Antwerp, Belgium

CALLED to be Disciple-Makers

On 22 October, Darryl Evetts taught a workshop on disciple-making for Antwerp Christian Fellowship, Belgium, for members of the church.  The workshop focused on being CALLLED to be disciple-makers.

C.A.L.L.E.D. is a simple, reproducible, and transformational process for disciple-making. It describes a flow for a disciple-making conversation and emphasizes our role as equippers and disciplers.

There’s nothing new about the elements of this process, but the way each element is arranged and how they work together for a transformational experience is quite remarkable. Missions pastor at Crossbridge Community Church in San Antonio, Texas, Shawn Sullivan, gets credit for the CALLED acronym. (Who doesn’t love a good acronym!) This process has been distilled from his decades of disciple-making experience both in the U.S. and internationally.

The C.A.L.L. describe the flow of conversation during a regular meeting with the person or persons you’re discipling.

C = Celebrate.  Start with celebrating what the Lord has done in you, around you, or through you.“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again:  Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

A = Accountability. The goal of accountability is to encourage the disciple(s) as they strive to be faithful to what they’ve heard the Lord tell them to obey. “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24).

L = Learn it. Utilize a Discovery Bible Study together, giving the Holy Spirit room to “teach you all things and…remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). What a joy this part is, taking time to discover what a passage says and what it means.

L = Live it.  This is where the disciple learns to be still and wait, listening to discern the Spirit’s leading. This is the most important part of the process, so don’t rush it. The disciple will listen to the Lord and write down what his or her faithful response to the passage will look like.

The E. and D. emphasize our role in the context of a genuine relationship with those we disciple.

E = Equipper. We want to equip others with experiences, skills, and tools for their journey with Jesus and their journey of discipling others.

D = Disciple.  Our role as a disciple is to come alongside the other person(s) in a life-on-life relationship always encouraging them to become more like Jesus.

Darryl Evetts