Be a Disciple-Maker
What does discipleship mean to me and what is it to be a disciple-maker in the north? I have to admit that when I hear people talk about discipleship in regards to churches and ministries, I often think of sterilized environments such as church Sunday school rooms and auditoriums. These I think are a far cry from the sandy shores of Galilee and the dusty streets of Jerusalem where the Author of our faith called and trained His disciples.
I grew up the son, nephew, and brother of several great pastors and have spent my share of time in the Sunday school rooms and auditoriums of churches where I received amazing teaching on the Scriptures. But this is not where I was discipled. No, I was discipled outside the church. I had the incredible privilege of being discipled by many different men who were willing to let me tag along as they lived life and demonstrated faith and character.
My father was and is easily the most influential of all of the men who invested in me. As a pastor of a small country church, he had the flexibility to spend a lot of time with me, more than the average dad, but it was how he spent that time that made the difference. I tagged along with him and watched him fix people’s cars, visit people in the hospital, have coffee with people in their homes, listen to endless problems from the broken-hearted, and help anyone who needed it. When it was time for me to get involved in full-time ministry, it wasn't book knowledge that helped the most; it was the example of my dad that impacted me more than anything.
He was discipling more than myself during that time. I remember a time when my best friend and I needed help pulling out a fender on one of our cars. My dad came up with a great idea of using a tree and a chain to help pull on it and the bumper. When the plan worked, my dad exclaimed, “Praise the Lord!” That expression impacted my buddy, who much later gave testimony how my dad influenced him to give God credit immediately in whatever he was doing. My dad was teaching godly character through mechanics.
Since moving to Northern Canada, I have seen how discipleship and disciple-making can be very organic, much like it was in the days of Jesus. Instead of spending time with men on the sandy shores of Galilee, it’s the gravelly beaches and rough waves of Teslin Lake where I enjoy teaching and talking with people. Instead of the dusty streets of Jerusalem, it’s the wood cutting lot where we help people get their winter firewood. I have shared more about Jesus Christ and the Bible with people at the local restaurant over coffee than anywhere else. Northern discipleship requires meeting people where they are at and living out the Christian life alongside them.
One of my favorite discipleship moments from this last year was taking a younger man from our church out moose hunting. He was having a little trouble finding a bull for his family’s winter meat supply, which is a crucial thing to have in the North. I knew where to go and what to do because an older friend had shown me in a previous year when we needed help getting a moose for the freezer. I was able to teach the younger man what to do after he shot the moose, and how to properly care for the 1200lb animal to respectfully harvest all the usable meat. While we worked on butchering the meat, we talked about life and faith and discussed how he could be involved in our church’s ministry. A couple of weeks later, he preached his first message at our church. God is continuing to work in his life, and I am excited to watch him as he disciples others.
Jesus walked along with his disciples and taught them as He went. Jesus was a master at taking common things, such as water, wheat, and even fish to teach Kingdom lessons to those who followed Him. He gives each of us common things every day that are opportunities to teach those around us. Are we willing to take the opportunities He gives us, regardless of where we live, to advance the Kingdom and make disciple makers?
-A SEND North Team member
Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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