Not everyone is ready to disciple at any given point in their walk with Christ. These attributes may be challenging, but discipleship is a serious thing. The work we do for God will not be in vain. Alright, let's get into it!

 

(This is not a strict guideline and these aren’t ‘official’ rules, but they are in my opinion qualities a person must have to be an effective discipler.)

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1. You are a Mature Believer

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This can go without saying, but we’ll throw it in here anyway. Yes, you have to have given your life to Christ but it doesn’t stop there. If you are going to be discipling someone to help them grow in their spiritual walk, you should be at least a couple steps ahead of them, if not more.

 

You should be actively seeking God and deepening your own relationship with the Lord. Now I’m not saying you have to be a bible scholar or anything, Jesus didn’t say we have to be bible scholars before we disciple someone. He said, “…and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you…” We ourselves should be well versed in Jesus’ teachings so that we are confident in teaching them to someone else. Remember this,

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Every disciple is a believer, but not every believer is a disciple.

 

It kind of takes one to make one.

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As James 1:22 says (NLT),

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“But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”

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If you want to know more about the characteristics of a disciple, you can that article here.

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2. You are Willing to Invest

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Now discipleship isn’t to be taken lightly, we are doing some important work for the Kingdom of God. Jesus invested in his disciples. Teaching them all that they needed to know and do. He literally lived life with them.

 

Now, I’m not saying you have to live with your disciplee, the point I am trying to make is that discipling calls for the investing of your time, efforts, knowledge, etc.  Your disciplee needs that of you.

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3. You are Willing to Commit

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In order for discipleship to be effective, there needs to be commitment. They say the key to success is consistency. Jesus was with his disciples for three years. Now, I am not saying that is the standard time frame, but the point is that he committed his time to them.

 

In my personal opinion, discipleship should be AT LEAST be 3 months in duration but ideally 6-9. There is no official time frame. It depends solely on where your disciplee is in their walk with God and other factors. You can always adjust the time frame as you go, just accommodate what’s best for the both of you. 

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4. You have a Servant Attitude

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This is important! Remember, we are coming alongside their spiritual journey, and in a sense, serving them. It’s important that we don’t come off as a ‘know it all’ or have the mentality of ‘do as I say.’ But keep in mind that Jesus came to serve and not be served, and we should do the same.  

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5. You Care

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When I was studying to be a marriage and family therapist, I remember my professor telling the class (in regards to clients),

 

“They don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

 

This is so important, please don’t miss this.

 

You can have all the knowledge in the world, but I can assure you that the relationship will go nowhere if you don’t genuinely care about your disciplee and the work that needs to be done. When you show that you care, it allows them to trust you more and are more willing to share their journey with you.

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6. You have a Basic Level of Initiative

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This doesn’t seem to be as crucial as the other ones, but trust me, it’s important! What I mean about initiative is throughout your discipleship relationship, you as the discipler should:

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-Consistently check-in with your disciplee,

-Pray for them (privately & together with them)

-Confirm meetings, etc.

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We shouldn’t be waiting for them to reach out to us. Like #5, taking initiative shows that we care.

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7. You have a Basic Level of Organization Skills

Like I said above, this doesn’t seem as crucial as the others, but it is important. You need basic organization skills to be able to be an efficient discipler. As the discipler, you should go prepared to your meet-ups.

 

You don’t want to be seen as a disorganized person who is never prepared (or wings it) and or doesn't show up on time. I’m not saying you have to be extremely organized but be considerate to your disciplee. Just think of how you would want your own discipler or mentor to conduct herself.  

 

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And there you have it! 7 signs that you are ready to disciple! I hope these give you a great guideline to follow!

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If you have any suggestions on topics you would like to see, or any questions you would liked answered, submit them here!

 

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Are you ready to disciple?

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Get your free copy of The Week-to-Week Guide for your First Month of Discipleship ebook here! Here’s sneak peak into the ebook!

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Table of Contents

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Chapter 1: Before You Start

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Chapter 2: Your First Meeting

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Chapter 3: Your Second Meeting

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Chapter 4: Your Third Meeting

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Chapter 5: Your Fourth Meeting

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Chapter 6: Last Words

 

This ebook guide comes with lots of tasks, tips, and ideas! Get it now while its free!

 

 

Keep in touch!

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