The Multiplying Impact of Testimonies
By Adam Sauder (name changed)
Sometimes when we hear about disciple-making movements, we can get overwhelmed with the numbers.
I was really impacted by a teacher who reminded our group that behind the numbers are names. Names of people whose lives have been transformed by the love of Christ. So, if we are taking Jesus’ command seriously to make disciples of all nations, then I believe that mission strategies that produce multiplication are worth pursuing.
My wife and I help facilitate a six-month Discipleship Training School with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Myrtle Beach, in South Carolina. The Discipleship Training School (DTS) is a Christian discipleship course offered through the University of the Nations. One of the reasons that we specifically chose to work with YWAM Myrtle Beach is their focus on training and sending missionaries to “tough places” where the gospel hasn’t taken root.
The first half of the DTS is a classroom phase, where speakers from inside and outside of YWAM teach on topics such as missions and discipleship. The goal is to create a space for the students to focus on their relationship with God, while having the fellowship of living in community.
The second half is a cross–cultural outreach, where students have the opportunity to engage in ministry in unreached settings. Usually this looks like supporting and encouraging long-term or local missionaries in their work, with the hope that students will catch a vision for long-term cross-cultural ministry where God’s kingdom is not yet known.
John and Marie (names changed) are a couple that God has used to spark multiple recognized disciple-making movements in the Middle East. Definitions vary somewhat on what defines a movement, but it generally refers to at least one thousand baptized believers and four generations of churches planted within a given time frame, something bigger than what can be planned for.
It was impactful for our students to receive training from them in Myrtle Beach. John and Marie’s week of teaching highlighted why we believe multiplication strategies are invaluable in unreached settings. They taught our students how to share their testimony in three parts. Because of that, our students have taught many people in South Asia how to share their testimony.
One of the encouraging things that we’ve seen on this outreach is that three of our students have expressed a growing interest in long-term mission work with unreached peoples, so after our scheduled outreach, my wife and I get to bring these three students with us on our personal “vision” trip. We will visit long-term foreign missionaries who are equipped to train Americans like us in language, culture, and effective mission strategies for foreigners.
Our prayer is that God will use this season to give all of us more of his heart for the lost, and for people who have yet to hear of Jesus in a meaningful way. We pray that all of us will be willing partners in God’s work of establishing his kingdom among the unreached through multiplying movements.
Adam Sauder serves with his wife Elise (names changed) with YWAM Myrtle Beach in South Carolina.