FISHERS OF MEN

DISCIPLING AND TRAINING

PAUL RATSARA
 FISHERS OF
MEN
DISCIPLING AND TRAINING

PAUL RATSARA

HART BOOKS
A Ministry of Hart Research Center
Falibrook, California

Copyright © 2009 by Hart Research Center

Printed in the United States of America
All Rights Reserved

Editing by Mark Finley

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ISBN : 978-1-878046-69-7
FOREWORD

O ne of the greatest challenges facing the Seventh-day Adventist Church today

– in those areas of the world where the church is rapidly growing –is the high
rate of apostasy. The question which looms large in many administrators’ and
local pastor’s minds is : How can we maintain our rapid growth rates while at the
same time reducing apostasies ?
 This question is one of the most significant which must be answered if the
church is to continue to explode in growth. This issue of rapid growth and reduced
apostasy rates is not new for the Christian Church. The New Testament Church
faced it. The Acts model clearly reveals the care the disciples gave to new believers.
They were integrated into small groups, prayed for and with, reinstructed in the truths
of the Bible, and sent out to witness. Each new convert was a witness. Ellen White
states it well : “ No sooner does one come to Christ that there is born in his heart the
desire to make known to others the precious friend he has found in Jesus. The
saving and sanctifying truth can not be shut up in his heart. ” – Steps to Christ, p. 78.
God places in the hearts of new converts the desire to share His love with the people
closest to them. The Samaritan woman forgot all about the reason she came to the
well. Leaving her water pot lying on the ground, she ran to tell the story of Jesus. The
delivered demoniac of Decapolis was a powerful and effective witness for Jesus.

The single most important factor in keeping converts faithful to Jesus is their
involvement in witness.
Witnessing Christians are growing Christians. The more we love Jesus, the more we
desire to share His love – and the more we share His love, the more we will love
Jesus. This is whe Fishers of Men is so important for the church at this critical
moment of earth’s history. This exciting initiative of the Southern Africa – Indian
Ocean Division inspires and equips new believers to begin immediately sharing their
faith. In this handbook you will discover how one division is reducing apostasies and
exploding in growth. You will learn how to implement the Christ-centered biblical
principles of Fishers of Men in your local church, conference, union, or division.
Fishers of Men is a simple yet amazingly effective program of reducing apostasies
and involving new believers in witness. The following pages will guide you through a
step-by-step process of involving new believers in witness, including how to teach
them to witness and the materials used to train tem for service.

I highly recommend Fishers of Men for your territory. If you follow the
principles outlined in this handbook, you will reduce apostasies and dramatically
increase your evangelistic results. So read on, and be prepared for some thrilling
discoveries.

- Mark A. Finley, Vice President for World Evangelism General

Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

We should be daily increasing in ability to

do the precious work of winning souls to
Christ. This is such a precious work, such a
satisfying work ! And all heaven is waiting
for channels through which can be poured
FISHERS OF
 MEN
Rationale
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has experienced unprecedented growth in
the last ten years. As the new millennium dawned, church membership hovered
around the six million mark. Today, it tops sixteen million. One million new believers
are added to the church each year. Membership has nearly tripled in the last decade.
This explosion in growth has created unique challenges for the infrastructure of the
churches. One of the major issues the church faces, in light of this rapid growth, is
how to disciple this large number of new believers and solidly integrate them into
church membership. Church leadership must continually ask, “ How can we help new
believers reach their full potential in Christ ? How can we nurture new converts to be
active, productive, contributing members of the church ? How can we reduce
apostasy and retain this large number of newly baptized members ? “

The leadership of the Southern Africa – Indian Ocean Division has taken this
challenge seriously, through the introduction of a new initiative called “ Fishers of
Men”. Fishers of Men is an innovative, yet solidly biblical approach to discipling new
believers, based on the premise that new believers are passionate about sharing
their faith and that, in the process of sharing their faith with others, they grow
spiritually themselves.

In this field-tested model, division leadership has observed the following

benefits when the Fishers of Men Plan is introduced.

