How to chart the steps to faith
By Carl Kresge, SEND Eurasia Regional Director —
SEND’s vision is to see a global movement of Jesus followers who are making disciples among the unreached. We are all about discipleship. This global movement is not limited to missionaries! Jesus calls all of his people to make disciples.
We encourage our missionaries to thoughtfully consider what they and their teams are doing to help that vision become reality. Though some missionaries serve in support roles and others in front-line evangelism, every missionary can be developing relationships with unbelievers and cooperating with the Holy Spirit’s work to move those friends toward Jesus. Indeed, every Christian can be developing these relationships.
Making disciples takes intentionality and community. A few things to consider:
1. We are busy people, and we are working among busy people.
We must establish priorities and patterns that help us resist the tyranny of the urgent in order to protect the time we devote to relationships focused on evangelism and discipleship. And we must not allow busyness to distract us from prayer — prayer for specific individuals and prayer for guidance as we work together with the Holy Spirit to move them toward faith in Jesus and becoming mature followers of him.
2. We work better together.
When God prompts us to begin praying for and becoming intentional with a particular unbeliever, it is far better to bring others into the process. Don’t think of that new relationship as only your responsibility, only your focus. Ask one or more of your believing friends (or teammates, if you’re on the field) to pray with you and to think with you about how you can be a tool in God’s hand to draw that person to himself. Work collaboratively to intentionally move people toward Christ.
3. We can recognize (and celebrate!) steps forward.
In most cases, the Holy Spirit takes an unbeliever through several levels in his journey toward Jesus. A contact may start as a mere acquaintance, then attend some common activities with you, then become a trusted friend. In the process, he may become open to discussing spiritual matters, then show an interest in studying the Bible before finally placing his faith in Christ.
If you sense that God is prompting you to become more intentional with a particular unbeliever, it is helpful to think about that person moving through a step-by-step process toward becoming a follower of Jesus. An awareness of where that person is in his spiritual journey has at least two benefits — it will help you prayerfully determine what might be most effective at helping him move forward, and you can celebrate and be encouraged when he moves to a new level.
Once a person becomes a believer, there are also identifiable levels in the process of becoming more like Christ. This may start with some signs of spiritual growth and obedience, followed by serving others, sharing the gospel, taking leadership responsibilities, and finally participating in evangelism and discipleship. Some of these levels in a person’s spiritual journey may be more simultaneous than sequential, but they typically will be identifiable.
As you seek to make disciples, I would encourage you to shift in your thinking from a focus on the “product” (things like conversions, baptisms, churches planted, etc.) to the “process” of coming alongside people in their journey to and with Jesus. And then, celebrate as you watch God move people along that path!
Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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