Catching up on some reading this week. You know why. Lol! Reading about another Viral Outbreak that came to us from Asia. Ying and Grace Kai’s Training for Trainers: The Movement that Changed the World. There are several books about T4T, but this is actually Ying’s side of the story. Very instructive to get the heart of the author and orchestrator of a movement that in 10 years, led to 1.7 million baptisms! (and that’s just the ones they know about). This movement has spun off many other expressions of the same kind of principles and practices that Ying Kai began with a group of 30 farmers in 2000. The beauty and the secret of T4T is simplicity. Simplicity leads to reproducibility. Simplicity and reproducibility are key ingredients in viral movements. Considering a reset in your ministry, this book will get you thinking!

The simple step-by-step process:

1. Develop a list of unsaved people in your network of relationships.
2. Teach your group how to tell their story, repeatedly practicing to become fluent in sharing their story.
3. Teach the story of Jesus, repeatedly practicing to become fluent in teaching the story of Jesus.
4. Have them commit to share their story and the story of Jesus with five people each week.
5. Don’t encourage the growth of one small group, but train everyone to become trainers of their own small group.
6. Never give up on anyone.

T4T type disciple making should be the commitment of every Christian, but leaders in this movement concede that only about 20% of people that are trained will follow-up with obedience and action. This is only for doers of the word. But how much time and energy do we spend trying to keep and attract those who only hear. T4T helps you develop a vision for discipling those who have the capacity and heart to disciple others.

Here are just a few of the quotes that jumped out at me:

•  We are always inviting people to come to our church…. But Jesus said we are to go and find lost persons.
• It is not until one can train others that they can grow into a true disciple.
• Share the gospel with at least five people each week.
• I may say that I am a Christian, but if it is only knowledge of the truth and I have never really worked in the kingdom of God, then I am just a nominal Christian and not a true kingdom citizen.
• It is our duty to sow seeds broadly and we should not limit where and when we sow.
• God sees our heart to serve and not how talented we are.
• Too much discussion leads to no action.
• Keep things simple so that anyone is able to do it and everyone is willing to do it. Once things begin to get complicated, people start to put it off and not do it.
• We should not encourage them to bring others into our small group. We are training them to become a trainer. They must start and train their own small groups.
• So long as Christian perceive of discipleship as knowledge or simply doctrine, they fall short of the life-changing, world-changing power of true discipleship.
• In every community with whom we share the gospel, there will be men and women who are already under the Holy Spirit’s conviction.
• The Great Commission instructs that we are to go, not invite them to come to us; that everyone is to be engaged in attempting to reach everyone, everywhere; and we are to make disciples, not just church members or converts.
• Whatever is taught, it should not be a knowledge dump, but training simple enough so that the new believer can grasp and replicate what has been taught.
• The real test of success is the trainee taking what he has learned, and training a fellow believer…
• The relationship with God will lead to an international outflow of gospeling and discipling.