Discipling

Jesus commanded us to make disciples of all peoples, teaching them to obey all he commanded. This issue explores discipling essentials and challenges with particular attention to cross-cultural ministry. These explorations are informed and illustrated by authors’ personal experience in multiple differing contexts around the globe.

👉 Read the issue here

Missio Nexus members and EMQ subscribers can read the full issue online.
If you’re not yet a subscriber, learn more at https://missionexus.org/emq-hub.

Theme: Discipling

Jesus’ disciples walked, ate, and lived with him. Later, they reproduced what they had experienced. Discipling is rarely a program; it is a life shared. This issue seeks to learn from cross-cultural workers’ experience and reflections on what it means to make disciples faithfully across cultures.

Articles marked by a globe (🌐) are unlocked and publicly accessible. All other articles require a Missio Nexus membership or EMQ subscription. Learn more here.

Contents View all articles →

Group of diverse people smiling indoors, celebrating together.

Editorial 🌐

By Evelyn Hibbert

Jesus’ disciples walked with him, ate with him, lived with him, hurt with him, and later reproduced what they experienced. The most effective discipling occurs in multigenerational community. It is active and flexible to changing circumstances. The best disciplers come alongside disciples, teaching them to apply the Bible amid the challenges of everyday life.

Two women looking at photo albums at a table in a cozy room.

Five Questions about Disciples and Disciple Making

By Andy Smith

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.

Scenic view of a riverside town with historic buildings and mountains in the background.

Reframing Cross-Cultural Discipleship Around Allegiance: Promoting Peace, Reconciliation, and Freedom from Fear

By Bryan Carey

Bryan Carey argues for a deeper, more lasting approach to cross-cultural discipleship centered on allegiance to Jesus and participation in God’s work of peace and reconciliation. He contrasts the effect of focusing on doctrinal boundaries versus reordering loyalties. This kind of discipleship is slower, but it forms communities characterized by humility, restored relationships, and lasting faith.

Group of people sharing drinks outdoors in the rain with umbrellas and raincoats.

Being Among the Lost: Discipleship Must Move Back into the World of the Unreached 🌐

By Manuel Becker

What if the church’s greatest obstacle to mission is church life itself? This article introduces “Church-Gravity Syndrome,” the tendency of Christian communities to pull believers away from the very people they hope to reach. Drawing on Jesus’ ministry and movements in Thailand, it shows how discipleship flourishes when believers minister among the lost. Practical steps for cultivating an incarnational presence among the lost are discussed.

Mission Nexus training session with diverse participants in a community setting.

Discipling Leaders Across Cultures: A Four-Dimension Framework and How to Apply It

By Joseph W. Handley Jr. and Mary Jo Wilson

Joseph Handley and Mary Jo Wilson present a framework of four overlapping dimensions for effective cross-cultural discipleship based on their decades-long experience of developing leaders. These four dimensions are abiding deeply in God, forming Christlike character, using simple reproducible disciple-making practices, and catalyzing movements. The authors emphasize that while discipleship’s core remains constant, its practice must adapt to disciples’ contexts. They stress the importance of community and allowing disciples to grow, reproduce, and transform their communities in locally appropriate, multiplying ways.

Elderly couple sharing a moment outdoors, engaging in conversation.

Obstacles to Forgiveness Among Turks

By José L. Cruz Parada

Forgiveness is a major topic in Christianity yet largely ignored in Turkish culture. This article presents the reasons why that is and gives practical suggestions on how to teach it to others, especially for those serving among Turks.

Traditional prayer instruments and incense in a lush outdoor setting.

Curses Can’t Harm Me, Right?

By Neil Miller

Neil Miller explores the often-overlooked biblical topic of curses and asks an important question: “Can they really affect people today?” Drawing from real-life stories and Scripture, the author examines what the Bible teaches about curses, how they operate, and why believers should take them seriously. It also offers practical guidance on how to respond when someone believes they are cursed. Readers will gain a clearer biblical perspective and practical steps for addressing this challenging spiritual issue.

People reading and studying outdoors in a park setting.

Ending Bible Poverty: A Research-Driven Approach

By Matthew Elliott

Matthew Elliott discusses how ending Bible poverty requires more than translating Scripture into every local language. Drawing on research from Africa, he argues that most people read in national or educational languages and lack access to the Bible due to cost and distribution issues. Elliott calls for a research-driven, transparent, sustainable approach that prioritizes Bible engagement, local publishing, effective distribution, and contextual discipleship.