Making Disciples to the Third and Fourth Generations

“You know, Dave, it really isn’t important how big the organizations are that you will lead or the size of the groups that you will teach. The way that God will measure the fruitfulness of your life is how you invested to the third and fourth generations.”

Hearing these words as a young man on a cross-country flight with Loren Cunningham, Founder of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), permanently impacted how I view fruitfulness. This seasoned leader of the world’s largest missions organization shared with me that spiritual fruitfulness cannot be measured simply by counting “nickels and noses”, but rather through genuine transformation that is meant to be experienced four-generations deep!

To be clear, when I refer to generations, I do not mean 40-year spans of time, but more like what we see in 2 Timothy 2:2, where Paul (1st generation) discipled Timothy (2nd generation), who poured his life into faithful ones (3rd generation), who invested in others (4th generation). Spiritual fruitfulness that results in Jesus-style transformation happens most effectively via reproducible disciple making relationships. Making disciple makers is what Jesus gave most of his time to while walking the planet. It’s also what he asked his followers to do! As a matter of fact, making disciple makers remains Jesus’ original plan to change the world!

Learn from Dave Buehring and his team at the 2017 National Disciple Making Forum.

This is one of the largest gatherings of disciple makers in North America with 65+ workshops, 15+ speakers, and 10+ tracks. Join us to learn practical ways to make disciples of Jesus this November 9-10 (Thursday-Friday). Register for the 2017 National Disciple Making Forum here.

You might ask, “How does real life transformation happen in a follower of Jesus that leads to maturity and the kind of multipliable fruitfulness that we are talking about here?” What is God’s process of transformation? How does one cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the disciple-making process? What does this reality look like in church life—as both pastor and member of the flock? What about disciple making’s impact on society and the marketplace, and the next wave of young leaders coming up behind you?

Those very questions—and more—are what me and my Lionshare Team will be tackling in our track at the 2017 National Disciple Making Forum in Nashville, Tennessee on November 9-10, 2017. We look forward to meeting you and learning how we might be able to serve you as you engage in the co-mission of Jesus to make disciple makers. See you there!

~ Dave Buehring
Lionshare, Founder & President