In Search of More Mountain Guides: Making Disciples by “Traveling With” Instead of “Talking At”

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

I was in a meeting earlier this week where the speaker, Rob Loane with Vantagepoint3, shared a great visual for how we should approach discipleship. He said, “the church today is full of mapmakers, but what we desperately need are more mountain guides.”

The church has an abundance of people willing to tell others where they should go, what they should do, and how they should live. Mapmakers are quick to give direction, but won’t go with you on the journey. 

In contrast, what our broken world needs are more “mountain guides.” Instead of embracing a “talking at” approach, mountain guides humbly employ a “traveling with” approach to discipleship. Mountain guides are eager to walk with hurting, lost, and lonely people through the highs and lows of life in order to show them the Way. 

If you feel God tugging you to walk alongside people in their discipleship journey, I’d love to talk with you about what that can look like. Email me at jason@atlaswcmn.org. If you’re in the Willmar, MN area, I also invite you to one of our ATLAS Mentor Workshops where we have a conversation about what it means for Christians to live as mountain guides.