Disciplemaking Strategies: Training for Trainers (T4T)

A discipleship revolution emerged in a densely populated corner of Asia as believers faithfully followed Jesus as obedient disciples, passed on the gospel, and discipled others they led to faith. At last count, more than 1.7 million people had been baptized and more than 150,000 churches started. This movement is known as Training for Trainers (T4T) because every disciple is expected to train others.

You can read about it in the book Training for Trainers (Kindle Edition - affiliate link).

T4T is an all-inclusive process of training believers over the course of 12-18 months to witness to the lost and train new believers to form reproducing discipleship communities generation by generation.

T4T Goal: Multiplying generations of trainers and churches – at least four generations and beyond.

Disciples of Jesus are learning to live out the twin call to 1) follow Jesus, and 2) fish for men (Mark 1:17). They see people in one of two categories: lost and saved. If someone is lost, witness to them. If someone is saved, offer to train them to make disciples.

Key Disciplemaking Activities: 

• Look for Persons of Peace – spiritually prepared people.
• Presence – lovingly bring the presence of God to them
• Power – cry out to God to miraculously reveal Himself to them
• Proclamation – give clear message of salvation (Gospel + Call to Commitment)

• Witness to five people every week. Sow the gospel broadly to find Persons of Peace.
• Get to the Point. (Don’t ask, just tell.)
• Get them to Lostness.
• Get to the Gospel.

• Do whatever it takes to fill your weekly (or bi-weekly) schedule with as many training groups as possible.

After leading someone to faith in Jesus, include them in a T4T group...

      Session One: WHY – WHOM – HOW

      A new believer needs to walk through this WHY-WHOM-HOW session within minutes or hours of salvation

• Why? Cast Vision – Why has God saved you? To reach you and your household
• Whom? Make a name list of their oikos and prayerfully prioritize it
• How? Give them a gospel bridge (e.g. testimony) and a gospel presentation
•  Provide adequate time to practice it and set goals with prayer

Session Two and Beyond: Training Trainers

     These three parts (or three thirds) are integral to developing trainers

First Third: (Looking Back)

            The goal of this time is to evaluate how the trainers did while apart, celebrate together and encourage them that God can build a movement through them.

• Pastoral Care 
• Worship 
• Loving Accountability 
• Vision Casting

Second Third: (Looking Up)

            The goal of this time is to look up to God for new direction by studying a new lesson or Bible study. 

• New Lesson (give enough Biblical content to obey and pass on) - Use "SOS”

o   Say: What is the passage saying?

o   Obey: What should we obey from this passage

o   Share: Who is someone we can share this message with?

Final Third: (Looking Ahead)

            The goal of this time is to prepare the trainers to implement the things God has been teaching them – evangelism, discipleship, training others, starting a group, etc.

• Practice the Lesson
• Set Goals and Pray for One Another

CRITICAL FOR REPRODUCTION – Some activities are more important to build multiplying generations of disciplemakers. These four are most critical:

• Loving Accountability  
• Vision Casting  
• Practice the Lesson 
• Set Goals and Pray for One Another

If pressed for time – don’t leave out these four activities, or you will end up with a traditional Bible Study and no reproduction. Cut down the content before cutting anything else. You only need to give enough content to obey and pass on!

“If you want real obedience-based discipleship, avoid one of the chief traps: Never give an assignment or goal unless you plan to ask about it at the next meeting. Failing to ask about it is the fastest way to kill obedience-based discipleship.”

You may introduce a short discipleship curriculum (6-10 lessons) but long-term disciplemaking must focus on inductive Bible study – ask questions of the text and learn together from the Holy Spirit. 


Today's Missional Challenge: Try the T4T approach!


Related Posts: 
Bible Storying
This is Discipling
Life Transformation Groups (LTGs)
Discipleship Diagram
Start Churches by Making Disciples


For more posts on Disciplemaking - link here.