How to Lead an AIM/DMM Session for the First Time

AIM was designed to help ordinary Christians become disciple-makers and disciple-trainers.

The pattern is simple:

COME & SEE → REPORT & CELEBRATE → HEAR & OBEY → PRACTISE & PLAN → GO & TELL

Rather than simply teaching information, AIM seeks to help believers:

• Follow Jesus personally.
• Share Jesus with others.
• Train others to do the same.
• Multiply healthy disciples and disciple-makers.

An AIM session is not merely a Bible study. It is a disciple-making and disciple-training environment.

Everything AIM does revolves around MAWL:

• Model
• Assist
• Watch
• Launch

First, we model a task.

Then we assist others as they begin doing it.

Next, we watch them do it independently.

Finally, we launch them to train others.

Many ministries stop after teaching. AIM intentionally continues until people can do the task themselves and help others do it too.

This is why AIM focuses on multiplication rather than information transfer alone.

One of the most important things to understand about AIM is its balance.

The session is built around:

• Vision Casting (short)
• Accountability (1/3)
• Intimacy with God (1/3)
• Multiplication (1/3)
• Commissioning (short)

The first and last sections are intentionally brief, usually only two to five minutes each.

The middle three sections are intentionally given roughly equal time.

Why?

Because healthy disciple-making requires all three.

• Accountability keeps us obeying.
• Intimacy with God keeps us spiritually nourished.
• Multiplication keeps us outward focused.

If Accountability dominates, the group becomes mainly pastoral care.

If Intimacy dominates, the group becomes mainly a Bible study.  We see little growth personally or numerically.  Knowing how to use the the gym equipment is not the same as going to the gym. 

If Multiplication dominates, people can become active without being spiritually healthy.  They feel pressured and get burnt out quickly.  They can feel 'used'.

The equal thirds help maintain balance and prevent drift.

Open with a prayer.

Vision Casting is intentionally short.

Its purpose is to lift people's eyes toward God's mission before the meeting begins.

Use a short testimony, Scripture, story, challenge, or one of the:

Vision Casting Snippets

The goal is not to preach a sermon.

The goal is simply to remind people what God is doing and invite them to join Him.

Cast a compelling vision of how God wants to impact lostness in your people group.  They all focus on exponential growth and not addition.

The Accountability section helps people review what happened since the last meeting.  It focuses on the command to 'Love your Neighbour as yourself'.  Non English speakers and poor literacy groups usually call this section "Look Back"  This strengthens the horizontal relationship bonds of the group. 

It is divided into two important areas: Pastoral Care and Discipleship. 

Everyone gets a go at all of the activities.  Spectators are not encouraged. That includes you. (Keep your sharing appropriate for their level of maturity.)

Pastoral Care:

 "What were your highs and lows for the week?

Pray for each other and thank God for everything.  

⚠️ Caution:   "High and Low Points" for the week is purely pastoral care.  It is often done first.  But be warned.  This often can be a black hole that will suck up your entire session.  Often larger problems are better tackled one on one later.  

🎯 Tip: Australians often like to "chat" before you "start" anything.  If this is the case, you can get the topics out in the open during this time and pray about it when you do "start".  This will save you some 'lost' time.

🎯 Tip: The facilitator's role is not to be the "teacher".  The Holy Spirit is has that role.  Let them discover for it themselves.  Your role is to keep everyone engaged and on track.  Subtle time keeping is required or it will spiral out of control.  Eventually people will stop turning up or it will devolve into a bible study/club. 

FOLLOWING Jesus

• What has God been feeding you from His Word?
• How did you obey last week's lesson?
• Are you struggling and need prayer?

This section helps people grow personally in their relationship with Christ.

FISHING for Jesus

• Did you share the Gospel with any lost people?
• Did you find a Person of Peace?
• Did you train any disciples?
• Are they training others?

This section keeps the group outward focused.

Many Christians become excellent at following Jesus personally but never learn to help others follow Him. AIM intentionally checks both areas.

Celebrate victories.

Pray for struggles.

Encourage progress.

Remember: accountability is not about guilt. It is about helping one another remain faithful.  Spurring people on.  Where wise, celebrate the good, and try to ignore the bad.  Instead Model and Assist what you want them to do.

Pray for each other. Encourage one another, bear with one another, forgive one another.  Note any problems with following or fishing, but address them in the last third of 'Looking Ahead'/Multiplication. 

This section focuses on hearing from God and responding in obedience.  This strengthens the vertical relationship bonds of the group. 

Churches

Many established churches may include practices such as:

• Observing the Lord's Supper
• Tithes and offerings
• Corporate worship

Reboot Groups

Reboot groups often begin by discussing the:

Acts Worksheet

This helps groups evaluate themselves against the patterns seen in the Book of Acts.

