Over the next several months, I’ll be bringing out some thoughts and questions about disciple-making that I’ve spent the last 17 years thinking, attempting, engaging, failing, and eventually learning through the many lives and relationships we’ve been privileged to do life with. I’ve also spent hundreds of hours reading and studying this area and there is a lot of good material out there on the subject.
In this new role at New Beginnings, I'll be focusing a lot of attention on our involvement with the Relational Discipleship Network. The emphasis here is that we must be intentional with the gospel, intentional with relationships, and intentional with mission. If one of those aspects is dropped--it affects everything else.
Sometimes, I may bring up questions in an attempt to stir more thought and discussion.
This week, I wanted to bring out some simple questions that I believe every believer, every church leader, and every pastor/elder serving in churches must deal with. Here’s the first question:
Are you seeing lasting disciples being won to Christ, discipled to maturity by mature believers, and then released to go out and reproduce what just happened to them?
If you were to ask leaders in the church (pastors/elders/deacons/staff guys/teachers) how well they would grade their church on disciple-making—many of them would admit that they’ve been real busy, they’ve sat and listened to many sermons and lessons given by teachers, and many have given financially to the cause—but they have not been taught and trained in how to engage with difficult people around their lives.
Many churches have programs, meetings, and committees going on every night of the week at the building. But we must keep before us the oft quoted adage “busy-ness does not equal production.”
Some churches focus only on Bible teaching—but when we have Bible teaching and lessons without intentional mission and intentional relationships we do not necessarily make disciples who know how to make other disciples. Here we must keep before us the rest of that adage "busy-ness does not equal production...and production does not equal reproduction."
I saw a quote from Jeff Vanderstelt out on Facebook this week that said:
“If all your discipleship happens in a classroom or at events, people will believe following Jesus is a study or a program.”
He is exactly right. And some churches that focus ONLY on doctrine and time spent alone in “the Word, the Word, the Word..” never break into the everyday rhythms of life with other people whom God has placed right in front of them.
Other churches have the end goal of "creating community." But that is not the end goal. We must be communities who are intentional in clarifying the gospel as communities sent on mission. As we go along through life, gospel communities will be created (so there is our community we long for) that are able to create other gospel communities (reproducing disciples) who live on mission.
Here’s that question again:
Are you seeing lasting disciples being won to Christ, discipled to maturity by mature believers, and then released to go out and reproduce what just happened to them?
So, first for you as an individual believer, are you intentionally praying & expecting, intentionally planning, intentionally engaging in relationships, and intentionally clarifying who Jesus is and what Jesus has accomplished for us?
If not, what is your Christianity about?
For pastors/elders and church staff, are you intentionally praying/expecting, intentionally planning, intentionally engaging in relationships, and intentionally clarifying who Jesus is and what Jesus has accomplished for us?
If not, what is your Christianity doing?
And if not you…who is leading people to Christ, discipling them to maturity, and releasing them to reproduce what happened to them?
The reality is that we are all surrounded by lost culture and people far off from God—some of which know it and some of which confused.
Jesus is worthy of their worship.
Sankie P. Lynch
sankie@nbchuch.info
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