The DNA of a Disciple-Making Movement by Bob Harrington and Josh Patrick, from The Disciple-Maker's Handbook

Matthew 28:19
Imagine a day when Jesus-style disciple making is the norm for the local church. Everyday Christians are engaged in relationships with people (inside and outside the church) so that they can show the love of Jesus and help people to trust and follow Him. Churches are known as disciple-making places, where Jesus-like people are created. And pastors are evaluated by the people they raise up and the disciple makers they have made in the Spirit’s power. Jesus’ message and Jesus’ methods dominate.

What will it take? We believe that this day will come as God moves among us and as God’s people live out certain beliefs. If the following beliefs resonate with you and you can support them, then we hope you will join us.


These beliefs are the DNA of a disciple-making movement.

1. We believe the gospel and it is our message — this good news is focused on Jesus as our Messiah (King) and His death, burial, and resurrection. All who respond to salvation are freely saved and called to discipleship, no exceptions, no excuses (Mark 8:34-38; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8). The gospel we preach and believe dictates the kind of disciples we are and the kind of disciples we make. If we attempt to make a Christlike disciple from a non-discipleship gospel, we will fail. A non-discipleship gospel is one that does not include discipleship as a natural part of the message and expectation.

2. We are compelled to be and make disciples of Jesus. We believe Jesus Christ is supreme and worthy of all devotion, worship, and emulation, and disciple making is a natural and necessary life response to Jesus. With laser focus, it was Jesus Himself who made disciples who could make disciples... and Jesus commands us to do the same (Matthew 28:16-20; John 20:21). We prefer to use the expression “disciple making” over “discipleship” because the former is closer to the words of the Great Commission and the latter is often mischaracterized (Matthew 28:18-20).

3. We believe Jesus is the model (for life and ministry). Jesus showed us how to live life and how to make disciples. We seek to emulate His method and model. As the sinless second Adam, Jesus was man as God intended man to be. He then told us,

Do the works I have been doing. — John 14:12

John said those who “claim to live in Him must live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6). Paul understood this when he said, “Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NLT). Discipleship demands us to “follow” the resurrected Christ and “imitate” the priorities and patterns of the incarnate Christ. We like the expression “Jesus’ model and method of disciple making” as a summary of what we do.

4. We believe love is the driving motive. The Great Commandment precedes the Great Commission. Loving God and loving people is the passion behind the priority, the motive behind the mission, the heart behind the hands. Love is the signature card of true disciples... disciple making cannot happen apart from loving and caring relationships... both tough and a tender love (1 Thessalonians 2). Larger ministries require more relational disciple makers to keep growing. Disciple making is relational and, as ministries grow, more relational disciples are needed.

By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another. — John 13:35

5. We believe verifiable fruit is the measure. God’s agenda for each one of us is that we stay close to Him and bear “fruit,” “more fruit,” and then ultimately “much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8). God transforms our hearts as we “remain in [Him]” and He leads us into lives of love (John 15:4, John 15:17). Jesus modeled the focus of love as He came to seek, save, and disciple people (Luke 19:10; Luke 6:40). Jesus masterfully showed how love produces disciples... reaching and developing His men and helping them grow from non-believers all the way to disciple-makers reproducing disciple makers (Matthew 28:19-20). There is a natural process of moving people from those who do not know Jesus all the way to becoming mature disciple-makers... and Jesus showed the model to us. In short, we haven’t truly made mature disciples until they are following Jesus’ model of love and helping to make more disciples... this is fruitful multiplication.

6. We believe Holy Spirit power is the means. Disciples cannot be made through fleshly efforts. Jesus, in His humanity, fully acknowledged His dependence on the Spirit. Disciple making is not just a good strategy... it is a way of life, accomplished through the fruit of the Holy Spirit living through a person’s yielded and holy life (2 Corinthians 3:16-17). If Jesus fully depended on the Holy Spirit’s power, how can we do any less?

The Holy Spirit will lead us to be obedient people who live holy lives to God’s glory.

7. We believe the local church is the primary environment for disciple making. The church is for discipleship, and disciples manifest the kingdom of God to the world (Colossians 1:28-29). When the church reverses this process and attempts to get the world to go to church instead of the church going to the world, you get chaos. Pastoral and ministerial work should be evaluated and rewarded based on how many disciple makers are produced and the kind of people a church sends into the world. Jesus was a man for others; the church, likewise, is for others. Any plan that does not create disciples who live for others is a failure.

8. We believe that equipping leaders is the linchpin of the movement. All Christians are called to be disciples who grow to help make disciples, using the unique gifts God has given each of us. Leaders are also called to grow a movement of disciple-making. This is called the church (2 Timothy 2:2). How Jesus built a movement differs from how Jesus made a disciple. If we are going to create a disciple-making movement in North America, it is our conviction we must train leaders in how Jesus built a movement. This is harder and takes more time, but in the end this will bear fruit that will remain. Practically, this means we must develop a team of disciple-making leaders (pastors), with various disciple-making best practices (church models), who can continue to fan the flame of disciple making.