The Lesson

The group then either:

• Studies a new lesson using SOS.
• Or if it did not do well with last weeks lesson, it uses the SOS Bible discovery method on another lesson that covers the same subject from a different angle.  (Scripture often reinforces itself with other scripture.)

📝NOTE WELL:  This is where this section differs from a usual 'Bible study'.  You do not progress to another topic until most of the group fully understands the lesson and is trying to apply it.  It is competence based and not Knowlege based!

SOS asks:

• What does it the passage SAY?
• What must I OBEY/Apply?
• With whom can I SHARE what I am learning?

The section finishes with one of the most important questions in the entire AIM process:

What did you learn that you will obey this week?

Knowledge alone does not produce mature disciples. Obedience does.

This section transforms learning into action.

The AIM process intentionally moves beyond discussion into practice.

Practise the Lesson

People learn best by doing.

Practise teaching the lesson.

Retell the Bible story.

Help participants become confident enough to use what they have learned outside the meeting.

Practise Your Personal Story

Every believer should be able to briefly explain what Jesus has done in their life.  They can develop different versions of their story according to how much time they may have with the person.  (For example: 15 seconds, 3-5 minutes, or unlimited time)  All should have three components:

1. What you were like before you knew Jesus and accepted the free gift of forgiveness and eternal life.
2. How you met Jesus.
3. What you are like now after deciding to follow him.

15 Second Testimony Guide

Practise Gospel Tools

Useful tools include:

• Three Circles
• Lordship Circles
• Allah's Bridge Plan

If the Allah's Bridge video buffers slowly, use the Vimeo version available from that page.

Practice baptizing someone.  (You can't expect people to be brave enough to baptise someone if 1. they have not been baptised themselves and 2. had some training and encouragement to do it.)

One of the most important parts of AIM is reviewing and updating your People List.

This is often called your Oikos — your circle of influence.

It includes family, friends, neighbours, workmates, classmates, and other relationships God has already placed around you.

The People List is not merely a prayer list.

It is a ministry road map.

Many believers focus all their energy on one person and become discouraged if that individual does not respond.

Think of a farmer walking through a corn field.

The farmer does not stand beside one kernel waiting for it to ripen.

He walks the rows.

He checks each plant.

He harvests the ripe ones.

He returns later to those that are not yet ready.

Your People List works the same way.

Pray.

Invest.

Encourage.

Test receptivity.

Share appropriately.

Then keep moving through the list.

Some people may not be ready today.

Others may be remarkably open right now.

The People List helps you recognise where God may already be preparing hearts.

People Far From God

These may be unbelievers, seekers, nominal Christians, or backslidden believers.

Our goal is to:

• Pray for them.
• Share the Gospel with them.
• Help them discover Scripture.
• Disciple them toward Jesus.

People Close To God

These are believers who appear faithful, teachable, hungry, and willing to grow.

Our goal is to:

• Equip them.
• Train them.
• Help them reach their own People List.
• Develop them into disciple-trainers.

AIM is not only about reaching lost people.

It is also about equipping believers to become effective disciple-makers.

Life happens.

Meetings sometimes run short.

Coffee shops close.

Children need attention.

Schedules change.

When this happens, prioritise the questions marked with the red asterisk (*) on the bookmark.

Those questions contain the core multiplication DNA of AIM.

The non-starred questions are valuable and should normally be used, but they can occasionally be shortened if necessary.

A healthy disciple who is being regularly discipled will not suffer from an occasional shorter session.

What must survive are the multiplication elements:

• Vision Casting
• Following.
• Fishing.
• Practice teaching/exercise.
• Set Goals.
• Prayer for bold witness.
• Commissioning (note some older bookmarks to not have he asterisk)

Protect these elements and the disciple-making DNA remains intact.

Finish with prayer and commissioning.

Restate the vision but personalise it going forward.

Remind participants of what they committed to do.

Pray for courage.

Pray for the top people on their two lists.

Pray for opportunities to share Christ.

Pray for boldness and safety.  (Boldness is NOT rudeness!)

Then send people out to obey Jesus during the coming week.

The session ends here.

The mission does not.

Do not try to impress people.

Do not try to become the expert in the room.

Simply follow the AIM pattern.

Ask the questions.

Trust the process.

Keep moving through the sections.

Focus on obedience rather than information.

Focus on multiplication rather than activity.

Remember MAWL.

Model. Assist. Watch. Launch.

The ultimate goal is not simply to make disciples.

The ultimate goal is to help disciples become disciple-trainers who can help others do the same.

* Remember you should be listening a lot more than talking!!