<![CDATA[Make Disciples Training Program

<![CDATA[Make Disciples Training Program - News]]>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 03:55:49 -0600Weebly<![CDATA[MDTP Goes Bilingual]]>Tue, 01 Apr 2025 21:03:57 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/mdtp-goes-bilingualSince I taught Make Disciples Training Program for the first time in 2023, we have heard from a number of other brethren who are interested in taking the course. However, not only are these folks in different countries (the United States and Mexico), they also speak different languages! Thanks to Zoom we are able to offer the class to anyone regardless of location, and as for the other problem (or shall I say opportunity), I decided to teach two classes this time, one in English and the other in Spanish.

This past Friday was the first class with the English-speaking group, with 7 brothers and sisters participating from Texas, Kentucky, and California. The following day was the first class with the Spanish-speaking group, with 4 students participating in-person here in Queretaro, and 4 others joining us via Zoom from other parts of Mexico and California. A special shoutout to Jose from California, who is going above and beyond, participating in both the English and Spanish classes! (I did tell him he only has to do his assignments in one language.)

Please pray for these 14 students over the next 10 weeks as they learn and grow. To God be the glory.

Benjamin

]]><![CDATA[First MDTP Graduation in Mexico]]>Mon, 15 Jan 2024 19:07:34 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/first-mdtp-graduation-in-mexico

I am happy to announce that after 10 weeks of hard work, learning, conversations, and Bible studies, the first Make Disciples class in Querétaro, Mexico has graduated! Of the six graduates, four graduated with honors, and at least a few of these are considering becoming instructors. We are excited to see Make Disciples Training Program grow here in Mexico, and now that the materials and studies have been translated into Spanish, we hope they will be useful in other countries as well. The new graduates are:

Jorge
Mar
Lupita
Jessy
Elena
Jaime

Honorable mention: Elías (Jorge and Mar's son), who was very patient and quiet during the Make Disciples classes every Friday night!

During the past 10 weeks, these students:

Had 129 religious conversations
Set 19 Bible studies
Conducted 10 Bible studies

And they are continuing to study and have conversations with several of these people, trusting that God will give the increase in time.

Please continue praying for these students to put their training to good use as they make disciples. Thank you for your interest in and support of MDTP. God bless you!

Benjamin

]]><![CDATA[MDTP off to a great start in Mexico]]>Sat, 28 Oct 2023 18:22:57 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/mdtp-off-to-a-great-start-in-mexicoYesterday evening, ten students in Querétaro, Mexico gathered for the debut of the Spanish version of Make Disciples Training Program. They are excited, maybe a bit nervous too, and all share the same desire to learn how to best share the good news with those who need it. This is the first time the 10-week course has been taught in Mexico and in the Spanish language, and we hope this will only be the beginning of much more disciple making in Spanish-speaking countries, continuing the worldwide vision of MDTP. Please pray for these students as they go through the course, that they will have boldness and dedication to make the most of their training to win souls.

Benjamin

2023 Class at the Milenio III church of Christ (four students not pictured joined us via Zoom)

]]><![CDATA[A class in Tennessee has graduated!]]>Wed, 01 Dec 2021 14:37:34 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/a-class-in-tennessee-has-graduatedIt’s been my pleasure to spend the past ten weeks with nine students in Henderson, Tennessee. Well, that's mostly true—the Tennessee part, not the pleasure part. Two of the students joined from Mexico via Zoom. The students were:

Zach
Benjamin 🇲🇽
Luzy 🇲🇽
Alexis
Re-Elle
Walker
Abigail
Asher
Laura

Over ten weeks, these students:

Had 213 Religious conversations
Set 67 Bible studies
Conducted 48 Bible studies

Those numbers are now an MDTP record. Out of the nine students, five of them are now qualified as MDTP instructors. Four of them are already planning to teach their first class in a few months.

Be praying for these fine folks who are doing amazing things for the kingdom of God.

Thank you for your interest in and support of MDTP.
God bless you.
Lance Mosher
MDTP Instructor, Co-director

]]><![CDATA[The "New Normal" Class]]>Wed, 12 May 2021 06:00:00 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/the-new-normal-classI'm sure many of you are tired of hearing the phrase new normal. Make Disciples Training Program was developed with the classroom in mind. "Classroom" is a flexible term—sometimes it refers to a room in a church building; sometimes it refers to a living room. But being together physically was the idea. Therefore, when people asked about video conferences in the past, it was kind of out of the question. That was until COVID forced us to consider something different.

