Overcoming Obstacles to Making Disciples in Our Networks:
Introduction
A young Christian man asked an older Christian man, “Will you teach me how to follow Jesus so I can help others do the same?” Both loved Jesus and wanted to grow, but neither knew how to begin, how to move forward, or how to sustain disciple-making in ordinary relationships. The desire was strong, but the pathway was unclear.
Many Christians feel this same tension. We want our friends, relatives, coworkers, and neighbors to know Christ, yet we often struggle to practice disciple-making consistently across our relational networks.
If Jesus has called us to make disciples,
why do we find it so difficult to live it out?
This document identifies ten common barriers that keep ordinary believers from making disciples and offers concrete solutions that help us recover a simple, biblical, and reproducible way forward.
The Model We Follow: Loving God and Loving Others + Five Movements
At the center of disciple-making is love for God and love for others. These loves are formed through Scripture, prayer, and fasting, which deepen our dependence on God and strengthen us for faithful obedience.
From this center flow five repeatable movements: Serve, Seek, Invite, Gather, and Equip. As believers practice these movements across their relational networks, disciples mature, leaders emerge, households are reached, and churches multiply.
Ten Problems and Solutions
Disciple-making often breaks down in three connected areas: conviction, capacity, and environment. Conviction concerns whether we see and own the mission Jesus has given us. Capacity concerns whether our lives, relationships, and next steps are ready for obedience. Environment concerns whether our church patterns and support structures help disciple-making continue and multiply.
1. Conviction: Seeing and Owning the Mission
Before believers can practice disciple-making consistently, they need to see it clearly. Many Christians have inherited patterns that make disciple-making seem unusual, optional, or unclear. This section addresses obstacles that keep believers from recognizing disciple-making as a normal part of following Jesus.
1. The Context and Patterns of Our Lives
Problem: We inherit cultural, technological, and church-shaped patterns that make relational disciple-making difficult. Many believers have never seen older and younger Christians walk together in everyday life, and program-based habits often replace relational apprenticeship.
Solution: We begin by adopting simple rhythms of presence: shared meals, neighbor care, slow conversations, and regular prayer. As older and younger believers walk together in everyday life, disciple-making becomes natural rather than unfamiliar.
2. Knowledge of Biblical Responsibility
Problem: Many believers hesitate because they do not understand their shared responsibility in Christ’s mission. Some assume disciple-making belongs mainly to pastors, specially gifted people, or those with a unique ministry calling.
Solution: Scripture presents disciple-making as a normal expression of belonging to Jesus. When believers see that the Great Commission is shared and that their relationships are God-given mission fields, the work becomes accessible rather than intimidating.
3. Mission Clarity
Problem: Many believers love Jesus but remain unclear about what disciple-making involves. Without a simple definition, mission feels vague, specialized, or dependent on programs.
Solution: We clarify mission by defining disciple-making as helping others trust Jesus, obey Jesus, and teach others to do the same. By identifying and praying for our relational networks, we begin to see where God has already placed us.
Discussion Questions
Which of these three barriers is most present in your life right now?
How is this barrier affecting your ability to help others know or follow Jesus?
What is one clear step you will take this week to address it?
2. Capacity: Becoming Ready to Act
Seeing the mission is necessary, but it is not enough. Believers also need spiritual maturity, a practical pathway, and relational alignment in order to take faithful steps. This section addresses obstacles that keep disciple-making from moving from desire into action.
4. Character
Problem: Immature or inconsistent character can hinder evangelism and discipleship. A lack of love for God, love for others, joy, courage, or willingness to suffer can keep believers silent and inactive.
Solution: The path forward is honest repentance and renewed dependence on God through Scripture, prayer, fasting, and community. As the Spirit produces love, joy, and courage in us, we become freer and bolder in helping others follow Christ.
5. Strategy: A Clear, Repeatable Pathway
Problem: Believers often struggle not because they lack desire, but because they lack a pathway they can follow. Without structure, disciple-making feels overwhelming, and obedience becomes inconsistent.
Solution: The Five Movements provide a simple pathway: serve, seek, invite, gather, and equip. As believers focus on one next step at a time and practice these movements together, clarity replaces confusion, and progress replaces stagnation.
6. Marital Alignment
Problem: Disciple-making is often difficult when spouses are not aligned in faith or mission. Uneven commitment, competing priorities, or spiritual hesitation can limit hospitality, evangelism, and long-term fruitfulness.
Solution: When husbands and wives seek the Lord together through Scripture, prayer, and shared obedience, their desires and priorities become more aligned. As couples use their gifts toward one mission, the home becomes a place of peace, credibility, and gospel fruitfulness.
Discussion Questions
Which of these three barriers is most present in your life right now?
How is this barrier affecting your ability to help others know or follow Jesus?
What is one clear step you will take this week to address it?
3. Environment: Building a Context That Sustains Disciple-Making
Disciple-making also needs a supportive environment. Even when believers are willing and ready, they often struggle without simple church patterns, gospel tools, discipleship resources, and ongoing encouragement. This section addresses obstacles that keep disciple-making from becoming reproducible and sustained.
7. The Nature of Church Gatherings
Problem: Modern church structures can unintentionally hinder relational disciple-making. Gatherings often emphasize passive listening rather than shared participation, and believers rarely experience simple patterns they can reproduce in their own homes.
Solution: We gather around meals, Scripture, prayer, and mutual ministry so that relationships deepen and discipleship becomes tangible. Simple, participatory gatherings help every believer contribute and make church life more transferable.
8. Gospel Presentations
Problem: Evangelism often feels intimidating because believers lack a simple, relational way to explain the gospel. Many fear difficult questions, feel pressure for results, or do not know how to begin.
Solution: Tools such as The Path to God give believers a natural way to explore Scripture with non-Christians. A simple invitation—“Would you read this with me?”—makes evangelism more accessible and relational.
9. Discipleship Tools for Men and Women
Problem: Many believers want to help others grow but feel unprepared to lead a simple Scripture conversation. Fear of not knowing enough often leads them to rely on others instead of taking initiative.
Solution: Simple, Scripture-centered tools give men and women a practical way to open the Bible with others. Reproducible patterns such as read, discuss, apply, and pray build confidence through consistent practice.
10. Coaching and Accountability Structures
Problem: Disciple-making rarely thrives without relational support, guidance, and encouragement. Intentions fade when believers feel isolated or lack a clear pathway for growth.
Solution: Individual and group coaching help believers take simple steps of obedience over time. Regular encouragement, prayer, and accountability strengthen consistency and help multiplication become normal and expected.
Discussion Questions
Which of these four barriers is most present in your life right now?
How is this barrier affecting your ability to help others know or follow Jesus?
What is one clear step you will take this week to address it?
Conclusion: Moving Forward with Clarity and Hope
These obstacles help explain why disciple-making often feels difficult, unclear, or inconsistent. They do not define us or control our future. God has shown us what matters, and by his Spirit he enables us to take real steps of obedience within the relationships he has already given us.
Our task is not to fix everything at once, but to respond to what God has made clear. We turn to Christ in repentance and faith, ask him to renew our love and strengthen our courage, and take one concrete step toward a person in our network—serving, praying, inviting, or opening Scripture together.
As we move forward in simple obedience, God works beyond what we can see or control. He forms our character, clarifies our path, and bears fruit through our lives so that disciples are made, leaders are raised up, and his name is made known in our households, neighborhoods, and communities.