Search
-
May 16, 2019“Saints come in clusters.” This is the reminder Curtis Martin gives us in his new book, “Making Missionary Disciples.” This short book is an introduction to a discipleship method that is modeled on the way Jesus himself made disciples.
The founder of FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), Martin has missionaries on college campuses all over the country with more than 40,000 students participating in the program over 20 years. His book comes in two parts that outline the method FOCUS missionaries use every day. The first part outlines the foundational habits for evangelization and the second half unpacks the three-phase approach we can employ as missionaries ourselves –
win, build, send.
“The work of evangelization flows from who we are in Jesus Christ – from our baptismal vocation and ongoing encounter with the Lord.”
The first and most important part of making disciples, Martin said, is our own personal relationship with Jesus. We can’t share what we don’t have. We must know God intimately in order to share him with others, allowing ourselves to be transformed, to trust him completely to be able to tell someone else about him.
Martin also emphasizes the necessity of authentic friendships. We cannot passively wait for people to come to us. Rather, we need to sincerely love those God has put into our lives, be their friend, allowing that friendship to draw others closer to him.
At the end of the first part of the book, Martin introduces a concept FOCUS has become known for: spiritual multiplication. Based on 2 Timothy 2:2, (...what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach other also) spiritual multiplication is a result of missionary discipleship. If one person invests not just in the education of three people but helping them fall in love with Christ and his mission, then those people will disciple other people.
Next, Martin addresses the “how” of missionary discipleship. Modeled on what Jesus did in the Gospels, Martin breaks it down into three steps: win, build and send. First, we must win people for Jesus. No matter how great our DVD programs are, nothing compares to real Christian witness from friends. Winning means facilitating moments of encounters with Christ, those moments that stay with us forever. This comes from sharing the simple Gospel message with others: God loves you and has a plan for your life.
After “winning” them over, we must invest in our disciples. Jesus didn’t just teach and leave the disciples to figure it out; he walked with them in great moments of faith and in moments of deep questioning and uncertainty. Personal relationships are essential to this step. Through our relationships, we don’t just teach about Jesus, but show them what a relationship with Jesus looks like. We model discipleship for them. Now that those we have ministered to are disciples, it is time to send them out to make disciples.
There is no timeframe for when someone will be ready to make disciples themselves. But, once someone is on fire for Jesus, we know they are ready to share the love of Christ with others and the number of disciples can be multiplied infinitely.
Curtis Martin has written an easy to read and engaging book on missionary disciples with a method popularized by FOCUS missionaries. Short and impactful, “Making Missionary Disciples” is an excellent introduction to the concept of missionary disciples that left me eager to do more for the Kingdom of God, ultimately leaving me with the reminder that authentic relationships are everything in the mission field.
Katie Kastl is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
