Fruitful Disciplemaking

Diane Linger experienced Life-to-Life^® discipleship in college through The Navigators and has been discipling women for many years. Several years ago, her focus shifted from only discipling, to one of teaching those she disciples how to disciple the next generation. God is using Diane to multiply disciplemakers through her local church outside Columbus, Ohio.

“There was excitement stirring when the church decided to make discipleship a core element of how we live life, not just a program,” Diane shares. The focus on discipleship came as God brought together people who had a heart for transforming lives. A new senior pastor came to the church, Nate and Lisa Harrison (Navigators Church Ministries) joined the church, and Bill Mowry (Navigators Church Ministries) led a workshop for the church.

The workshop rekindled the vision of discipleship for Uesky Daniel. She had been discipled when she was a young mom and had been trying to engage in ministry within the church. She is involved in a triad with Diane and another woman, with the goal of each person starting another triad to grow more disciplemakers. Uesky shares, “Diane’s commitment and enthusiasm are contagious. She had been pursuing me and encouraging me to intentionally share my faith with someone else. This is who we are as part of God’s family.”

Diane is always on the lookout for those who are willing to grow as disciples and disciplemakers. At a women’s retreat several years ago, she prayed specifically that she would find someone to pour into, rather than just hanging out with friends at the retreat. Anne Pooch was the answer to Diane’s prayer. They shared interests in gardening and walking; they started meeting together to walk and pray and study God’s Word.

“Diane pulled me in,” shares Anne, “and I started to grow in my faith. She is getting me ready to do what she does—disciple others.”

Disciplemaking is a process of helping people “To know Christ, make Him known, and help others do the same^®.” Diane reflects, “It isn’t always our natural bent to consider investing in others. I remind the women I disciple to be intentional, like Christ, as they interact with family, neighbors, and coworkers, and to consider how they can replicate what they received and build it into the lives of others. As I thank God for what He has done in the past, I continue to pray for where He is taking us next.”

As one woman disciples another, who disciples another, God is sparking a movement of disciplemakers.

Pray that more churches will catch the vision of disciplemaking as core to the life of the church. Praise God for those who are living out their faith by growing disciples who make disciples.