When I begin the process of discipleship, I turn to Luke 12 where Jesus picked his disciples. It says he prayed all night — so I start with prayer. I have followed this practice since I was 22 years old. In seminary, I studied under Robert Coleman (author of Master Plan of Evangelism) and his philosophy was to start with prayer, which leads to selection. This is like when you go to a grocery store and you’re looking for the right tomatoes, grapes, or oranges – you have to select the right ones. So, I begin by praying, Who, Lord, do you want me to impact? and, Who would be a good fit, who has the right chemistry? I have done this in college, in seminary, in youth ministry, and now as a professor. I ask God to give me three to five guys I can pour into. Sometimes that involves running into someone and wondering if they would be a good fit, so I pray about that person. Sometimes the chemistry is off, but as you spend time with them the chemistry grows — probably like Jesus and Peter (I’m sure they clashed!), and certainly Judas.

begin by praying, Who, Lord, do you want me to impact?

So pray, select, then take it slow. Some people are discouraged by discipleship because they want it to go fast, but I don’t think that’s how discipleship works. Jesus spent three and a half years with his disciples, and they still didn’t get half the stuff he taught them! Take it slow. Practically, just do life together. Some guys will need Bible training, some need prayer, some need community to share what’s going on in their life. We customize discipleship for each person. I usually disciple a small group at the same time; the genius of this is that sometimes you recognize when you need to pull someone aside to address something one-on-one. Keep the group small, and keep it off the radar, because some people can feel left out if they are not included in the group.