Recently one of the young men I’ve been discipling asked me a question that got me thinking. He asked, “Why are you investing in us? I’ve calculated your investment in time and resources and realize you’re not getting back near what you’re investing.” At first I didn’t understand his question. I asked for clarity and soon discovered that he couldn’t understand why I was actively looking for time to spend with these future ministers. What really confused him was the amount of invitations I offered to talk and work together. I’ve discovered that the average pastor waits for a young minister or church leader to come to him with a need at which time he then becomes active in their life. This particular young minister was accustomed to mentors coming to him only when they needed something by his previous pastor. The fact that I was approaching him with a simple opportunity to spend time together or to address his needs was so foreign that he didn’t know how to react. He thought that I had some underlying reason for being active in his life, as though I was buttering him up for a future request. I’ve discovered that one of the most important things I do as a pastor/disciple maker is to invite others to spend time with me. Not for anything important, just time to talk and interact. It’s during these times that relationships are strengthened and trust is built. The more invitations I extend the more these young ministers trust me. The more time we spend together the more I can invest in them. As I invest in them I earn their loyalty and friendship. They no longer look at me as the pastor behind the pulpit and in the office. They begin looking at me as the pastor in their life. It is at this point that I become more than their pastor, I have become their spiritual leader and mentor.
Our titles as pastor can change in a single season, but our titles as spiritual leaders and friends can last a lifetime. I encourage you to Disciple by invitation. After all, Christ invited the Disciples to follow Him. That invitation was the first of many more to come. He invited His Disciples to share life with Him. Let us also invite others to share life in ministry together.
God Bless
Paul LaRose
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