Can New Believers Really?

Can new believers (new disciples/new Christ followers) really make other disciples within two months (or sooner) of their finding Christ? It seems to me that their is diverse opinion on this point. Many in the leadership of the church do not believe this is possible. I'm trying to understand where anyone ever came to that conclusion. Having said that, I cannot even figure out why for over 23 years I operated that way. What's wrong with this picture?

As I build a relationship with someone and they come to Christ, let's say I continue to disciple them as the Holy Spirit leads and where the person is in their understanding. Is it possibe to release them to build a relationship with someone, lead them to Christ and whatever I am teaching my disciple they can teach their disciple? Is this possible?

For way too many years of ineffective multiplication (while having addition growth) here is what I have learned.

1. Putting a new believer in a class of instruction primarily is not working to reproduce others.
2. The longer I waited to encourage new believers to share their excitement and build relationships and lead others - the less likely they would do it. Very few actually did it.
3. It seemed like we imposed conditions upon new believers that implied the new believer was not ready or equipped or discipled and therefore they were never encouraged to lead others to Jesus.
4. What I (and other leaders) did was encourage new believers to invite others, friends, family to come to church to find Jesus.
5. The more I taught new believers what it means to be a disciple the more insecure they became in sharing Jesus to the point of actually leading them. The more they began to understand the more they understood how much they didn't. Fear entered their hearts when they began to think they might mess someone up by sharing incorrectly.
6. I made a serious mistake of separating evangelism from discipleship. I now see them the same. If we want to separate the two I have discovered that evangelism equals addition and discipleship equals multiplication. If we are to separate the two then an exangelist evangelizes and every believer disciples other to Jesus and to maturity.
7. When I did put people in a discipleship class we taught them some very important things but in part we also taught them how to be like everyone else in the church and we began to impose certain control on them. I didn't see it as control back then -but it was control. Even if a new beleiver had a passion for certain service outside the church -that ministry had to be approved. And if it didn't fit with our specified mission - we either held them back or told them no. We only supported our programs and ministries in large part -those that helped us accomplish the things that fit our specified mission.
8. I have learned that ministry is given by God and we are prepared and equipped to do what God has for us to do. Therefore we should lift control and release people to be part of our Church family and do whatever God is calling them to do with our support and blessing.
9. I have learned that the longer new Christ followers did not multiply by making disciples themselves the more consumerism came into their lives and the more that happened the more it was about what I need and what the church should be doing for my family, wishes, interests, likes and dislikes. It was self-consuming instead of the giving of ones self.

There are other things I am too disheartened to write about.

Anyway, what I did all those years didn't really produce the fruit I am dreaming of today. If we will be honest with ourselves, doing discipleship the way we always have is not working. In America we are losing losing ground and saints are shifting from place to place (for themselves) while our communities filled with lost people remain far from being reached for Jesus. The church will not reach all the people that need to be reached but we the CHURCH (new and old Christ followers) can with the help of God.

Final thoughts: Why would we even want to think about continually doing what we have always done in discipleship? We can talk all we want about the purpose of discipleship being maturity and if maturity is the goal -then let's insist that maturity equals "Doing what Jesus says." And that command is the Great Commission (Make disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching them (new believers) to obey. Now for the question I continue to ponder. Is it possible for new Christ followers to immediately fulfill the Great Commission without being put on hold, in order to be fully trained which never fully happens anyway?

Can new Christ followers do it? Can we give up the control that hinders them from doing it? I long for and envision a movement that allows for this where while I stay involved in the life of my disciple as the Holy Spirit Holy Spirit leads both us to build disciples until I am no longer a father discipler but now I am a grandfather with lots of children who become fathers and grandfather disciplers themselves.

I see a movement of God through us -multiplying disciples who multiply disciples. Will you dream with me and pray with me for God to do it - and for us to let Him?

Do you see the possibility of this working in America?