A couple of years ago, I heard about Damien Gerke and his book "In the Way." I got a copy of the book, hunted down his website, and ultimately ended up in a coaching relationship with him. This went on for about six months with two calls a month. I finally hit pause on that because I was accumulating so much information and so many ideas. I had to pause so I could start applying it. One of my personal challenges is falling into the trap of just learning and not applying. I learned so much I had to then take some time to apply it.

I summarized some of the key learnings from that process, things that either Damien had said or things that became clear to me. Here are a few of them:

Christian leadership is disciple making. Chew on that for a while. It will lead to all kinds of thoughts, including this question: If disciple making isn't happening, is Christian leadership actually happening?

When it comes to disciple making, take action, make mistakes, and move on. This is in contrast to perfectionism. Disciple making is more like ready, fire, aim, adjust, and fire again.

A key issue in disciple making is the issue of surrender, both in our own lives and in the lives of those we are seeking to disciple. Is there anything in my life that God needs to compete with? Surrender is a big issue.

The goal is not more disciples by some loose definition. The goal is disciples who make disciples. Understanding that a disciple is someone who makes disciples is a key concept in disciple making.

For evangelism, look for people who are in need and come alongside them. I've come across the acronym P.E.P.S.I: Poor, Internationals (immigrants), Prisoners, the Sick, and Youth. These are categories of people who might be open to the Gospel.

Reading the Bible from a Legacy Church perspective versus a disciple-making perspective can lead to vastly different applications. For instance, Ephesians chapter 4 talks about equipping the saints for works of service. In a legacy church context it is often interpreted as training people to serve in ministries inside the church building and program. In a disciple-making context, it's about how we serve one another and those outside the church.

We in the Legacy Church tend to overcomplicate disciple making. If something doesn't help us make disciples, why are we doing it? Let's not overcomplicate it.

The basic prayer of a disciple maker is prayer for direction. Asking for direction in the day-to-day routine of life. Asking the Lord, "What are you calling me to next?"

Intercession is always strategic.

And just in case you didn't hear the first time, Christian leadership is disciple making.

You can view the video from which this was taken here: Disciple Making Discoveries