Recruiting a Prospective Disciple

THERE IS STRONG COMPETITION TO GAIN PEOPLE’S ALLEGIANCE:

1. What events in life pull you in different directions?
   • What time pressures are involved in school/work and church?
   • How is it possible to be totally committed to each of these?
2. To move up the corporate ladder, you must “eat, drink and sleep” the vision of the company. How has this happened in your experience?
3. To follow Christ, there is no difference (Luke 9:23).
   • The calling is for disciples, not believers (Sunday Christians).
   • When a person comes to Christ, who determines where time, money and resources are spent?
4. As ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), we are in the business of recruiting people to a life of discipleship. How can you get better at this life goal?

II. PRINCIPLES IN RECRUITMENT:

1. Recruit to a vision, not an organization.
   • God gives visions: an organization may serve the vision, but it can never be the vision.
   • Is it ever proper to preach faithfulness to an organization in order for it to be successful?
   • How is it that numbers take care of themselves when spiritual needs are met (John 12:32)?
   • Is it our objective to make people Baptist, or Christian?
2. Never create the impression that they are doing God a favor by their being faithful to the cause of Christ.
   • Is it ever easy to follow Christ (John 6:60, 66-67)? Why?
   • What danger is there if we neglect this principle (Deuteronomy 20:8)?
   • Getting involved has always been on a volunteer basis.
     • How does this principle affect recruitment for Sunday School or Discipleship Ministry leadership? ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­
     • How well will a job be done if they take a position “as a favor to me?”
     • Would you ever seriously consider terminating a program if it could not be properly staffed?
3. Grow into business, don’t go into business.
   • Start small, and build in depth.
     • Are rising numbers the only sign of growth?
     • How can we build deeply into the lives of others?
   • How many people can a leader properly handle (investing his life into the other person so that he in turn will disciple others)?
4. Tailor the job to the person, not the person to the job.
   • We don’t recruit people in order to use them.
   • Determine what the person you are discipling needs, not what it is that he does best.
   • He will exercise his gifts as he grows: God is interested in what a person is and can become, not what he can do.
5. Discipleship must take into consideration the development of the whole person.
   • Three areas of development.
     • Teaching – imparting of knowledge.
     • Training – imparting of skills.
     • Building – imparting of character.
   • In what four ways did Jesus grow (Luke 2:52)?
6. There must be a proper balance between love and rebuke.
   • How will people know that we are disciples of Christ John 13:34-35)?
   • From whom is rebuke best received (Proverbs 27:5-6)?
   • What sort of person loves the giver of proper reproof (Proverbs 9:8)?
7. You recruit a person by being his/her servant.
   • A commander tells you what to do; a leader shows you what to do and how to do it.
   • Why is it that to be called a servant is the highest compliment, but to be treated like a servant is an insult?
8. You produce after your own kind whether you like it or not.
   • Can you honestly say Paul’s statement (1 Corinthians 4:16)?
   • What needs to change in your life to say it?
   • Your “Timothy” will naturally follow you like a parent.
     • Read Genesis 20:2 and Genesis 26:7.
     • Read again “The Kind of Person God Uses.” Which of these qualities is in your life?