We're going to spend the next 6 weeks taking a close look at the life of Christian hero Dawson Trotman. Why? Because we believe men need more evangelistic courage, men need a commitment to deep discipleship, and men need a vision for making disciples who make disciples - and Dawson Trotman is the kind of guy who will inspire all of this in the lives of ordinary men.
Let's start by looking at the 10 traits of the disciple-making genius of Dawson Trotman. This comes from a training that Joe Barnard did - you can access that training here.
1. HE TAPPED INTO THE DEEP MOTIVATION OF MEN
“Dawson made you feel like you were the key to the evangelization of the whole world.”
2. HE MADE THE PATH SIMPLE, WITHOUT COMPROMISING EFFECTIVENESS
Dawson used simple acronyms (S.T.U.D.Y.) and simple memory scripture programs (Topical Memory System) to disciple ordinary men.
3. HE SET MEN UP TO SUCCEED
Dawson gave men the tools they needed to engage in transformational growth.
4. HE MADE MEN WORK
Dawson focused on growth, not fun. He encouraged men to be learners.
5. HE HELD GUYS ACCOUNTABLE
Dawson asked direct questions - about your prayer life, your devotional life, your evangelistic efforts.
6. HE PLAYED THE LONG GAME
Dawson believed quality was more important that quantity. He encouraged guys to take it slow, and fight for thoroughness and depth.
7. HE DEFINED LEADERSHIP AS PACE-SETTING
Dawson looked for men who displayed earnestness, passion, discipline, and self control.
8. HE SCALED THE CHALLENGE
Dawson kept new men from being intimidated, while also raising the bar for existing men.
9. HE PRACTICED LIFE-ON-LIFE DISCIPLESHIP
Dawson believed that classrooms produce classrooms - but men produce men. The world doesn’t need more stale classrooms, it needs more disciple-making men.
10. HE WAS A MAN LIT ON FIRE
Dawson had an unquenchable desire to see the world discipled.
The Dawson Trotman Hero Challenge is designed to help small groups of men get practical training in the basics of disciple-making. You can join the challenge here - you'll get access to weekly training, discussion guides, scripture memorization, and downloadable tools and resources.
