The Mentoring Manifesto, Vol. 66: Unpacking Discipleship Today

In November, I went to Alexandria, Egypt, to train a group of leaders on our mentoring process. Among many new experiences for me was hearing the Muslim call to prayer echo throughout the city five times a day.

While speaking with one of the attendees, these sounds interrupted our conversation. I paused and asked, “What impact does the call to prayer have on you every day?” His answer was both surprising and inspiring. In so many words, he said that the constant noise reminded him he was fighting a battle for the souls of the people God puts in his path.

The leaders I met in Egypt all share a common desperation and desire. Because of the life-and-death nature of their decisions for Jesus, they worship and seek Him with great desperation. It also burdens them with a great desire to share Jesus with others.

As I reflected on my trip, I was struck by the state of discipleship today and how “Americanized” my faith often is. Quite simply, my faith has become “fat and happy.”

On an average week, I go to church, listen to a half dozen sermons during my commute, stream a few hours of worship music, and read a spiritually focused book. While my consumption is high, if I am candid, my application is often limited. Without pointing fingers, I imagine the same is true for many of you.

Interacting with my new Middle Eastern friends and seeing their hunger for meaningful relationships with their Heavenly Father and with each other was a good reminder of Jesus’ call for all his followers to make disciples. I hope this reminder and the resources below will also inspire you to keep growing, keep leading well, and keep putting your faith into practice as mentors and disciple-makers.

P.S. As we approach the end of the year, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting Radical Mentoring and joining us in building a global movement of Jesus-centered disciple-makers. And if you specifically want to support our initiative to bring Radical Mentoring to the Middle East, you can do so here.

HOW THE CHURCH TODAY IS GETTING DISCIPLESHIP WRONG

“The goal is not to know, but to do something with what you know.” In this excellent article, Carey Nieuwhof unpacks why he believes we need to rethink discipleship, and then he shares seven truths about authentic discipleship we should reclaim.

Read the article here.

WISDOM FOR LEADERS: A FIVE-DAY READING PLAN

Leadership ebbs and flows in effectiveness based on how well we follow Jesus. In this five-day reading plan, author Boyd Bailey reminds us to follow Jesus first, keep integrity and accountability at the forefront, and stand up for what you know to be true.

Start reading on YouVersion here.

WHAT ARE YOUR QUESTIONS? WHO ARE YOU ASKING?

Today, answers are abundant, but questions are rare. But have you noticed how often Jesus began with a question? In this post, author Morgan Snyder reminds us that real discipleship doesn’t happen with programs or formulas. It is shaped by asking questions.

Check out the blog post here.

5 LEADERSHIP QUESTIONS: ON DISCIPLESHIP

Culture is created by what you celebrate, measure, and control. This episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast examines how we’ve made discipleship unnecessarily complex and reminds us that discipleship should be rooted in everything we do in the church. 

Listen to the episode here.