Torreon in Northern Mexico

Discipleship Training

Key to the Great Commission is the phrase “and make disciples”. The Church’s job is primarily disciple-making, and if need be, going to the “uttermost parts” of the Earth to accomplish it!

To this end, the EMC and the MEM have put in place the ministry of Discipleship Training. The goal is the maturity of existing and new believers alike.

Like Christians in the United States, believers in Mexico must be trained in Christian discipline, that is, discipled and taught how to grow spiritually.

Dr. Charles Lake, former senior pastor of Community Church of Greenwood  in Greenwood, Indiana, has developed a proven curriculum.  It is excellent material, highly recommended and used by the EMC. This material has been translated into Spanish and is in use in Mexico.

A major focus of ministry in Mexico is the implementation of Discipleship Training in each congregation of the MEM. It is impractical for a missionary to personally disciple all EMC believers in Mexico.  Therefore, the strategy is to train pastors and key individuals of the local church in the discipleship course and concept, trust them to catch the vision of discipling every Christian, and supply them with the curriculum.

By doing this, we hope to establish the practice of discipling believers as part of the normal operation of all EMCs south of the border! The ministry of Discipleship Training is not merely discipling, but rather the art of training key people to disciple others.

2 Timothy 2:2 says, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men so that they will be qualified to teach others.” (NIV) In this verse, there are four generations of discipleship--Paul, Timothy, “reliable men”, and “others”. We are doing exactly what Timothy was instructed to do--entrusting these things (teaching them to obey all that I  have commanded you...”--Matt 28:20) to reliable men (and women) who will in turn be qualified to teach others!