Even though New Zealand is practically COVID-free, and we would have no assembly restrictions, earlier this year, some of us thought we would try a MDTP 10-Week program online to enable others around the country to join. And it worked beautifully! We just graduated twelve more students from MDTP. The class of early 2021 is the first wholly online class.

Over the past ten weeks, these students:

Had 207 conversations
Set 34 Bible studies
And conducted 18 Bible studies

We expect great things from them moving forward. They are committed to staying connected and keeping the fire going. Please pray for them as they "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:15).

In addition, three of our students graduated with Honors, which means they are eligible to become instructors for MDTP.

Thank you for your support of this program. If you're interested in having MDTP—whether a seminar or the full 10-week program—and whether in person or online—please speak to us.

God bless you!
Lance

]]><![CDATA[Recent Graduating Class]]>Tue, 01 Sep 2020 06:00:00 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/recent-graduating-classI know it’s been a while since you saw an update from Make Disciples Training Program. This month, three more students have graduated from the 10-week program. This is our smallest graduating class yet, but God is still glorified!
Over the 10-week period, the three students:

Had at least 63 religious conversations
Set at least 47 Bible studies
Conducted at least 32 Bible studies
Baptized one person

I say “at least,” because the numbers are still coming in.

In addition to my class, John Jones has also been using the curriculum of Make Disciples Training Program to train Freed-Hardeman University students in their Personal Evangelism course.

Great things are happening. Keep serving. Keep praying. God bless you!

Lance Mosher
Instructor, Director]]><![CDATA[Porirua Class Has Graduated!]]>Mon, 17 Dec 2018 00:06:05 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/porirua-class-has-graduatedThese students have worked hard! We are pleased to graduate another class of Make Disciples Training Program! In the past ten weeks, these ten students have:

Attended 30 hours of lectures.
Completed one hour of assignments each day, plus the weekly assignments of “Going into all the world.”
Had 196 Religious Conversations
Set 39 Bible studies
Conducted 25 Bible studies
Led two souls to be baptized into Christ

During graduation, I asked them to answer two questions:

What have I personally gained from my training in MDTP?
How do I plan to use my training moving forward?

Their answers were more than encouraging. With this graduation, we are also pleased to announce that one of the students, Mark Reynolds, was training to become an instructor for MDTP. He is in Indiana, USA, and he hopes to begin his first 10-week program in January 2019.

Among the ten students, one received a Certificate of Honors, seven received Certificates of Graduation, and two received Certificates of Participation. The students were:

Lingi Banks
Elsa Copeland
Steve Croxson
Toni Croxson
Michael Harris
Rodger Headifen
Janny Knopert
Monique Knopert
Giselis Nieves
Mark Reynolds

Please continue to pray for these students and all of the instructors of MDTP! God bless you all.

Lance

]]><![CDATA[Twelve More Students in the Wellington Region!]]>Sun, 14 Oct 2018 20:24:50 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/twelve-more-students-in-the-wellington-regionLast week, I began my second round of the 10-week program in the Wellington, New Zealand, region. The students all admitted to being excited and nervous at the same time. Please pray for this new group of disciple-makers. If they follow through with our training, they have my two personal guarantees. 1. They will have more religious conversations than they ever had before (each conversation with the goal of setting a Bible study). 2. They will never again have another religious debate or argument.

Another exciting factor about this class is, utilizing technology, I am also training a future instructor for Make Disciples Training Program! If all goes well, which we expect it to, MDTP should have an instructor in Indiana, USA, by the end of the year! MDTP is slowly becoming the worldwide program it endeavors to be!

A couple of weeks ago, John Jones also started a 10-week program in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Pray for him and his students, too.

Thank you for your love and support.
Lance

]]><![CDATA[MDTP has officially been introduced in the USA!]]>Tue, 18 Sep 2018 17:23:23 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/mdtp-has-officially-been-introduced-in-the-usa

What a blessing it was to be with the church of Christ that meets on McDermott Road this past weekend! Thanks to Mark Bryson and the other elders for help in organizing and welcoming the MDTP Seminar to Plano, TX, USA. We had 32 in attendance. We look forward to the day when the 10-week program can be offered to these wonderful saints. As it is, they've been challenged and equipped to go and make disciples. Below are some entries from the seminar feedback form.

This seminar gave me concrete ways of handling religious conversations to avoid conflict. I also appreciated understanding how to increase curiosity and develop interest and will be using that with my family and friends right away. I will also ask my grown children to do the personal bible studies with me so I can practice conducting them---valuable on so many levels!!!!

