In today’s post, we will discuss superheroes and passing your baton to future leaders. We hope you enjoy as we continue Creat-Moteo’s summer discipleship series!

Part of the working life requires freshly pressed uniforms. Of course, you could wait to iron until just before you rush out of the door. Alternatively, as I sometimes do, you can iron your clothes the night before. Strangely enough, there is a unique and boyish vision that I have when hanging up my ironed uniform the night prior. Most of the lights are off since it is time for bed, all except for the faint lamp light in our bedroom. As I hang up my uniform, I imagine it waving under a heroic breeze with a faint musical refrain comparable to Superman’s theme song.

At times I wish that this vision were true. I wish I could honestly say to my wife that my nine to five job involves superpowers and crime fighting. Yet, I am not a superhero. This is obviously not the case for most of us, and such is no different with disciplemaking.

In order for disciplemaking to work, we have to embrace our weaknesses very much like embracing the fact that we are not superheroes in our everyday life. The capacity of one to lead and train others, is far less than the capacity of three or four. That is, if a discipleship group has only one trained leader, very few other disciples will be made. It will solely be up to the one trained leader to make other disciples. Yet, if we train others to do as we do, multiple disciples can spring forth over time since each disciple we make is trained to make disciples who make disciples. This leadership process allows our discipling groups to be small yet very powerful. (See Greg Ogden’s Discipleship Essentials for more on multiplication strategies).

For Creat-Moteo’s summer discipleship group, embracing our weaknesses means that we specifically empower others to lead. Below are three principles on how we are doing this:

1. Clear Expectations from the Beginning.

Discipleship has always been a call to leave everything for the sake of the mission, and Jesus certainly did not shy away from making this expectation clear (Luke 9:23-24). Disciples today are no different, nor are the disciples you and I will soon make. With our summer group, I made my expectations clear from the start. One of those was that our group would have a decisive end date and each member would be expected to find at least two others to disciple shortly afterwards. It is for this reason that I hold my baton rather loosely with disciples I am leading.

2. Everyone Gets a Shot.

We cannot let discipleship groups stagnate by hoarding leadership. Every group member should have a chance to lead since every member is expected to one day make other disciples who make disciples.

3. Leadership Process.

A great way to empower leaders is through an intentional and organized process. This summer, I am using a modified form of the following method: I do, you watch; I do, you help; you do, I help; you do I watch; you do, someone else watches (see Life on Mission by Aaron Coe and Dustin Willis). I led our Bible studies for the first three weeks, then I asked one of my disciples to lead for two weeks. He watched as I led our studies initially, then we talked through my preparation process. This week is his second week teaching where I will watch as he leads.

If discipleship is to be exponential in its increase, it will require disciples to pass along their batons and teach others how to do the same. If we believe we are superheroes, we will train people incorrectly in our own feebleness and eventually burn out. Let us pass along our batons by setting clear expectations, and by giving everyone a shot at leadership through an intentional leadership process.

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