Daniel Edmonds said over the years as he’s visited with churches, when they ask how to get a disciple-making movement started, he says this: “Start small. Do it right. Build it strong.”

“It’s been a driving idea in my life,” said Edmonds, director of the office of Sunday School and discipleship at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. “Ultimately, it’s what Jesus did.”

That’s Edmonds’ main recommendation in his new book, which bears the same name as his mantra: Start Small. Do It Right. Build It Strong.

He suggests that individuals and churches look to Jesus as their sole guide for how disciple making should look, even if it doesn’t look like what they’re used to. He pointed to the story in Luke 5 of Jesus getting in the boat with Peter.

“He looks at Peter and says, ‘Launch out into the deep and let down the net for a catch,’” Edmonds said. “Peter responds by basically saying, ‘We’ve never done it that way before, but because You said so, we’ll do it.’ And they got a huge catch.”

Life-changing moment

Edmonds said when he decided to gear his ministry toward encouraging people to listen to Jesus rather than “we’ve never done it that way before,” it was a “life-changing moment” for him.

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This article was originally published at TheAlabamaBaptist.org.