T4T is an all-inclusive process of training believers over the course of 12-18 months to witness to the lost
and train new believers to form reproducing discipleship communities generation by generation. Smith,
Steve; Kai, with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution (Kindle Locations 448-450).
WIGTake Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.
It is the process of training trainers, which must be understood and adapted appropriately for each
cultural context that empowers believers to implement the kingdom principles of T4T. Smith, Steve; Kai,
with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution (Kindle Locations 479-481). WIGTake
Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.
“Don’t ask people. Just give your story. Then give them lesson one. It gives people a chance to hear
about Jesus’ love. That’s very important.” Smith, Steve; Kai, with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A Discipleship
Re-Revolution (Kindle Locations 777-778). WIGTake Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.
Do not choose whom to train. Train everyone. Only in that way will you train those whom God has
chosen to follow your training (gjc)
Lesson one: train and send to do. Lessons two: train and send to do and to train another.
The T4T session ends by taking time to pray for each person, often gathering around and laying hands on
the person. It is a time to pray for God’s anointing for the coming week and for God to open the hearts
of people the trainee will encounter. Smith, Steve; Kai, with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A Discipleship ReRevolution (Kindle Locations 2126-2127). WIGTake Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.
In essence, every meeting is a commissioning service! Smith, Steve; Kai, with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A
Discipleship Re-Revolution (Kindle Location 2128). WIGTake Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.
The three-thirds process is a key principle God uses to build CPMs through the T4T process. To help
trainees become trainers the meeting is divided into three thirds with seven parts. Smith, Steve; Kai,
with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution (Kindle Locations 2131-2132). WIGTake
Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.
Which parts help to launch a discipleship re-revolution? There are four: accountability, vision casting,
practice, and set goals & pray. Smith, Steve; Kai, with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A Discipleship ReRevolution (Kindle Locations 2173-2174). WIGTake Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.
Four calls: from above (Mk 16), from below (Lk 16), from outside (Ac 16), from inside (1 C 9).
1. Pastoral Care 2. Worship 3. Accountability 4. Vision casting 5. New Lesson / Bible study 6. Practice 7.
Set Goals and Pray. Indispensable = 3, 4, 6, 7. Smith, Steve; Kai, with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A
Discipleship Re-Revolution (Kindle Locations 2236-2240). WIGTake Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.
Giving groups the freedom, even the empowerment, to become new churches takes the limit off the
budding movement. You could view yourself as the pastor of a large church. If you are a pastor, how
much better to view yourself as a pastor of pastors and your church as a training base for a movement!
Smith, Steve; Kai, with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution (Kindle Locations 24272429). WIGTake Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.
Those CPMs were based in the following provinces in the following chronological order: 1) Cyprus, 2)
Phrygia, 3) Galatia,4) Macedonia, 5) Achaia, 6) Asia and possibly 7) Illyricum. Smith, Steve; Kai, with
Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution (Kindle Locations 2550-2551). WIGTake Resources,
LLC. Kindle Edition.
T4T GOAL: Multiplying generations of trainers and churches – at least four generations and beyond.
Church-planting movements are characterized by consistent 4th generation churches and beyond in
multiple contexts. Almost every sustained CPM demonstrates many generations beyond this. Fourth
generation simply marks the beginning of a CPM. Smith, Steve; Kai, with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A
Discipleship Re-Revolution (Kindle Locations 2573-2576). WIGTake Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.
REASON 1: Consistent G4 Success If your goal is to build a movement in which multiple generations of
trainers and churches begin, then you need to stay with the group long enough (or return often enough)
to mentor them through this process and set up healthy patterns of discipleship. Smith, Steve; Kai, with
Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution (Kindle Locations 2582-2584). WIGTake Resources,
LLC. Kindle Edition.
REASON 2: Stay with them long enough to develop solid leaders Smith, Steve; Kai, with Ying (2011-0921). T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution (Kindle Locations 2639-2640). WIGTake Resources, LLC. Kindle
Edition.
Churches multiplying + Leaders NOT multiplying = LEADERSHIP OVERLOAD (CPM slows or stops) Smith,
Steve; Kai, with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution (Kindle Location 2684). WIGTake
Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.
Ying himself avoids ever using the term “leader” because he believes it can easily lead to pride. Instead,
he just refers to every group leader as a “trainer.” Smith, Steve; Kai, with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A
Discipleship Re-Revolution (Kindle Locations 2688-2689). WIGTake Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.
Summary It is important as a movement launches to guide it in a 9 to 18 month mentorship (or longer).
You want to launch, not drop. The mentorship should be long enough to do two things: 1. Help them get
to consistent 4th+ generation growth 2. Help them develop as solid leaders You do not want to control a
movement but rather let the Spirit of God control it. But you do want to cooperate with God to help
guide it. Smith, Steve; Kai, with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution (Kindle Locations
2711-2716). WIGTake Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.
We will focus on the specific stages of T4T that enable you to move through the basic parts of a CPM: 1)
Mobilizing the saved that God will use to start a movement through casting vision 2) Finding the lost
whom God is preparing to receive the gospel using methods that any new believer can emulate 3)
Evangelism that any new believer can do 4) Discipleship that any new believer can reproduce 5) Church
formation that any new believer can emulate 6) Leadership development that any new believer can
experience and pass on Smith, Steve; Kai, with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution
(Kindle Locations 2750-2755). WIGTake Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.
An important principle in T4T is that the most fruitful trainers tend to be ordinary, usually more recent,
believers, not current ministry leaders. Smith, Steve; Kai, with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A Discipleship ReRevolution (Kindle Locations 2947-2948). WIGTake Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.
What’s Adaptable Remember that your T4T package must enable believers at each generation to know
how to move to the next stage of a CPM when they say “yes” at the previous one. In the list below, the
first stage is in parentheses because it applies to you, but not to successive generations of new
believers.
1. Mobilizing the saved that God will use to start a movement through casting vision
2. Finding the lost in whom God is at work, in ways any new believer can emulate
3. Evangelism that any new believer can do
4. Discipleship that any new believer can emulate 5. Church starting that any new believer can
reproduce
6. Leadership development that any new believer can experience and pass on Smith, Steve; Kai, with
Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution (Kindle Locations 4304-4309). WIGTake Resources,
LLC. Kindle Edition.
these three criteria: 1) Biblical, 2) Effective in your context and 3) Reproducible in your context. Smith,
Steve; Kai, with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution (Kindle Locations 4316-4318).
WIGTake Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.
Key Adaptations
Multiply celebrations.
Let small groups function as house churches — whatever you call them.
Launch rather than multiply.
For launches, shorten or eliminate the leadership-training phase needed to lead a small group.
Focus on the lost, especially persons of peace,
Go off-site for evangelism, training and church.
Consider longer evangelism tracks that can easily morph into small groups.
Provide an umbrella.
Don’t talk about it too much in the beginning – give it a chance to grow.
Do a Daniel Project.
Divest yourself of low value activities.
Train everyone.
Adapt home groups to the three-thirds process
Turn church facilities into training centers.
Go bi-vocational for the sake of a movement.
Start from scratch.
Cast a vision.
Smith, Steve; Kai, with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution (Kindle Locations 45114512). WIGTake Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.