[I learned] practical tactics to use when encountering opportunities to start religious or spiritual conversations. A solid beginning series of Bible studies to go through with students.

[The instructor] eloquently stepped through the points, logically building the process for which to conduct studies. The pacing of the class was very appropriate, taking time to answer and pose questions to the class.

Lance made a clear presentation with many useful examples of what to say and not to say. You could tell he had significant personal experience in trying to develop interest and in conducting Bible studies.

Thank you for your interest in what we are doing!
God bless you!
Lance

]]><![CDATA[Upcoming Dallas Seminar]]>Thu, 23 Aug 2018 19:53:58 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/upcoming-dallas-seminarFor the first time ever, Make Disciples Training Program will have a presence in the United States! I have been invited to conduct a MDTP seminar for the McDermott Road church in Plano, Texas, on the 14th and 15th of September. Please be praying for this effort. The students will be challenged, but we pray they will take their training to make disciples!

Once the seminar is completed, I will post another update. If you're near Dallas, I hope you will plan to attend. Of course, the cost will be free, but you may need to register beforehand. If you need more information, please contact Mark Bryson through the McDermott Road church website.

God bless you!
Lance
]]><![CDATA[A new sister]]>Fri, 15 Jun 2018 04:26:39 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/a-new-sister

In 2013, John and I met Lyssh at the local market, when we had a booth set up there. We were later able to spend some time with her in Bible study, but the studies eventually “fizzled out.”

It turns out that Lyssh is good friends with Dora, a local Christian whom I taught in 2014. While taking Make Disciples Training Program, Dora approached Lyssh with some questions and was able to set up a Bible study with her. Things went well. On the night of the sixth study, Dora asked me to keep my phone turned up and near my bed (it is normally charging on Do Not Disturb in another room), as the study would not finish until late at night. Around midnight of the 23rd of May, Dora called me saying, “You know what this is about.” Less than an hour later, I met with Dora, Lyssh, and Lyssh’s husband at Titahi Bay beach. I then baptized Lyssh into Christ (when it was 40°F outside)!

Praise God for adding to His church!
Lance

Lyssh (Left) with Dora (right) after Lyssh’s baptism

]]><![CDATA[MDTP Seminar]]>Wed, 16 May 2018 22:45:28 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/mdtp-seminar

This past weekend, John Jones and I traveled to Auckland, New Zealand, to teach a nine-hour seminar on evangelism to about 20 students. This seminar was our attempt to give students tools for evangelism and Bible studies, while also drumming up interest in the full, ten-week program. We're sure we were successful.

We are now planning to travel to Auckland once a week to teach the ten-week program starting in January or February next year. Only one instructor is necessary for the program, but we limit our classes to fifteen students, and we have been told to anticipate enough students to warrant two classes at once.

Stay tuned for updates as plans unfold. Thank you for your interest in MDTP. God bless you.

Lance

]]><![CDATA[The First Graduates]]>Sun, 15 Apr 2018 21:33:40 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/the-first-graduates

It's been ten weeks already? At least, that is how I feel. We have graduated our first students from the Make Disciples Training Program! Yesterday morning (15 April), I preached on John 4:31-38. After worship, I asked the congregation to stick around while we honored the graduates. When receiving their certificate, I asked them to answer two questions:

What have I personally gained from Make Disciples Training Program?
What do I plan to do with my training from now on?

Their answers were very encouraging, and I hope they stirred up a bit of hype for the rest of the congregation, as we plan to offer MDTP later this year.

There is a lot of work and commitment required for MDTP students. I would have completely understood if one or more of the students came up to me three weeks in saying that they were unable to continue in the program. However, all thirteen students that began the program graduated yesterday.

Individually, the students completed:

30 hours of classroom time
1 hour of assignments each day

Together, the students...

had 293 religious conversations
set 40 Bible studies
conducted 28 Bible studies

And we rejoice to say there is one baptism to report.

Thank you to everyone who supports this work. As things continue to happen, we will post more updates, but it may be a bit quieter than it has been lately.

Please pray for the graduates as they continue to make disciples.
God bless you all.

Lance

Thanks to Jeanette Raine for the photos. Two students were sick and unable make it to graduation.