 Reduction in apostasies

 Involvement in witness

 Growth in spirituality

 Increase in church planting

 Faithfulness in stewardship

 Immersion in Adventist identity

 Harmonious labor in unity

Fishers of Men has played a crucial role in closing the “ gap ”. The “ gap “ is
defined as the waiting period a new member goes through immediately after baptism
because their church is not intentional in getting them immediately involved in
reaching others. Unfortunately, during this waiting time, some of those newly
baptized members lose their first love. The longer they hesitate in becoming actively
involved in faith-sharing, the more fearful and apprehensive they become. Others
develop a spectator mentality. They may become increasingly critical of the church,
while neglecting God’s call to evangelize. Others become discouraged or entangled
in old sins and simply leave the church.

Two major reasons contribute to this “ gap ”. The first has to do with the view that
evangelism is an event and not a process. The second is a limited understanding of
the mission of the church, as reflected in the Great Commission. If evangelism is a
event conducted by “ Professional evangelists ”, church members at best may attend
the evangelistic meetings, possibly pray for them, and hopefully contribute to them
financially, yet be involved in few other ways. In this approach, soul winning is the
responsibility of the clergy.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing

them in the name of the Father and of Son and of the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have
commanded you ; and to, I am with you always, even to the
end of the age. ”

The Great Gospel Commission

Matthew 28:19,20

If the main purpose of the church is to baptize more and more people rather
than develop faith-filled disciples, the emphasis will be on numbers rather than on
disciples. An emphasis on the number baptized tends to overlook the fact that God
uses people to win people. The mission of the church is not a frantic hunt to find
more converts to enlarge the church membership list. The call of God is not for a
passive church that waits for a professional clergy to win more souls. God’s final
appeal to His church is an urgent call to be involved in mission. The church is not an
institution to comfort the comfortable. This has never God’s intention. To the contrary
Ellen Whit warned years ago :

“ Those who endeavor to maintain a Christian life be

passively accepting the blessings that come through
the means of grace, and doing nothing for Christ, are
simply trying to live by eating without working. And in
 the spiritual as in the natural world, this always
results in degeneration and decay. ” –
Steps to Christ, p. 85.

If you lower the standard in order to secure popularity and an

increase of numbers, and then make this increase a cause of
rejoicing, you show great blindness. If numbers were evidence of
success, Satan might claim the pre-eminence ; for, in this world, his
followers are largely in the majority… It is the virtue, intelligence,
and piety of the people composing our churches, not their numbers
that should be a source of joy and thankfulness.

Christian Education, p. 42

A closer look at this phenomenon shows that many new members lose
their zeal to work for the Master during the first few months after their baptism. While
they wait to be trained and equipped for service, they wither spiritually. Long waiting
periods are detrimental to spiritual life. Is it possible that the problem does not lie with
the newly baptized members but rather with church leadership, who unintentionally
allow a “ tarrying period ” instead of getting the new converts to work right at the
beginning of their Christian experience ? No wonder that total church involvement
becomes a major issue later. Unless active participation of newly baptized members
is systematically and intentionally pursued, churches cannot expect significant
membership participation and exponential growth.

The Biblical foundation of Fishers of

Men
In a well-known passage, Jesus made this profound statement : “ Follow me
and I will make you fishers of men ” (Matthew 4:19). This text offers profound insight
for the church today. To “ make ” brings to mind the image of “ to form, to fashion, or
to create, it can also refer to kneading paste, dough, or clay in order to bring
something into being ” (Samaan, 1990:111). “ Make ” also suggests that Jesus “
makes “ us witnesses. Coming to Jesus, we become witnesses of His grace and
power. The closer we follow Him, the more effective we become in witnessing for
Him. He imparts the desire and ability to witness. Christ lives His life in us and
through us. We witness according to His direction and promptings. Without Christ, we
can do nothing ” ( John 15:5 )

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon
called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea ; for
they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “ Follow Me, and I will
make you fishers of men. They immediately left their nets and
followed Him.

Matthiew 4:18-20

Let’s take a look at a few biblical accounts on the call of Christ’s witnesses in the
gospels :

The Calling of Andrew (John 1:40-42)

As soon as Andrew came to know about Jesus through the preaching of John
the Baptist, he “ first went to find his brother Peter and brought him to Jesus. “
Andrew became the first disciple to bring others to Jesus. He did so “ first ” – that is,
before he did anything else. This passage testifies to the profound impression made
on this mind nd heart by that first conversation with Jesus.

“ The first impulse in the heart of one who is truly

converted is to share the joy and the blessings of
salvation with others, particularly with those who are
near and dear.” (SDABC, 5:910)

Jesus’ Encounter With the Woman at

the Well (John 4)
After her encounter with Jesus, the Samaritan woman was eager to reach the
village and tell others of her great discovery. She cast her water pot aside. She would
not allow anyting to keep her from running to tell the story of Jesus.

