As many of you know, I work with a great team. I’ve always worked with teams, because it’s functionally one of the best ways to live out the call to make disciples and develop leaders.

At the end of the day, “we” is way better than “me,” because a body needs many different members to work properly. As leaders, developing teams is one of the most significant and downright fun things we can do!

For example, several people on the 3DM team are now able to lead our Learning Communities. As they’ve engaged in this process, they’ve brought all kinds of new innovation to the table. Stuff I would have never thought of. It’s brilliant!

Two biblical assumptions guide this methodology:

1. Discipleship is growing in the character and competency of Jesus.
2. Part of being a disciple of Jesus is making disciples of Jesus.

Discipleship that truly becomes a reproducible movement needs to have a leadership development component to it in which we train others to actually do the things we know how to do. What this looks like practically is developing teams of people who are growing in their capacity to be and do like Jesus.

Our picture for this process is taken from the way Jesus seems to have developed his own disciples into leaders who could do “the same things” he was doing, “and even greater things” (John 14:12).

It’s four phases, illustrated around a Square. The statements are the strategy of the leader at each phase.

1. “I do, you watch. (We’ll talk.)”
2. “I do, you help. (We’ll talk.)”
3. “You do, I help. (We’ll talk.)”
4. “You do, I cheer! (We’ll keep talking.)”

(You can read more about the Square in our book Building a Discipling Culture.)

This process has already happened significantly with 3DM Coaching and Learning Communities, and now it’s beginning to happen with Content, which we are very excited about! Even now, every one of our “core books” has significant contributions from people other than myself. It’s awesome!

To help this process go even further, we are transitioning my blog to a team blog that includes other voices from the 3DM Central Team that are producing content for our movement. We’re calling it the 3DM Leadership Blog.

I’ll introduce the new voices as they begin to contribute, but wanted to give a framework for why the change was taking place, and what to expect from this blog from now on. We trust that it will be a blessing and benefit to you as you seek to cultivate discipleship and mission in the place God has called you to lead.

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