Making Disciples in DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan

Apr 23

by Mukangwa Muhoya Rogatien

Greetings from Ariwara DRC!

I am Rogatien from Ariwara Town in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Ariwara is in the Aru territory of Ituri Province, which is in the northeastern part of the DRC. I come from a family of 12 children. My mother was Catholic but my father was Muslim until I was 12 years old. Thankfully, at that time he left Islam and received Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord. My wife, Sylvie, and I have four children: two boys and two girls.

In addition to my responsibilities as pastor of a church in Ariwara, I also serve as a “Partner” with Disciples International (DI). In my dual roles as both Pastor and Partner, I am committed to equip people to share the gospel (evangelism) and make disciples (discipleship) in our region and beyond. It is worth noting that Ariwara is situated on the border of two neighboring countries, which means my disciple-making ministry is international – DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan

Currently, I train members of our church twice a week. During those times people come to attend discipleship training sessions by going through the Step-by-Step Guide to Spiritual Intimacy. This guide is designed to develop Disciples of Christ into Disciplers for Christ by taking them through the Prayer of Commitment (Step 1), the Guide to Worship (Step 2), and the Five Spiritual Disciplines (Step 3). Over the course of three months Disciples learn how to share their faith, pray-read Scripture, study the Bible inductively, and practice spiritual disciplines that enable them to be faithful and useful in God’s kingdom work on earth.

Sylvie Bahizire - Associate Trainee

“While going through the *Step-by-Step Process*, I experienced the wonderful teachings provided in the the manual. Now I am able to train others to become Disciplers for Christ in the same way I was trained. I was especially touched by the Guide to Worship (Step 3). When I worship God I lack words to express myself, but through the Guide, I discovered how to worship God personally and properly. Thank you *DI,* because through the *Step-by-Step Process* I am now equipped to disciple others who will then disciple others in turn. As I am a secondary school teacher, I plan to implement this training with my students at school.”

To date, nine Disciplers have completed the training with three individuals continuing with added requirements as Associate Trainees (Disciplers can progress to Associate status in several months and then on to Partner status, which takes at least a year). At this time, we have 40 people going through the Step-by-Step Process under my leadership. Also, I am pleased to say that four house churches have been planted through the process of making disciples according to the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20). The following photos are of training sessions and graduation classes. This is where Disciples of Christ become Disciplers for Christ.

To expand opportunities for disciple-making, DI joined our efforts to raise support with matching funds to help us complete a building we had intended just for worship services. However, instead of having a facility for that purpose alone, DI suggested a multipurpose facility for use also as a Discipleship Training Center (DTC). When it is finished, this facility will accommodate 700 people, which means that we will be able to effectively reach people for Christ through worship and discipleship training like never before. As mentioned earlier, Ariwara is situated near the triple intersection of DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan, so this is a great opportunity!

Church Facility / Discipleship Training Center (DTC) under construction

Given its strategic location, people from Uganda and South Sudan are already attending Step-by-Step training sessions. Our strategy involves an intentional, holistic approach that addresses the body, soul, and spirit of believers, using the Discipleship Training Center (DTC) as a gathering place where new believers in Jesus can grow from Disciples of Christ into reproducing Disciplers for Christ.

Making Disciples who Make Disciples

To achieve our goal of fulfilling the Great Commission, we’ll just keep doing what we’re doing by employing the discipleship training provided by *Disciplers International*. All glory to God!

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Bart Physioc

Bart’s interest in discipleship began at the time of his conversion in 1978, while serving in Guam as a Coast Guard officer. After reading the four gospels in the New Testament, Bart was moved to accept Jesus as Savior and follow Him as Lord. He wanted to be a disciple, but didn’t understand how discipleship was supposed to work, and no one took the initiative to mentor him. Bart’s early discipleship experience was limited to reading books on the subject and going through study guides. Although examples were evident throughout Scripture, but Bart did not have such an experience personally.

While attending Golden Gate Theological Seminary in California, Bart took several courses on discipleship. From those classes, he took the most useful and practical elements of each model and produced a guidebook of his own that was comprehensive in scope, yet concise in presentation. After graduating in 1983 with a Master of Religious Education degree, Bart spent three years developing a discipleship model specifically for college students at the University of Idaho, where he served as Campus Minister. Upon returning to Golden Gate Seminary for his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees, Bart tailored the discipleship model for church plants and then instituted that model in the church he planted and pastored in California. As an Army Chaplain, Bart used the Discipler/Disciple model which led many service members to Christ and provided new believers with a set of tools to disciple others.

Convinced that disciple-making requires a relationship between a mentor (“Discipler”) and learner (“Disciple”), Bart created the 14-Step Discipleship Process, which was launched in 2000 and has been used worldwide to grow Disciples of Christ into Disciplers for Christ. In 2022 he launched a new presentation of the discipleship process called Step-by-Step.

While still serving in the military, Bart helped to establish Disciplers International in 2006 to provide free Discipleship Resources and Training for all who follow Jesus, and obey His call to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

https://disciplersinternational.com

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