“ She had experienced desire, conviction and

decision and the next logical step was action – she
went to tell others of her great discovery. This
testifies of the reality of her decision.”
 (Carlos G. Martin, Adventist Church Growth,” p. 201)

She went to share the good news. Her joy in Jesus was too good to remain in
her heart any longer. The waiting water pot was mute evidence of her new priority.
She would return to fetch it – but not alone. She must bring someone else to Jesus.
As a result of her testimony, the Bible says that “ many Samaritans believed. ” Those
who gathered at the well to hear Jesus preach were merely the first wave of converts
– there would many, many others (verse 41)

Healing of the Demoniac of Gadara

(Mark 5:1-20)
As soon as Jesus had delivered this demon-possessed man, he was
commissioned to go home to his friends and tell them what great things the Lord had
done for him. Actually, he went beyond his assignment and “ began to proclaim in
Decapolis (then ten cities whose distance – between the most northern point to the
most southern point – was 110 kilometers, or about 68 miles) all that Jesus had done
for him ; and all marveled ” (Mark 5:20). Interestingly, the healed man received no
profound theological training. He simply went to share the testimony of God’s power
to deliver.

Worth noting too, the delivered demoniac did not ask Jesus for permission to
stay with Him after His preaching tour in the Decapolis. One may wonder why. One
reason might be that, just as He promised, Jesus was with Him. The man felt Christ’s
abiding presence as he witnessed when we do God’s work of teaching, preaching,
and witnessing, He will be with us always (Matthew 20:28). Since this man was
abiding in the presence of Jesus, no need existed for him to ask Jesus for the
permission to stay with Him.

Conversion of Paul (Acts 9)

Paul’s conversion experience is also a powerful example of sharing the Christ
we know when we get to know Him. After his miraculous conversion experience on
the Damascus Road, the Bible tells us that “ immediately, he preached the Christ in
the synagogues, that He is the Son of God ” (Acts 9:20)

Indeed, what we encounter in those four stories is that there were no gaps
between meeting Christ and becoming fishers of men. In all four stories the converts
were immediately put to work.

Teach the newly converted that they are to enter into fellowship
with Christ, to be his witnesses… The best medicine you can give
the church is not preaching or sermonizing, but planning work for
them.

Ellen G. White, Review and Herald

June 25, 1895
 Fishers of Men Supported by Ellen G. White
Fishers of Men eliminates the “ gap ” and puts members to work immediately
after or even before baptism. What makes this kind of outreach dramatic is that is
does not require new converts to go through an extensive lay witness training
program. Certainly they will continue to sharpen their skills in witnessing, but they
begin to share their faith immediately.

Ellen White would concur with this idea. She writes ;

“ When souls are converted, set them to work at

once. And as they labor according to their ability,
they will grow stronger it is by meeting opposing
influences that they become confirmed in the faith. ”
– Evangelism, p. 355

Further, she pens :

“ As the light shines into their hearts, let them diffuse

its rays. Teach the newly converted that they are to
enter into fellowship with Christ to be His witnesses,
and to make Him known unto the world. ” – Ibid

Implementation of Fishers of Men

Fishers of Men is especially designed to reduce apostasies and maximize the
soul winning potential of new converts in areas where the church is rapidly growing. It
is also effective with smaller numbers of converts in the developed world, where
church growth is more challenging. Here are the steps that will ensure success in
implementing Fishers of Men :

The ore he seeks to impart light, the more light he will receive.

Christ Object’s Lessions, p. 354

The very first impulse of the renewed heart is to bring others also to the
Savior.

