About Our Discipleship Coaching and Ministries

When we think about following Jesus, how many of us think it’s probable—or even possible that we can do it? We know that Jesus spent more than three years with His disciples, but here’s the question: Was He training them to do something—or was He just giving them information and saying, “Now, go try to be like me?”  The point being, there’s a big difference between training to do something and trying to do something.

At Calling All Disciples, our ministry and discipleship coaching philosophy focuses on the goal that the Apostle Paul stated in Romans 12:2^. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Notice that Paul used the term “transformed.” The last time I checked, neither Jesus nor any of the New Testament apostles advocated that spiritual transformation is the result of “trying.”

If trying was the magic formula for being transformed into the likeness of Christ, then why did Paul encourage Timothy to “train himself for godliness?” (1 Timothy 4:7-8)

If the apostle Peter thought the most effective path to becoming an effective disciple of Jesus was to get up every day and try harder to be a man or woman of more virtue, more knowledge, more self-control, more steadfastness, more godliness, more brotherly affection, and more love—then Peter could have left out verse verses 10 where he wrote: “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 

Discipleship coaching is not about getting people to “try harder” to become like Jesus.

Spiritual transformation is not a matter of trying harder, but of training wisely with the wisdom of the Scriptures as your foundation. Remember what Paul taught the Corinthian church about training vs trying? Here it is in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. ²⁵ Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we, imperishable.”

Are you ready to be discipled one-on-one or in a small group? Follow the advice of the Apostle Paul. People who run to win the prize don’t just try harder—they train wiser!