Follow Forward in Disciple‑Making
Adapted from a conversation with Esther Kabanda on the Follow Forward Podcast.*
I have been reflecting recently on this quote from Yaw Perbi and Sam Ngugi’s book Africa to the Rest:
“The eternal value and significance of our strategies, programmes, projects, activities, and methods is the extent to which they facilitate and result in the making of disciples who acknowledge, love, worship, obey and serve the Lord Jesus.”
If, like me, you are involved in ministry programmes, projects, and events, you may need to pause to catch your breath. We can become so caught up in delivering activities that we forget what really matters. Are we truly following Jesus’ instruction to make disciples?
In a recent conversation with Esther Kabanda, she graciously underlined how critical discipleship is. Esther’s conviction has been shaped by her upbringing and ministry experience in Uganda.
A Heritage Transformed by the Gospel
Esther’s parents encountered Christ in ways that have shaped her deeply. Her mother grew up in a polygamous family marked by fear, superstition, and witchcraft. But as a teenager, she met Jesus through a school mission — and everything changed. From that point on, she turned her back on witchcraft and fully surrendered her life to Christ.
Meanwhile, the evangelist who visited Esther’s father’s village may have left disappointed, seeing only a single raised hand. Yet that lone response sparked a journey of faith that eventually birthed a thriving church on the very ground once dominated by witchcraft.
These were the sovereign foundations into which Esther was born: a home shaped by courageous commitment to following Jesus.
Mission at the Family Table
The faith of Esther’s parents was not a private belief but a lived expression of love and service. Esther remembers her parents turning their home into a small discipleship hub for neighbourhood children. Her mother cooked katogo, her father opened Scripture, and they welcomed boys who had no fathers.
“I watched him walk a journey with them to their adulthood… That was the father figure they never had.”
This is where Esther first saw that discipleship is presence, not performance. And that conviction remains:
“It’s beyond the numbers — it’s about the people. Discipleship is life on life. You must be truly concerned for the people you are leading.”
Personally Encountering Christ
Even in a loving, faith-filled home, Esther experienced a deep inner loneliness as a child — a void she could not articulate. It was in that hidden place that Christ met her intimately, forming in her an unshakeable dependence on Him.
“I can lose everything, but don’t take Jesus from me… I have seen God in places where a man cannot reach.”
These formative years shaped Esther’s approach to disciple‑making. It is not merely theoretical or academic, but personal, experiential, and deeply rooted in God’s grace. Discipleship must flow out of one’s own encounter with the love of Christ.
Slowing Down the Pace of Ministry
Over the years, Esther served in a variety of church ministry activities. But as she grew in leadership, she noticed something troubling:
“We celebrated how many people showed up… but we never really minded about the person behind the number.”
The superficiality of this approach led her to choose a different path. As Team Leader of The Message Uganda, Esther is determined to model life‑on‑life discipleship.
“The better way is the Jesus way… not seeing people as assignments, as projects, as numbers, but image bearers.”
While still engaged in up‑front ministry and some large-scale outreaches, these are not seen as ends in themselves. Esther and her team are focused on creating space for small groups, one‑to‑ones, and ongoing relationships. This is where genuine scriptural transformation is seen.
The Power of One: Hiba’s Story
One of the clearest pictures of Esther’s disciple‑making is her relationship with Hiba — a student overwhelmed by rejection, financial pressures, and emotional turmoil.
When Hiba approached her in tears, Esther didn’t try to fix the situation. She didn’t rush the moment. She simply offered presence:
“I listened to her and held her as she cried… and then pointed her back to Scripture as the place we go when we need clarity.”
Through prayer and consistent relational investment, Hiba is now stronger in Christ — even serving as a Scripture Union leader.
This is what happens when discipleship slows down enough to see, listen, and walk with a single soul.
A Vision Measured in Years, Not Moments
Esther’s dream for Uganda isn’t built on quick events but on long, steady, faithful investment — discipleship journeys that last years, not weeks.
“We want to walk a journey with youth for [at least] three years… building them in character and in their stand in faith.”
Only then will these young people be equipped to disciple others. This is multiplication — the same generational pattern she witnessed in her parents and the same model Jesus embodied.
To “follow forward” in disciple‑making means choosing the path Esther embodies — the path she learned long before she held a title. Her example invites us to reflect:
Who is God asking you to see — truly see — and walk with at a deeper, more intentional pace?
What shifts might you need to make to embrace long‑term, relational, disciple‑making?
In a world captivated by instant results and fast‑paced living, choosing the slow and consistent pathway of disciple‑making is a radical act of obedience. We may be able to quote the Great Commission, but Esther demonstrates that this is not an optional extra — it is a biblical imperative if we are to follow forward in the way of Christ.
*To find out more about the Follow Forward podcast, click here.
To listen to Esther’s interview, choose your preferred platform: YouTube, Apple, or Spotify.
