INTRODUCTION
You’ve probably heard concerns raised about church member retention. Evangelism leads to baptisms, but before long, the new members are nowhere to be found.
What is the answer to this problem? How do we close the proverbial back door of the church? Perhaps we need to reconsider our goal. Closing the back door may not solve the problem. We don’t want members to stay merely because we’re giving them attention or creating a wonderful environment for them— as helpful as these things may be. We want them to stay, because they are persuaded by the love of Christ and the power of our biblical message. The answer is not merely to focus on keeping members in the pews, but to focus on training members to be active disciples! Thus we are told, “Every church should be a training school for Christian workers.”1
Today, we will look at the final step, training, which corresponds to “preserving the harvest” in the Global TMI disciple-making framework. We’ll see that the Bible offers a powerful solution for keeping members in the church: train them to be disciple-makers.
I. DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING IN CHRIST’S MINISTRY
When Jesus called His disciples, He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17).2 When He said, “I will make you,” He was promising to train them how to win souls. As they spent time with Him, they would learn effective ministry.
Every disciple is to be a disciple-maker. (Read Luke 6:40.) Here Jesus makes it clear that the way we make disciples is by training. He also describes the goal of discipleship—to be like Him. Every disciple must be trained to win souls using the same methods that Jesus used.
The Great Commission also established the importance of training by saying we are not only to baptize new disciples, but to teach them to “observe all things” that Jesus has commanded us (Matt 28:19–20). We are to teach people until they are equipped to teach others.
II. DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING IN THE EARLY CHURCH
We see many examples of discipleship training in the early church. Acts 2 records over three thousand people being baptized into the church. Notice what these new members did (read Acts 2:41–42). They continued to grow spiritually under the mentorship of more experienced believers. This discipleship involved teaching in doctrine, fellowship, prayer, and eating together!
Timothy, who then taught faithful men who were able to teach others also. That’s four generations of disciple-makers in one verse!
Later, Paul would describe an important principle of discipleship in 2 Timothy 2:2 (read). Notice the sequence: Paul taught Timothy, who then taught faithful men who were able to teach others also. That’s four generations of disciple-makers in one verse!
We are not just to make adherents of the faith, but carriers of the faith; not just believers, but missionaries. Training is an essential step in Christ’s method to equip the next generation to carry forward God’s work. We must stop merely adding members, and start multiplying them. “One soul, won to the truth, will be instrumental in winning others, and there will be an ever-increasing result of blessing and salvation.”3
III. IN WHAT AREAS SHOULD NEW MEMBERS BE TRAINED?
One key element of new member discipleship is to nurture them in devotional habits. Many newly baptized members have learned to rely on someone else to “feed them” spiritually. They must be trained that the only way to maintain spiritual life is through their own communion with God. Providing plans and ideas that encourage daily Bible reading and prayer is essential for their future success as disciples of Jesus.
Another important aspect of new member training is to integrate them into the life and ministry of the church. They should be made to feel part of the family and taught that attendance is not only a personal blessing, but also a ministry to others (read Heb 10:24–25). Discipleship should include helping new members develop habits of attending Sabbath School, church, and prayer meeting or midweek Bible study. The relationships they build will form strong bonds that will be hard to break.
Finally, as emphasized by Jesus, new member discipleship should include training in how to win souls. Our job is not complete until the consumer becomes a producer; until the one caught by the gospel net becomes a fisher of men.
IV. HOW TO TRAIN Jesus’ example of training includes three components: instruction, observation, and participation.
First, He instructed His disciples. He sat with them and taught them. He explained to them what the Kingdom of Heaven is about and what kind of attitude, character, and approach is needed to win souls.
Second, they observed His example (read John 14:12). The disciples saw firsthand how Jesus served, ministered, and blessed others. They watched Him share the gospel. Note how important this example was: “In the training of the disciples the example of the Saviour’s life was far more effective than any mere doctrinal instruction.”4
Third, after instruction and observation, they participated in Jesus’ ministry. Luke 9:1–2 records how Jesus sent the twelve disciples out to “preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Later, He also sent out the seventy so that they could have the same experience. Jesus modeled the importance of hands-on training. As Ellen G. White so beautifully stated, “Skill is gained in the work itself. . . . It is in the water, not on the land, that men learn to swim.”5
New members might feel like they don’t know much and therefore aren’t prepared to share the gospel, but the only way to know more is by sharing what they do know. Like the healed demoniac in Mark 5:18–20, new believers should be trained to share what they know with others. The book Evangelism puts it this way: “When souls are converted, set them to work at once. And as they labor according to their ability, they will grow stronger.”6
CONCLUSION
Making disciples is not complete without nurturing new members in spiritual habits, helping them to become integrated into the church, and training them to win souls. Jesus and the early church modeled the discipleship of new believers.
The book Evangelism tells us, “After individuals have been converted to the truth, they need to be looked after. . . . These newly converted ones need nursing—watchful attention, help, and encouragement.”7
How can you follow this counsel and support someone who is new in the faith? Consider mentoring a new member with the help of the Discipleship Handbook, a Global TMI resource for preserving the harvest.8 This handbook, or a similar resource, can provide you with a simple format for meeting once a week with new members, connecting with them, and helping them to become active disciples of Jesus.
As we come to the end of this sermon series, how many of you will say, “I will go,” and be part of Global Total Member Involvement by striving to make disciples using Christ’s method of befriending, proclaiming, and training?
1 Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Moun- tain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1905), 149.
2 All biblical quotations are from the NKJV.
3 Ellen G. White, Christian Service (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1925), 121.
4 Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1898), 349–350.
5 Ellen G. White, Education (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1903), 268.
6 Ellen G. White, Evangelism (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1946), 355.
7 Ibid., 351.
8 Discipleship Handbook: A Resource for Seventh-day Adventist Church Members (Review and Herald, 2018), Sabbath School & Personal Ministries, accessed April 14, 2025, https:// www.sabbathschoolpersonalministries.org.
James Howard is the director of the Sabbath School and Personal Ministries Department at the GC of Seventh-day Adventists, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