The Great Controversy, p. 70

1. Four months prior to an evangelistic campaign, each church identifies local
trainers for the Fishers of Men program.
2. Three months prior to the series, these trainers receive instruction on how to
effectively implement the program. Training the leadership team for Fishers of
Men is a critical part of the entire process.
Equipping leader usually takes place overt three to four successive Sabbaths.
It includes :

a. Preparing Spiritually. Leaders are encouraged to develop a deeper

devotional and prayer life. They are instructed to begin to pray for those
who will come to the evangelistic series and eventually be baptized. The
New Testament narratives of new believers immediately becoming actively
involved in sharing their faith are reviewed with the leadership team. For
Fishers of Men to be successful, the church leadership must believe God
has a unique role for now converts in reaching people in their sphere of
influence.
b. Knowing the Materials. Each leader is encouraged to become familiar
with all of the materials that will be distributed to the new converts for the
Fishers of Men program. During the training process, potential leaders are
given the materials and are expected to learn how to us the materials
themselves.
c. Discovering Giftedness. Each leader will bring his / her God-given gifts
to the training process. Indentifying these gifts will facilitate each leader in
helping new converts receive maximum help in developing their soul
winning skills. Some leaders have the gift of teaching. Others are highly
organized, and still others are extremely friendly and hospitable. Each of
these leadership gifts will be needed in encouraging and empowering new
converts to witness.
The leadership team must go through comprehensive training themselves, since they
are going to train others.

« Follow me », said the great Teacher, « and I will make

you fishers of men. » Those who obey this call must work
with hearts filled with Christlike live for souls. Ill all
things they must follow the ample of the Saviour, sharing
His tender compassion and His sternness against all evil
working. Christ is the great Pattern for all. We are to be
workers together with Him… In this closing work of the
Gospel there is a vast field to be occupied ; and more than
ever before, the work is to enlist helpers from the common
people.

Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, July 19,

1905

3. Two weeks before baptism.

a. Begin to formulate a database for all the anticipated new converts.

b. Assemble all Fishers of Men materials into their appropriate kits.
c. Print a special invitation for newly baptized converts, inviting them to attend
the Fishers of Men training on the Sunday immediately following their
baptism.
d. Complete your central database at least three days before the final
baptism. In a citywide evangelistic series, this central database will be
regionalized for local congregations, so they can follow up the new
converts and further instruct them after te initial united training period.

There should be thoughtful, prayerful study how

to work to the best advantage. Careful plans
should be matured. There are minds among us that
an invent and carry out if they are only put to use.
Great results would follow well-directed and
intelligent efforts.

Gospel Workers, p. 92
 e. Strongly promote Fishers of Men during the last week of the evangelistic
series.
f. Establish follow-up dates for the regionalized Fishers of Men after the initial
training.

4. On the mass-baptism day, briefly explain Fishers of Men and encourage all
newly baptized converts to attend the training program the very next day.
Fishers of Men begins the Sunday morning after the mass baptism on
Sabbath.

a. Gather all who were baptized into one large combined meeting.
b. Provide an orientation of what will happen over the next year.
c. Distribute the Fishers of Men Kit to each newly baptized member.
d. Divide the audience into local churches and districts.
e. Introduce each local trainer.
f. Review the Fishers of Men materials, provide basic instruction on making
initial contacts, and encourage new converts to participate in the role-
playing sections of the seminar.
g. Break up into ministry-accountability partners for next year.
h. End with a season of prayer.

To equip new believers in effectively witnessing and growing in Christ, a

Fishers of Men Kit has been designed. The Southern Africa-Indian Ocean
Division provides this kit for each new believer, which include the following
materials :

 A Bible

 The book Welcome to the Family of God – and Steps to Christ, by Ellen
G. White

 28 Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

  Adventist word – The International Magazine of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church

 Materials provided for the Fishers of Men Kit by the local conference /
fields / church :

 A hymn book

 A Sabbath School Study Guide for one quarter

Guidelines for the Efficient Use of the Fishers of Men Kit

1. This kit will be provided right away, on the day following the baptism. For
example, if someone is baptized on a Sabbath, the next day – the Sunday
following the baptism – a special meeting will be organized, and all the newly
baptized will be invite to attend. During that meeting, Fishers of Men Kits,
together with a Commitment Form (See Appendix A) will be given out to the
newly baptized.
2. For the first three months after their baptism, newly baptized members will
attend a weekly Fishers of Men class in their local church. Concurrently with
that class, newly baptized believers are integrated into a weekly small group
Bible Study. The purpose of this strategy is twofold, first, to develop the
spiritual life of new converts, and second, to prepare them to be effective
witnesses for Jesus.

Who teaches this class ? The church elder assigned to evangelism – or the
Personal Ministries Director or the church pastor.

What is the contend of the weekly Fishers of Men training class ? (See
Appendix B.) Each class will consist of a period of training in witnessing. New
converts will be prepared to share their faith with their friends, neighbors, and
working associates, by giving their personal testimony, giving Bible Studies,
answering objections, and making appeals.

