IV Leadership Group. Encourage those who are not ready to participate in a small group. We stress the importance of community groups that exist alongside the progressive training process (See A Small Groups Manual, WDA).

2. Life Circumstances. Sometimes jobs, health concerns, family responsibilities, even other church roles prevent a disciple from moving ahead. Make sure the reason for delay is legitimate. (Remember the admonition of Jesus to leave things behind for the sake of following Him.)

3. The need for emotional healing. Sometimes the disciple building process reveals emotional damage. Encourage some people to join a restorative small group and continue the process of healing before
moving ahead.

In the early years of WDA most of us on staff had never been equipped to disciple even though we were in an organization that focused on building disciples. We learned as we did it. As our disciples learned and grew, we learned and grew. Although it may not be ideal, your leaders can do the same, and God will be faithful to bless their commitment and diligence. The materials that are available from WDA will be helpful.

Although in some cases there may be a specific, known problem that a person must address before he can move forward spiritually, usually the person does not know what is preventing him from growing. Whichever is the case, the manual Disciple Building: A Practical Strategy (specifically using the Christian Growth Checklist) will help you isolate areas that need attention and develop a plan to address those areas. If there are complex emotional and relational issues involved, the person may need to be a part of a restorative group or need to receive personal counseling or both. (See How Emotional Problems Develop, WDA.)

Many people have gaps in their spiritual understanding because few, if any, have been discipled in a systematic way that intentionally and progressively teaches them everything they need. Because of this situation, we designed an evaluation tool called the Christian Growth Checklist. It will help you determine where a person is along the growth continuum and will also identify areas of need. By using Disciple Building: A Practical Strategy (which includes instructions for the Christian Growth Checklist) you will be able to design projects to fill in the gaps you identify.

As we studied Christ’s training of His disciples we observed a progressive pattern: complex truths built on simpler truths. For example, He allowed them to get to know Him and learn foundational truth before he challenged them to learn to share their faith. (We have all witnessed the damaging results that sometimes occur when an excited new believer is thrust into the spotlight to share his faith and is given spiritual responsibility too soon. This is the result of violating the wisdom of the growth progression.)

Understanding that growth is progressive also helps us know how to give people what they need when they need it. For example, by knowing the characteristics of a person who is finishing Laying Foundations (Phase II), we can know that he is ready to be challenged to learn to share his faith, to move on to Ministry Training (Phase III). This makes the disciple building process somewhat predictable.

It is essential to remember that in the disciple building process God, through the Holy Spirit, causes the growth, and He often does this in mysterious, even surprising ways. But, He also commands us to take responsibility and be a part of the process. In the Great Commission we are told to “make disciples” and to teach them to "obey everything I have commanded you.” Any philosophy or system or method of making disciples that omits either God or His people is lacking. Both are essential.

In WDA we have discovered some tools that help us do our part: the five phases, NGP, R-CAPS, etc. These tools give us ways of thinking about the process of building disciples. They provide frameworks for our thoughts; they give us ways to organize our ideas. In addition, and perhaps most importantly, some of these tools, such as the five phases and R-CAPS, reflect patterns that we see in Scripture. For a more thorough explanation see Disciple Building: A Biblical Framework, WDA.

The fact is that disciple building principles and processes will never be applied exactly the same way in any two situations. Every group that faces the challenge of building disciples needs to get on its knees and ask God, “How do we apply this in this place and time?” Whoever is leading such a ministry must rely on the power and direction of the Holy Spirit and teach all who are involved to rely on the power and direction of the Holy Spirit. We cannot carry this out by ourselves and God never intended us to. Jesus commanded us to do these things and then promised, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

It would be simpler; but the goal is not just to provide better information, the goal is to help change character and attitude. Maturity is a complex process. The resources are designed to help a disciple builder as he helps someone else grow. By integrating teaching (Teaching Outlines and Pocket Principles) with personal devotions, group interaction and practical assignments, and aligning these to a specific level of spiritual development, we increase the probability that truth will be assimilated and acted on.