Eight Lessons About Disciple Making From My Teenage Fisherman

I’m sitting on the beach right now, watching a disciple making story play out.

It has to do with a teenage fisherman and his little sister who caught her first rock bass on the Sea of Cortez.

But let’s back up.

My son (the teenage fisherman) loves fishing with his father.

They’ve logged thousands of hours, dozens of days, many under-the-star overnights together through the years—laughing, learning, now pursuing the fruit of prize-winning bass fishing tournaments—focused on a mutual purpose, fishing.

Yesterday, here on the ocean in Mexico, without his father (he had to stay home and work), my son caught flounder, rock bass, chubs, triggers, and some ocean fish we didn’t know the name of—while we gloried in his success, taking photos, and secretly thinking, “Well, HE knows what he’s doing. THAT looks fun.”

This morning, just as the sun woke up, he invited his younger sister to try her hand at fishing.

And she did it! She caught her first ocean fish ever.

Here’s what I learned watching them from my under-the-umbrella spot on the sand, about disciples who make disciples:

My son spent a lot of time with his father first. My son learned everything he knows about fishing from the best. It took years. We also must spend a lot of time with the Father, learning from the best, becoming like Him. It might take years.

My son modeled success. My daughter wanted to do what he did. We can’t teach something we’re not doing ourselves. When people see what it looks like, they’ll want to do it too.

My son intentionally invited his sister into an experience. He didn’t just wait for her to ask. He directly invited her to an experience, at a specific time, with him. We must intentionally ask God who should be our disciples, just like Jesus did, spending all night before he went directly to the twelve and said, “Follow me.”

My son took his new recruit straight to the ocean, and let her make her mistakes so he could teach her in the moment. He stayed right beside his sister, instructing her, as she fished. When her hook snagged, he helped her get untangled. When she let the line sit too long, he suggested she reel in slowly. When we make disciples, let’s get them out practicing right away. Let’s stay by their side, gently giving advise when needed.

My son was obsessed with his new disciple’s success. He put his own fishing pole down for awhile, watching her closely, encouraging her often, assuring her that she indeed could do what he does. She believed it. We might have to put our own fruitful work aside for a bit, while we mentor others, obsessed with their success—their learning, their fruitfulness—over our own wins.

My son set up his fishing disciple with the right bait, her fishing pole rigged, at the right time. When we mentor our own disciples, it’s helpful to send them into an environment that’s not too impossible, so they can see what it’s like to gain forward ground.

My son celebrated his sisters success, even though it was just a small, unassuming fish compared to his huge, exotic catches. She felt like the queen of Cortez, as he lavished his praise on her. Our disciples need to be celebrated with every step of yes they take, no matter how small. If we celebrate them, while giving praise to God, they will take another step of yes, and another, and another.

One thing I noticed that my son did not do: he didn’t teach his new fishing disciple how to teach someone else to fish. We brought along a friend with us to the ocean, who showed some cautious interest in my son’s fishing conquests. He could have showed my daughter how to mentor this other friend—while still teaching his sister how to fish. We often miss that piece of our disciple making efforts. We make disciples, but we don’t teach them how to make their own disciples.

 Now, you are not likely a fisherman or fisherwoman. But you ARE a fisher of men, a fisher of women. Let’s go make disciples who make disciples (who can also make their own disciples).

Not sure how to find an international friend to disciple? I got ya covered!