Witnessing materials will be distributed produced by the SID, under the

supervision of the SSPM Director. These will be sent to each union within the SID
territory. The union SSPM Director will be the person in charge of distributing
these kits to the local churches, via the conference / field. Each local Sabbaths
Scholl / personal Ministries Director will issue a quarterly report on the results of
the Fishers of Men program within his / her territory.
 Different gifts are imparted to different ones, that the
workers may feel their need of one another. God
bestows these gifts, and they are employed in His
service, not to glorify the possessor, not to uplift man,
but to uplift the world’s Redeemer; they are to be
used for the good of all mankind, by representing the
truth, not testifying to a falsehood… In every word
and act, kindness and love will be revealed ; and as
each worker fills his appointed place faithfully, the
prayer of Christ for the unity of His followers will be
answered, and the world will know that these are His
disciples.

Signs of the Times, Mar. 15, 1910

Expected Results
Evangelism Explosion : The Southern Africa – Indian Ocean Division expects
to revitalize soul winning throughout the division and experience an evangelistic
explosion though this forward-looking initiative. The division administration of SID
in convinced that Fishers of men is a heaven-born, biblical concept which will
dramatically increase evangelistic results and at the same time markedly reduced
apostatizes. The realize this goal, the division leadership is committed to train
leaders in each union and conference territory to implement the Fishers of Men
initiative. Fishers of Men will capitalize on the zeal and enthusiasm of newly
baptized members. Their enthusiasm for witnessing will ignite the sparks of
witnessing in many dormant, spiritually, lethargic church members, who also will
become actively involved in sharing their faith. God’s “ Messenger to the
Remnant” speaks of the immense impact one person has on the others :

“ On soul is of infinite value ; for Calvary speaks its

worth. One soul, won to the truth, will be instrumental
in winning others, and there will be an ever-
 increasing result of blessing and salvation. ” –
Christian Service, p. 121

Toward a Paradigm Shift

In brief, Fishers of Men aims at intentionally and systematically discipling new
members to become active soul winners.

Obviously, this new method of discipling will of necessity change the way in
which we view evangelism. Evangelism in not the work a few highly skilled soul
winning professionals – it is the work of the entire church, the responsibility of every
member. We need to be reminded again and again that evangelism is not an event
but a process and a way of life. Evangelism is the life of the church, defines who we
are as Christian, and is the essence of what is means to be a Christian. Sharing the
Christ we have experienced is the natural response of the converted heart.

Indeed, if we take the Fishers of Men initiative seriously, we will have to review
the way in which we report baptisms. Quarterly statistical reports will be designed to
take into account the following :

1. The number of newly baptized members.

2. The number of those who stay after three months.

3. The number of newly baptized members who are actively involved in

witnessing after three months.

The more we bring the Fishers of Men concept into our thinking, the more it will
radically affect current church life.

We believe that God’s plans never fail !

It is a universal principle that whenever one refuses to use his God-given powers,
these powers decay and perish. Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses
its life-giving power, its healing virtue.

The Acts of the Apostles, p. 206

APPENDICES

FISHERS OF MEN

APPENDIX A : Fishers of Men Class Commitment Form

 Fishers of Men Commitment Form

I Believe that Jesus has called me to be a soul-winner. By the grace of God, I

commit to surrender my life to Jesus and use the gifts He has given me to win
others to the Master.

In accepting the Fishers of Men Kit, I make the following commitment :

I will use the appropriate materials from this kit during my quiet time to
strengthen my spiritual and devotional life.

I will share my faith with others and do my honest part in winning souls
for the kingdom of God.

I will begin immediately to develop an evangelistic team and plan my

strategies.

Name : ____________________________________________________________

Date : _____________________________________________________________

DISCIPLING AND TRAINING

APPENDIX B : Program of Fishers of Men class

 Program of Fishers of Man Class

This is a suggested program for the Fishers of Men class when it meets every
Sabbath morning for 45 minutes.

 Welcome and prayer : 3 minutes

 Summary of the Sabbath School lesson : 10 minutes

 Who are the Seventh-day Adventists ? (A lesson taken from the book
28 Fundamental Beliefs) : 10 minutes

 Lesson on how to use specific method of evangelism : 15 minutes

 Questions and closing prayer : 7 minutes