One Disciple at a Time

Book excerpt: What if the Church radically shifted the focus of her mission to making disciples one person at a time? Everett Fritz outlines a framework for one-to-one outreach that helps us develop as mentors in faith, furthering the Kingdom of God as Jesus commanded when he told us to go and make disciples. When we learn how to focus on a ministry of one, we will multiply our efforts to create a movement that meets the spiritual needs of many. Whether you’re someone who’s actively involved in professional or volunteer ministry or an everyday Catholic who wants to share your faith, One Disciple at a Time reveals how you can live out your calling to spread the Gospel by focusing on forming disciples one at a time. Drawing on insights gleaned from his personal spiritual journey and work in Catholic parish ministry, Fritz—founder and executive director of Andrew Ministries—shares practical steps for transforming our approach to living our faith and sharing it with others. In this book, you will learn: There is great power in a personal invitation because it becomes the seed to develop a relationship. If you want to make a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ, you have to be committed to accompany them throughout their lifetime. Lessons from Jesus’s relationship with Simon Peter can transform the way we mentor in faith. Taking someone from disciple to sainthood requires assisting that person with the crosses that they bear, as well as witnessing to the reality of the cross in your own life. Formation needs to include identifying the person's God-given gifts and working with them to use those gifts to build up the Church.