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Launching A Discipleship Journey in France & Belgium

In April 2025, the Lionshare Leadership Group was approached by several leader friends representing the French-speaking world. They shared about the current “ripeness” of disciple making within the church of France. We agreed to seek the Lord together to see if French was to be the fifth language we were to translate A Discipleship Journey (ADJ) into. After a period of time, we compared what we were hearing from the Lord and agreed to move forward.

A translation project typically takes about a year if everything falls right. Our Director of Resources, Darren Bearson, took on this project of spearheading the translation of our ADJ content into the French language. This language is the fourth most spoken language in the world, with approximately 396 million people!

Jonathan Manoovaloo, a decade-long friend, pastor, and leader in Paris, along with Noemie Pinheiro, committed to the translation and faithfully completed it. We also had several others looking at both the translation and theology to make sure everything was accurate. As part of the process, there were numerous rounds of editing, layout and design, printing, as well as a launch schedule. A special thank you to David Nolent for helping with the printing!

A Lionshare team of four, Jim Bakke, our Director of International Relations, his wife Lori, along with Cheryl and me, traveled to Europe on September 27th for a week of launching the new French edition of ADJ in both France and Belgium. Our heart was to build relationships and host trainings on using ADJ. Four flights, six train trips, six metro subway rides, and ten Uber car rides later, here is a report on what transpired in launching the French edition of ADJ:

Pastors & Leaders in Paris

Our first gathering, hosted by David Nolent and Jonathan Manoovaloo, was with key pastors and ministry leaders throughout Paris. These relationships represented men and women from many kinds of churches: from conservative to charismatic; French-founded to African-planted; established churches to newer ones; as well as a dynamic media ministry with initiatives throughout the French speaking world. The vision for disciple making like Jesus among these pastors and leaders was caught. They were practically equipped with how to make disciples, and they learned how to effectively use ADJ to reproduce disciple makers. We found an amazing receptivity and desire to run with ADJ within their relationships and congregations.

A Church in Lyon

About a two-hour train ride away in Lyon, France, we spent an extended evening equipping a key missional church leadership team. Pastor Joss, who is from the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa, desired to move forward with a multipliable model of reproducing disciple makers. One of those also participating with us that night was a missionary who may use ADJ to disciple the many young people responding to Jesus in the nation of Morocco. Again, we found the hunger and openness we had been told about, and we are excited to see what Jesus will do with this church and disciple making in Lyon!

Multiple Pastors & Churches in Belgium

After five hours on three different trains, we passed through Brussels, Belgium, arriving in the city of Charleroi where we met Pastor Fredrico and his wife Estelle. That night, they hosted a training in the town of Andenne for a large group of pastors and congregants representing various churches in Belgium. Through our friend, translator, and Lionshare Leadership Group ambassador, Jonathan, we were able to envision and equip those gathered around disciple making and how to effectively use ADJ. Like our French friends, these Belgian leaders were excited to run with their new tool to make disciple makers!

While in Belgium, we also connected with a seasoned national leader, Daniel Costanza, who recently brought together hundreds of churches throughout his nation for a Franklin Graham Crusade. We are looking forward to building relationship with him as we consider where there may be some Kingdom teaming in the days and years ahead.

On Sunday morning, I had the privilege of speaking at Jonathan’s church, and our team enjoyed closing our trip by having lunch together with him.

In case you are wondering, we did get to see some sights along the way, and enjoy plenty of croissants, pastries, and Belgian chocolate!

With this French edition of ADJ, France and Belgium may just be the beginning. Doors of opportunity are there for other places in Europe, Morocco, and Mauritius Island. There is much to be praying about!

Thank you, Lionshare friends and community, for your participation in getting this launched. Some of you prayed, some of you gave, and others of you shared relational resources that helped accomplish this mission. We are grateful. Please continue to pray for the precious people of France and Belgium as they embark on a discipleship journey!

          ~ Dave & Cheryl Buehring

The MUST Mission

Have you ever been marked by something someone said?

I had this happen some 40,000 feet in the air, 41 years ago this month, on a flight between Los Angeles and Washington D.C. While traveling as a 20-year-old with Youth With A Mission’s (YWAM) Founder and President, Loren Cunningham, turned to me and said:

“You know, Dave, it really isn’t important how big the organizations are that you’ll lead, or the size of the groups that you’ll teach. The way that God will measure the fruitfulness of your life is how you invested to the third and fourth generations.”

He then quickly referenced Paul in 2 Timothy 2:2, providing me with a clear picture of four-generational fruitfulness: Paul discipled Timothy, who discipled faithful people, who then discipled others.

From that moment until now, making disciples four generations deep has been my compass for spiritual fruitfulness.

Jesus launched and led a disciple making community: a relational context where He deliberately shaped followers around His character, ways and mission – then expected them to do the same. Making disciple makers was not something Jesus did “if He had time,” “on the side,” or delegated to others. Rather, it was His MUST mission! He knew that without it, His disciples would be facing a one generation impact – which has never been God’s way of doing things (think Abraham – Isaac – Jacob).

Making disciples is how the original disciples “heard” what we now call The Great Co-Mission (Matthew 28:18-20). The MUST mission of Jesus’ disciples in Acts was not winning converts, planting churches, or impacting society. Rather, they made disciple makers wherever they went – in obedience to Jesus – and the by-product (or fruit) was many people won to Jesus, lots of churches planted, and society impacted! If we want the results of Acts our MUST mission must match that of Jesus and His disciples in Acts!

In Acts 2, when the disciple’s community suddenly expanded from 120 to 3,120, they began to deliberately disciple this second generation of disciples how to love, follow and obey Jesus! This produced a third and fourth generation of disciple makers. Barnabas not only became a fruitful disciple, but also an effective disciple maker. Because Barnabas discipled, Paul did. Because Paul discipled, Timothy did. Because Timothy discipled, faithful men and others did as well!

Taking shortcuts around making disciples simply does not work! Consider some of the current consequences of our lack of obeying Jesus on this front:

Our focus tends to be more on building our organizations rather than reproducing Jesus in people.

We often reference the world’s ways while doing God’s work, rather than walking in God’s ways as a means of growing and expanding His Kingdom.

Due to not being discipled themselves, the majority of senior pastors have never learned how to make and multiply disciple makers.

A lack of connecting the Great Co-Mission of disciple making with people’s vocations has led to a huge vacuum of godly leadership throughout society.

A my-generation-mentality has set future generations up for further disciple making failure – something which we desperately and quickly need to see turned around!

Making disciples remains the original plan of Jesus to shape His church in His ways, and to change the world! This commission has not been rescinded or revised – and it is not “The Great Suggestion.” It is a place where He has invited us to co-mission with Him. Making disciple makers is still the MUST mission of Jesus.

How are you going to make disciples within your relationships and vocation this year and beyond?

Dave Buehring