4 Kinds of People in Your Disciple-Making Group

Green people?  Are we talking about Martians?  Nope.  In every disciple-making group there are different kinds of people.  Check out this video to find out more about the four kinds of people in every group.  Read further to understand how to help red and yellow people become green or blue!

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Red People – come to the group faithfully but don’t obey.

Yellow People- come to the group, share the gospel, but don’t disciple others.

Green People- come, share the gospel and disciple others.  They don’t train them to start new groups though.

Blue People- do all four things.  They come, they share, they disciple and they train others to do the same.  

It is the blue people who drive the movement into multiplication! 

Jesus Talked About 4 Kinds of People Too!

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up.  Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.  Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”

Luke 8:5-8 NIV

While it’s not an exact match with the parable of the sower, there are some similarities!  Not everyone who comes to Christ is going to be a multiplier.  That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t train everyone.  You can not tell ahead of time who will end up being the blue and green people.  The only way to know this is to train, give assignments (or let them set goals to apply/obey).  Then you watch to see what they do.  

Invest more in the people who show themselves to be obedient.  They will become fruitful and multiply.  We call this process filtering.  

You have limited time to give.  It is important to invest in the right people.

What To Do With Each Kind of Person?

1. Red People – come to the group faithfully but don’t obey

Keep training and encouraging them.  Never make them feel bad for not fulfilling their goals or assignments, but don’t focus all your time on them.  Affirm them and give them opportunities to take small steps forward.  Celebrate efforts, even if they don’t get any results.  You may want to take them along with you and demonstrate how to share Christ with others.  Let them watch you a few times and then make an attempt themselves.

Again, always affirm and appreciate even small efforts.  Pray for them as well.  In time, they may begin to become more active.

2. Yellow People- come to the group, share the gospel, but don’t disciple others. 

Sometimes you will have people in your group who are truly gifted in evangelism.  But they are terrible about discipleship and follow up.  They are a gift to the movement.  If no one follows up on their fruit, the movement will not grow.  We want disciples, not converts!

Encourage them to partner with someone else in the group who can help with the follow-up.  Train them about the importance of multiplication and discipleship.  

3. Green People- come, share the gospel and disciple others.  They don’t train them to start new groups though.

Green people are incredibly valuable to the movement.  Focus on them.  Invest time in their discipleship and growth.  Find out what the issues are that prevent them from training their disciples to multiply.  

Are there issues of pride?  Do they think their trainees aren’t ready for ministry yet?  

Keep casting vision and helping them gain ownership of the plan to multiply both disciples and groups rapidly.

4. Blue People- do all four things.  They come, they share, they disciple and they train others to do the same.  

With these people, cheer them on and keep them inspired and healthy!  The enemy often will attack the blue people in various ways.  Cover them in prayer and invest the greatest amount of your time in them.  They will become leaders of streams within the movement.

Pray Much!

With all those you are discipling, pray for them daily.  Your prayers will make a huge difference in their lives.  Pray also for those they are discipling and sharing the gospel with.  

Remember, discipleship is not a meeting.  It is investing our lives in those we train.  

Who are the 4 kinds of people in your group?  Your red, yellow, green and blue people?

What will you do this week to focus more on the green and blue people God has given you?  Let me know in the comments below or on the DMMs Facebook group.