Due to the breakdown of the family and society in general, many people are not learning basic life skills at home or in school.
They arrive at our churches having never seen or experienced a biblical family structure, learned personal discipline, acquired some social skills, or known how to manage finances, a home, or a business.
Discipleship builds the whole person; so, remediating these deficiencies is important.
Every person is unique; so, I believe we should use a diagnostic and prescriptive approach for each individual. Over time it will become apparent to the disciple maker what areas needs to be shored up. Diagnosis can happen quickly by using precise questions and gradually over time by observation. Once we know what needs to be taught and demonstrated, we can begin the personal remediation process.
As with all discipleship, life change happens through personal devotion to God, interaction with others, sound teaching, and practical application with feedback.
Discipline is a huge key to success in life. When a disciple maker encounters a lack of this in a disciple, it should be addressed. Discipline can only be encouraged, not mandated, but those who show little or no interest or progress in this area disqualify themselves from further development and should not be allowed to absorb too much time from the disciple maker. Those who have never been part of a biblical family situation, with a loving father and mother both being present, should be invited to participate at some level in a healthy family dynamic. Those who grew up in broken families may never have seen a good marriage. They should be exposed to couples who have exemplary marriages. In addition, foundational teaching on the subject can be shared one-on-one or in groups.
The absence or ignorance of basic etiquette and social skills can hold people back in a big way and should be addressed by the mentor. The same is true when a lack of understanding of how to budget and handle finances rears its head, and likewise regarding skills in how to run a family or operate a business.
This aspect of discipleship can provide an avenue of service for those in the church who may not be motivated or gifted to teach the Bible, but who have a wealth of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom in practical matters.
Each person in the church is capable of being part of the discipleship making network of resources.
