Five Questions about Disciples and Disciple Making

EMQ » Jul - Sept 2026 » Volume 62 Issue 3

Two women looking at photo albums at a table in a cozy room. — Martha Brady disciples Imogene Jerez, a Belize City housewife, in 1984.

Summary: As a missionary trainer, Andy Smith has encountered five questions about discipling repeatedly. These questions explore whether discipleship relates only to spiritual life, whether or not to use qualifying adjectives with “disciple,” who should make disciples, what the discipling relationship looks like, and whether only new believers need to be discipled. This article presents the answers that Andy and his OMF colleagues have developed in response to these questions.

By Andy Smith

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