By Joseph W. Handley, Jr.
While serving with A3 and the Lausanne Movement, we found ourselves asking a crucial question: What will it take to disciple the nations?
The answer, I believe, lies in a deeper commitment to what my friend Bishop Efraim Tendero calls the three Greats—the Great Commandment, the Great Commission, and a third one he suggested: the Great Collaboration. It’s this third “great” that may hold the key to unlocking global momentum in disciple-making today. And, why he and I founded a new initiative called the Galilean Movement.
The Challenge: A Shallow Church in a Hurting World
J.I. Packer once lamented that the church is...
“a thousand miles wide and half an inch deep.”
Sadly, decades later, that observation still rings true. Barna research tells us that no more than 20% of believers are actively involved in disciple-making. The Lausanne Movement, through extensive global listening, affirmed that discipleship remains one of the top three gaps in world mission today.
Why does this matter? Because when we fail to make disciples, we forfeit the church’s credibility, moral witness, and generational continuity.
A3’s Third Outcome: Reproducing Disciple-Making Leaders
At A3, we believe disciple-making is not an option: it’s at the very heart of Christ-like leadership. In fact, it’s one of our four primary outcomes for every A3 leader:
- Living in a love relationship with God
- Growing as a Christ-like leader
- Reproducing disciple-making leaders
- Catalyzing Christ-centered movements
A3 alumni live out the call, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” That’s more than a slogan! It’s a way of life that models, multiplies, and mentors others. It’s not just about growing churches or increasing attendance; it’s about forming people into Christ's image who will go on to form others.
This third outcome, reproducing disciple-making leaders, is key to our calling. It's the engine behind every long-term transformation we pray for in communities, cities, and nations. Of course, it’s completely dependent on the first outcome and first "great": Living in a love relationship with God!
A Fresh Tool: Immersive Disciple-Making Course
To help equip leaders around the world in this calling, Mary Jo Wilson and I designed a course for BiblicalTraining.org. The course goes beyond typical classroom instruction. It’s immersive, combining extended reflection in Scripture, formation practices, and community-based learning.
In many discipleship models today, the approach can feel like a mass production line, fast but shallow. Instead, this course invites leaders to slow down, linger with God, and process life in community, allowing space for the Holy Spirit to do deeper work. It draws from the best of global discipleship wisdom and incorporates practices rooted in the life-on-life approach of Jesus himself.
Why Collaboration Matters Now More Than Ever
Despite the abundance of resources available, what we truly need is not more curriculum, but more collaboration. Lausanne’s listening calls and the WEA’s Decade of Discipleship both affirm this: the future of disciple-making is polycentric and collaborative.
What if we dropped our “egos and logos” and worked together across our movements and networks to fulfill the Great Commission together? Could we model the oneness Jesus prayed for in John 17? Could we embody the Great Collaboration?
If we’re serious about seeing Christ-like leaders multiply and movements grow, then this is the time to rally.
A Final Call: The Harvest is Plentiful
Jesus said,
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field”
— Matthew 9:37–38
The Greek word ekballō, to send, is forceful. It means to thrust forth, even to drive out.
We believe that prayer-fueled collaboration can catalyze a disciple-making movement for such a time as this. As we prepare for the 2000th anniversary of the resurrection in 2033, may this become our defining call to action.
Let’s not just talk about discipleship. Let’s live it. Let’s reproduce it. Let’s do it together.
Rev. Joseph W. Handley, Jr., Ph.D.
President
@jwhandley
@jwhandley
@JosephWHandleyJr
@jwhandley
More Information
- This blog article was adapted from my article in the Evangelical Review of Theology, (2023) 47:2, 101–107 — https://theology.worldea.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ERT-47-2_web.pdf
- Read Mary Jo Wilson's article about our Disciplemaking course.
- Find our Disciplemaking course on BiblicalTraining.org
- More on the Four Outcomes for every A3 leader
