70:20:10 Discipleship
Discipling others while being discipled is actually one of the best ways to get discipled!
We see this in the way that Jesus interacted with his disciples. After all, he did not wait for his death and resurrection to send the disciples out for ministry. He did this early on; in fact, shortly after the disciples saw the Gerasenes demoniac set free, Jesus sent them out in pairs for ministry (Mark 6:6–12).
We also see this in adult educational theory and leadership practice through the 70:20:10 principle…
This principle originated with Dr. Allen Tough in his book The Adult’s Learning Projects and has since been elaborated and expanded by many others.
The principle states that 70 percent of our learning comes by doing. This is informal, on- the-job development that comes through trial and error, and growing in experience.
Next, 20 percent of our learning is through receiving informal feedback from others, or through more formal coaching and mentoring relationships. This is primarily development through interacting with others.
The last 10 percent of our learning is through conferences, seminars, and courses. This is structured formal education.
What’s interesting is that most churches are unintentionally aware of the 70:20:10 principle and are living it out, but their application of it is backward.
Seventy percent of their time is devoted to teaching
20 percent to talking about it
And 10 percent to doing it
Unfortunately in many churches, 70% is devoted to teaching, 20% to talking about it, and 10% to…
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What would happen to your church if you applied the 70:20:10 principle accurately?
What if 70 percent of the time that you spent discipling others was helping them do the very things that made them a disciple? You would then talk about what they’ve done and provide them feedback 20 percent of the time, while only formally teaching them 10 percent of the time. Imagine the transformation that would happen in your church.
In order for us to disciple with the 70:20:10 principle in mind, we need to start with a basic question…What does someone need to do to grow as a disciple?
In other words, what is the 70 percent that people can do that will move them toward maturity as a disciple?
I sincerely believe that discipling others while being discipled is actually one of the best ways to get discipled! However, discipling others is not the 70 percent—it’s a part of it, but not the whole thing. So what else do disciples need to do to become mature and move toward Christ?
Discipling others while being discipled is actually one of the best ways to get discipled!
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To continue reading, pick up a copy of my book, No Silver Bullets: Five Small Shifts that will Transform Your Ministry. This article was a modified excerpt from Chapter 2: From Output to Input.
