The Melody of Discipleship Matters

Discipleship matters. It’s a necessary practice for strengthening faith, building community, and growing the Church. Learn the full impact and importance of discipleship from pastor and former TEAM worker, Barry Winchell.

“In the Great Commission, there is only one active verb in Jesus’ statement.

That’s the melody. Everything else is harmony.

Going, baptizing, teaching. They’re all participles. They’re assumed behaviors: as you’re going, as you’re preaching, as you’re baptizing. The Lord’s telling his disciples, ‘I know you’re already going to do that; what you must do is make disciples.’

That’s the command. And in fact, it was Jesus’ last command to us.”

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Matthew 28:19 (NIV)

Barry’s voice carried conviction and passion as he shared the message that has been on his heart for decades. A message that the Lord put there years ago. A message that he has lived out. Discipleship matters.

The call to discipleship all began in a college dorm room when Barry was in his 20’s. He had grown up as a mission kid, spent time in his adult years doing short-term work in Africa, and was looking for ways to gain the skillset necessary to be effective on the field long-term. His fiancée was on a visit with him at his college and he was headed out to see her, when a big man standing in his doorway blocked his exit. He was a pastor from Brooklyn, New York. In the few minutes that followed, he invited Barry to join him in Brooklyn to spend a season being discipled and mentored.

I knew that disciple making was super important. But until I saw it, until I experienced it, until somebody mentored me, I didn’t really know what that looked like.

He described that season like this: “We went to Brooklyn back in the 80s. It wasn’t cool back then, like it is now. It was a transformative time. He mentored me, developed me, shaped me, and made me into a disciple maker. I knew that disciple-making was super important. But until you saw it, until you experienced it, until somebody mentored you, I didn’t really know what that looked like.” He added, “That shaped me, and I’ve been committed to doing that all the way along.”

It was that season in New York that instilled in Barry a heart for discipleship. And in the years since, the Lord has opened many doors for him to disciple others.

Barry and his wife Dawn eventually moved to Italy to plant a church that would eventually be led by Italians, not missionaries. However, Barry’s goal was not to just work at that church forever. His belief that discipleship matters shaped the direction of his ministry. He desired to disciple and mentor the next generation of leaders so that the church could be self-sustaining. The church was already fiscally independent, but they weren’t led by local leaders. Barry shared, “I raised up leadership that was there. It was nascent, it was young, but I believed in it. We did a number of different things over those years. I was able to turn that church over to elders and it continues to function today without foreign presence.”

Besides discipling the leadership at that church, Barry shared other stories of people that he has discipled. There was a story of a young youth pastor in New Jersey who he mentored. That youth pastor is now thriving in his ministry. There were stories of how he poured into leaders within TEAM, helping set up effective leadership structures and leadership mentoring programs.

If we are not involved at some level in replicating ourselves, in mentoring and developing others, in replacing ourselves, in finding places for others to succeed and develop and grow and surpass us potentially, we are not doing what He asked us to do.

Story after story poured forth as Barry shared his heart for discipleship. He reflected, “If we are not involved at some level in replicating ourselves, in mentoring and developing others, in replacing ourselves, in finding places for others to succeed and develop and grow and surpass us potentially, we are not doing what He asked us to do.”

When he looks back over his years of ministry, the part that he sees as the most important is the time spent pouring into other people.

As the conversation comes to its conclusion, Barry wrapped up by saying, “Make disciples. I’m accused of only singing one song, but there is only one melody in the Great Commission and the rest is harmony. Be intent about the fact that life is short. You’re only going to be in this for a while.”

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