Organic Disciple Making by Dennis McCallum

For a number of years now I’ve been working on a practical how- to book on discipleship. Dennis McCallum has beaten me to the punch with Organic Disciple Making. He’s written the most practical book on how to disciple people I’ve ever read.

Time and time again I find myself saying, “Yup, he nailed that one; that’s how it works.” Early on, for instance, the book covers the subject of modeling and its key role in making disciples. Later it delves into the practical questions of how you counsel and disciple through various issues or how you deal with blocks in their development.

McCallum lives in the real world – a world populated by people asking questions like, “How do you distinguish between weakness in a disciple and sheer resistance? And then, what’s the appropriate response of a disciple maker?” (The answer: A disciple struggling with weakness generally needs encouragement, whereas a disciple who is resistant often needs confrontation and possibly discipline.)

I loved that the book had a whole section on coaching and I loved that its counsel is both biblically grounded and rooted in the everyday experience of someone who leads 250 home churches. I’ve read so many books on discipleship and few drill down to address the questions ordinary people have as they struggle to help their disciples grow.

All of us who have committed ourselves to following Jesus and representing his name need to learn how to make disciples. It was the last thing he asked us to do before leaving the earth. If you as a Jesus-follower feel like you need help in learning how to do this in a way that feels natural, do yourself a favor and get Organic Disciple Making.