9. We believe definitions are vitally important. (1) Our definition of disciple making — helping people to trust and follow Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20), which includes the whole process from conversion through maturation and multiplication; and (2) our definition of a disciple — a person who is following Christ, being changed by Christ, and is committed to the mission of Christ (Matthew 4:19 ESV).

10. We believe Jesus and Scripture are the basis. We believe the sixty-six books of the Bible are the authoritative, reliable, and ultimate standard for disciple making and life (2 Timothy 3:16-4:2) and that Jesus, as presented in the Bible and appropriately described by the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed, rightfully deserves our focus and our commitment to a life of full discipleship.


We want to fan the flames, pour gasoline on the fires of this kind of disciple-making movement, and we hope that your heart resonates with ours.

Making disciples of Jesus is God’s strategy to heal and redeem the world.

It is our conviction that a life well lived is a life devoted to this revolution. Won’t you join us?

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Excerpted with permission from The Disciple Maker's Handbook by Bobby Harrington and Josh Patrick, copyright Bobby Harrington and Josh Patrick.

CONTENTMENT; Myth or Reality?

It may be a cliché, but it’s true: We always want what we can’t (or just don’t) have. One person may look at your life and think, “Wow, you have a nice car or a stable job or a great house, you must be content.” But at the same time, you’re probably looking at their life thinking the very same thing about something they have that you don’t. We are each continually longing for the next thing, be it a spouse or putting down roots somewhere or a better job or the next vacation.

Contentment—whether with our living situation, salary, relationship status or whatever else—doesn’t come naturally. It’s something we have to actively cultivate. God has shown me over the past year what it looks like to fight to be content every day. I use the word “fight” because I believe that learning to be content is just that. I believe it to be one of the biggest struggles we face in life. We all have legitimate needs and desires given to us when we were created by God, but because of The Fall, we have begun looking to fulfil those desires outside of the only One who can satisfy them. The more we search to meet those needs outside of Christ, the more unsatisfied and discontent we become. So practically, what does it look like to strive to be content exactly where God has you today?

1. Be Patient With Yourself.

When we stop being thankful for what we have and focus on what we don’t have, discontentment creeps in and we start believing God is holding out on us. Here's What You Should Do If you struggle with contentment, you are not alone. I believe most people wrestle with it one way or the other. Some people may not even realise they are searching for contentment, but they are constantly seeking after the “next thing” they can do or obtain in life. In Philippians 4, Paul talks about contentment and that he learned to be content. The verb “learned” indicates that Paul had to grow in his understanding of how to be content in all circumstances and this didn’t happen overnight. Be patient with yourself if you battle with contentment.

2. Cultivate a Thankful Heart.

You may be single, longing to be married. You may be married and want a nicer house or another child. You may want to escape the painful season you are in. You may also be in an abundant and sweet season. No matter where you are, focus on cultivating a thankful heart. When we stop being thankful for what we have and focus on what we don’t have, discontentment creeps in and we start believing God is holding out on us. Psalm 116:17 says, “I will offer to you [God] the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.” This reveals that having a thankful heart doesn’t come naturally to us, but rather it is a sacrifice. Strive to thank God in all circumstances.

3. Focus on Today.

When we constantly look forward to the next season or next vacation or even the next meal, we completely miss the moment we’re in and the blessings found in it. Our time on earth is short—much shorter than most of us would like it to be. Keep your eyes focused on today. Soak up every moment of it. Another day like it will never exist again. Trust in God’s Provision. The Lord knows exactly what you need when you need it. In the book of Exodus, after the Israelites were miraculously rescued out of Egypt, they wandered in the wilderness for a while. They began complaining to Moses about not having enough food. God told Moses that He would send bread from heaven to feed them, but every person needed to collect only the exact amount required to fill their stomachs each day. God is in the business of providing for us. And He does provide for us everything we need each day. We need to open our eyes to the ways He is providing. Focus your eyes on all God has given you each day.

4. Contentment is Found in Christ Alone.

Christ is the only one who can fill the insatiable desire in each of us for something more because God created us for all our desires to be met in Him alone. Many Christians have heard the popular verse found in Philippians 4 that says, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” We often apply this to various activities we do such as a project at work or an obstacle we want to overcome, however, when reading this verse in context, Paul was talking about how to be content and endure any situation. He says, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things him who strengthens me.” 

At the end of the day, our circumstances will not make us happy. No matter how much money we have, what kind of house we own or what friends we surround ourselves with, nothing can fulfil us the way Christ can. Whether we eat an amazing meal or go without food, we will not be content based on anything material or circumstantial. Christ is the only one who can fill the insatiable desire in each of us for something more because God created us for all our desires to be met in Him alone. Christ will help us learn contentment as we rely on Him through everything we go through. He will show us that He can satisfy our deepest longings and needs as we seek Him and a relationship with Him above everything else. Christ loves us so much and wants to meet our needs. As we lean on Him, we too can say with Paul, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”