When I began to inquire as to the reason for so few male missionaries, he explained the hard truth. The facts were that half of our male missionary candidates and nearly a third of our female missionary candidates were disqualified from working with the mission board because of a wide range of issues in their personal lives.

My first thought was that this was terrible. My next thought was, “What could I do about it?” I left that meeting and went to my hotel, where I gathered the rest of my traveling companions. I talked it over with them and we began to pray. All I can say is that within the next 48 hours God had given me a vision for an intensive discipleship program. The purpose would be for discipling these missionary candidates and turning them back around to reenter the missionary candidate program.

However, soon after I returned to the states, I was convicted that discipleship should not just be reactive for those who had been turned down, but proactive to help young adults before they even started the program. That is when the vision grew to include anyone who felt the need to understand what it meant to deny self, take up one’s cross, and follow Christ.

That vision would turn out to become GoDisciple. To date well over 150 people have gone through GoDisciple. Their ages range from high school students to grandparents. Those who have gone through Go Disciple are literally all over the world. The first group that went through Go Disciple in 2011 went on to serve in places like Central Asia, Europe, New Jersey, Virginia, and Texas… and that was the first group!

Imagine if we engaged in very intentional discipleship that focuses on being transformed in such a way that those who go through our discipleship become so passionate about making disciples that they are literally willing to engage in discipleship wherever they find themselves in the world. That is how we are going to change the world!