Reproducibility

When a student says to me, "You're so talented, I could never do what you do."  I shouldn't be flattered.

I've just failed.

But when a student says to me, "There is nothing super tricky about what you are doing, in fact I think I could do a better job than you are."  I should be  encouraged.
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I've just succeeded in modelling transferability!

                                                                                                               -- A. J. DeJonge

Transferability in the ministry context is the idea the that the tools, strategies and methods  that we use in ministry could be easily copied and used by anyone we are working with.   Another way of talking about this is to ask the question:

Is it reproducible?

Could my 14 year old son use a particular method or ministry tool?  Could he do what I'm doing?  And could he help someone else do it?

These are important considerations when we think about making disciples who can make disciples.  When Jesus gave us the great commission, his command was to make disciples and teach them to obey all that he commanded.  

In that regard, everyone who is a disciple of Jesus should be making disciples of Jesus.  If the process has somehow become overly complicated, if our methods require so much knowledge or training or expertise that the average follower of Jesus can't obey Jesus, then we've got something wrong.

If we desire to see our disciples make disciples then we have to begin to examine what we are doing to disciple them and ask a few questions:

• Can they do this?
• Are they doing it?
• Can they teach someone else to do this?
• Are they teaching others to do it?

​If the answer to any of those questions is NO then we may need to ruthlessly evaluate what we are doing and how we are teaching.

Movements are not built on the expertise and charisma of a few but on the on the priesthood of all believers equipped and released to make disciples who make disciples.

Disciples need faith, they need vision, they need to be released with authority to do the work.  But they also need to be equipped with tools that they can use and teach others to use. 

And to do that, we must evaluate the tools and methodologies we are using and determine if they are reproducible.
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Image Credit

[check out Giving Up Control, a great ebook by A. J. DeJonge for $0.99 on Kindle] 

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