]]><![CDATA[This is my view every Tuesday]]>Tue, 13 Mar 2018 02:23:41 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/this-is-my-view-every-tuesday

The first wave of students have been going through MDTP for five and a half weeks (they're over halfway finished!). The photo is what I sit down to every Tuesday morning. We have class on Monday evenings, and the thirteen students turn in their previous week's assignments for me to grade. There are nearly 150 pages each week, but it's such a joy to go through! These students are increasing both their zeal and their knowledge for the Lord!

The assignments from two weeks ago included going through our personal Bible study on baptism, which we call, "In the Likeness of His Death and Resurrection." The study has proven so effective that, when completed, one student realized that she had not yet obeyed the gospel! With further study with a fellow MDTP student, she was baptized in a local river close to midnight!

So far, in the five and a half weeks, our students have begun 115 conversations, set 12 Bible studies, and conducted 4 Bible studies.

You can probably see why we are very excited about how well the program has begun. Please continue to pray for us!

Lance

]]><![CDATA[It has begun!]]>Wed, 14 Feb 2018 00:22:40 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/it-has-begun

The first thirteen students of Make Disciples Training Program are currently busy with their second week of assignments. We couldn't be happier with how this program has started, and we are excited to see what it will become. The students are eager, and they're soaking up the information and skills they are gaining in class. Let us pray that they are busy using them right now. Each day, they have certain assignments. The first week included an assignment of memorization. However, this week requires them to go out and speak to at least three people about the gospel using the tools they have gained in class. They have eight more weeks to go.

Please continue praying for us. We know that there will be a little bit of tweaking after this first round, but we are confident that the Lord has allowed us to build a program that is ready to train men and women to make disciples of all the nations. I will endeavor to keep you updated as this course progresses.

God bless you!

Lance

]]><![CDATA[In a few days...]]>Thu, 01 Feb 2018 02:13:04 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/in-a-few-days

In a few days, MDTP will officially be live! We have been working very hard for twelve months to build this program from the ground up. We now have ten weeks' worth of classroom materials and assignments, which amount to about 240 pages of material for each of our students. We also have 38 Bible studies for our students to use for teaching their friends. They are in these categories:

Getting to Know the Lord and His Will
Reasonable Faith
Deeper Discipleship
Studies on the Holy Spirit and Miracles
For My Religious Friends

On Monday, 5 February at 6pm (New Zealand time), I (Lance) will begin my first class of MDTP. I have thirteen eager students. Thank you to everyone who has prayed and contributed to this work.

We are thankful for the Christians in and around Chalmette, LA. Many of them donated to this work in the memory of a faithful Christian woman.
The Dalraida church in Montgomery, AL, was also very helpful in providing funds to get things off of the ground for MDTP.
We are also thankful for those men who contributed devotional lessons for us to include in our weekly assignments for our students. They are:

Nathan Franson
Rod Kyle
Tyler Boyd
David Mitchell
Jovan Payes
Jason H. Pierce
Tyler B. Naes
Kevin L. Moore
Barry Jones
J. Randal Matheny

Please continue to pray for us. We'll let you know how it goes.

]]><![CDATA[Still Working In the Background!]]>Mon, 30 Oct 2017 02:21:14 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/still-working-in-the-background

We just wanted to release a quick update to let you know that we are still working! The curriculum is coming along, and the evangelistic studies have been written!

In the previous update, we said the first time MDTP would be taught would be November 2017. However, that course has been shifted to February 2018.

We look forward to presenting this to our first students. Continue to pray for us as we aim to train disciples to make disciples!

To God be the glory!
Lance Mosher
Trainer

John and Lance at a MDTP progress meeting

]]><![CDATA[The First Update]]>Wed, 14 Jun 2017 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.makedisciplesprogram.com/news/the-first-update

Dear friends of Make Disciples Training Program,
Though it may not seem like it, a lot has been going on for MDTP. The website looks almost identical as it did on day one... to visitors. However, for the editors, a lot has happened behind the curtain. We have been working hard on developing the Bible studies that disciple-makers will be using during and after their training. We have also begun writing the curriculum for the classroom time.

We have dates set for the first two training programs–New Zealand (November 2017-January 2018) and Fiji (February-April 2018).

As we have been developing them, I have been using our Cross Course studies in my personal evangelism. Doing so has shown how the studies can be improved. We want this to be the best program it can be, so we will constantly revise the studies for flow and logistics; however, we rest on the fact that the gospel is unchanging!

While studying with the Cross Course studies, I have mainly used the online features that we have developed. But I have also been able to print off the studies when needed.

Stay tuned for more updates. In the meantime, spread the word of MDTP!

To God be the glory!
Lance Mosher
Trainer

]]>