Recently, I was talking with my friend Ray, formerly on staff with The Navigators, then a pastor, now a pastor disciple-making coach. We were bemoaning the fact that pastors are busy, and when asked to think about investing relationally in people individually or in small groups, their first response is often that they don’t have time for that – their ministry is the pulpit.

Then we recalled something our Navigator mentors used to say about Jesus’ ministry:

• Jesus loved the multitudes.
• He helped many.
• He trained a few.

That’s Jesus’ model, and it should be ours. If a pastor can’t find time to invest in individuals, how will his doctors, attorneys, truck drivers, school teachers, stay-at-home moms, etc., find time?

I was privileged to teach a 2-week discipleship class in a seminary in Haiti three times: 2006 – 2008. When first invited by the seminary director, Dr. Bill Cooper, I said something like:

I’d be honored to teach your seminarians—pastors and future pastors—and here’s the message: “Men, I hope that on Sunday you preach to thousands. But on Monday, I want you to sit down with a man and train him.”

Dr. Bill confirmed, “That’s exactly what I want you to teach them!”

I don’t make this stuff up. The Apostle Paul, applying Jesus’ model of love the multitudes, help many, train a few, wrote to Timothy:

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2.2, NIV)

One of my Haitian classes balked. “Teacher, we are bi-vocational, we don’t have time to meet with people individually.” I had two responses:

• By any definition, Timothy was a pastor. What part of 2 Timothy 2.2 does not apply to you?
• Could you sit down with one guy for one hour, once a week?

“I guess we could do that.” Then start there.

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach… (Mark 3.13, 14, NIV)