Many Christians remember the pre-conversion Paul, who “persecuted the Church of God violently and tried to destroy it” (Gal 1:13). He is well known for his dramatic conversion to Christianity on the road to Damascus, his missionary work as the great Apostle to the Gentiles and his writings, which make up a major portion of the New Testament.

But Scripture shows us another side of Paul, a side not as well-known but just as influential for the Church and the world: his intentional discipleship with those he was forming in the Faith.

Paul’s traveling companion for much of his missionary journey was a young Christian named Timothy. Upon arriving in Lystra on his second missionary journey, Paul learned of the sound reputation of this faithful young Christian. By the end of Paul’s visit there, Timothy was inspired to leave everything behind and to join the great Apostle on mission. (1)

As Paul and Timothy journeyed together, Paul intentionally trained Timothy to lead. Paul sent Timothy first to Thessalonica and later to Macedonia to encourage the Christians there, exhorting him to “[l]et no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim 4:12). After each assignment, Timothy returned to his mentor for even more training in mission.

After fifteen years of laboring together, Paul trusted that he had formed Timothy well enough to let him lead on his own — so he sent Timothy on an extended mission to a troubled community in Ephesus. As Timothy fought to address false teachings there, Paul encouraged him: “I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God” (1 Tim 3:14).

St. Paul was an incredible missionary in many ways. But there was only one St. Paul. He couldn’t be everywhere at once, and his days on earth were numbered. His missionary efforts produced great fruit in his time, but his investment in passing on the Faith and raising leaders who could continue that mission after he was gone was what truly produced a lasting impact.

The goal of every missionary disciple is to help form other missionary disciples who will live out the Little Way of Evangelization wherever the Lord calls them. It is inviting them to a journey of imitation, an invitation to “be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1), as Paul himself invited the early Christians to do.

To fulfill this mission, we are called to accompany others in discipleship like St. Paul did, which involves so much more than just teaching ideas about the Faith. It entails walking with them through the ups and downs of both their spiritual journey and all other parts of life. It is not about a club or a program but a commitment to a person, to their spiritual growth and to the mission the Lord has in store for them. We can do that by doing for others what Paul did for Timothy.

Paul took the time to teach Timothy how to lead and form others during their time together; when they were apart, Paul wrote letters to Timothy instructing him what to teach, advising him on how to deal with conflict and encouraging him in keeping his own faith. Paul formed Timothy both in his own personal growth and in practical training for mission.

Once someone in your life has made a commitment to Christ and desires to grow in their faith, they are ready to be intentionally formed. This intentional formation looks different depending on where the person in whom you are investing is in their journey.

• When the person you are investing in is in the “Build” phase, you will likely want to meet occasionally to talk about their walk with Christ, particularly in the basic Christian practices of Acts 2:42: prayer, fellowship, the sacraments and the teaching of the Apostles (see articles 3.0 – 3.5). But we don’t just want to talk about these ideas. We also want to create opportunities for the person to have experiences together in prayer, sacraments, Christian fellowship and faith formation.
• Once someone has accepted the High Call to Mission, it is best to meet regularly (with a group of other missionary disciples, if possible) for intentional formation and training for mission. This is where you will discuss the “Send” articles (see articles 5.0 – 6.4), practice your mission skills and spend intentional time going on mission together.

Paul did not simply give Timothy lessons on what to do in the mission field: He modeled mission for him and gave him opportunities to practice. Timothy learned from Paul as he watched him preach the Gospel, answer questions, debate unbelievers, call sinners to repent and encounter rejection, scorn and even imprisonment. Paul did not just teach Timothy about mission; he also lived it alongside him.

While this article (and previous ones) have given you a vision for how best to lead others in discipleship, you might still need to practice, to make mistakes and learn from them. As you are learning to walk with others in discipleship, here are three pitfalls to avoid:

• Buddy: Be careful not to let your time together slip into just being “buddies” while letting intentional formation fall to the wayside. Your conversations might begin with what’s going on in your lives, but your conversations should center around mission and your next steps in evangelization.
• Counselor: Your role for those you are accompanying is not to be a counselor or a spiritual director. If the person you are walking with does need more substantial spiritual, mental or emotional guidance, help them seek out a priest, a good counselor, a spiritual director or other helpful resources!
• Boss: Be aware not to let your discipleship relationship be reduced to nothing more than a weekly meeting or discussions solely about goals, progress and accountability. Falling into the “boss” mentality leaves out the one who’s really in charge of mission: Jesus himself! Your role is more like a mentor, one who encourages, listens, guides, coaches and helps someone else progress in their mission and toward heaven.

Using these four steps, plan 2 – 3 weeks of formation and investment for someone in whom you are investing. Consider: How will you intentionally form them to help them grow in their walk of faith? In what ways will you share life with them, in addition to the times of formation? How will you pursue the habits of Acts 2:42 together?

Seeing Beyond Timothy: We must ensure that the people we are leading will faithfully entrust the vision and mission of evangelization to those whom they are leading, according to 2 Tim. 2:2: “What you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”