One mistake church planters make is not incorporating a comprehensive approach to discipleship from day 1 of the new church plant. In his article in the current issue of Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Robert J Vajko includes a suggestion of four stages of intentional discipleship for every church plant. These steps were suggested by Bill Hull in the book The Disciple Making Pastor.

Stage #1: “Come and see”: The evangelistic and beginning discipleship phase in which contacts are exposed to who Christ is and what he has done, leading to faith in him.

Stage #2: “Come and follow”: The stage where discipleship is advanced as those who have come to faith in Christ are taught to pray, give, and read the word with a greater commitment than phase one.

Stage #3: “Come and be with me”: The phase where leaders are developed.

Stage #4: “Remain in me and go”: The phase of sending out. (For church planters, this is the phase where they train church planters who reach out to plant new churches.)

Source: JAN 2013 E-book (Kindle Locations 1593-1598). EMIS. Kindle Edition.