When you ask a church member what the purpose of their church existing is what will they say? If the church has a mission statement they may be able to give you that statement from memory. If the church does not have a mission statement or they are unaware of it you will probably hear; “To obey the Great Commission”, “to glorify God”, or “to preach the gospel.” These are good statements verbalized in different ways. It is important and wise to have a mission statement that clearly articulates your purpose but it does not guarantee it is being carried out.
When it comes to the Great Commission we are very good at talking about it but we are often very neglectful in actually carrying it out. Normally, we see disobedience as doing things overtly that God does not want us to do such as lying, stealing, cussing, etc. Sin is defined Biblically as missing the mark. Yes, sin is overtly disobeying His commands by doing what He does not want us to do but it is also not doing what He has asked us to do! God has commanded us to, “Go and make disciples,” and churches are hovering all around it but are you actually doing it?
Churches talk about making disciples and teach about making disciples. You pray about making disciples, read books about making disciples, start discipleship classes but are you actually making disciples? Matthew 28:19-20 is God’s standard He has set for following Him and obeying Him but are you doing it? This is God’s expectation for His churches and those who decide to follow Him. If you are not actively obeying His command then you are missing His mark. It is sin! James makes it clear that when we know what to do and don’t, it is sin.
Hopefully, you have a desire and burden to make disciples and be obedient to our Lord and Savior. If you do, then your next step is to develop a plan and process in your church to ensure that your people know how to make disciples. Do you have a blueprint that describes what you want to do (your purpose) and how you will carry it out (your process)? Cast a vision of what a fully devoted follower of Christ looks like and then describe the process you will follow to see it happen. God does the transforming but we create environments that encourage transformation.
First, spend time working “on” the process. Are you so busy and involved “in’ ministry that you do not schedule time to dream, envision, and develop a way to cast a vision of disciple making to your church? The book Simple Church defines clarity as “the ability of the process to be communicated and understood by the people.” Dedicate some time to focus on this and pray about what God wants this process to look like in your context. Simple Church says we must be able to define, illustrate, measure, discuss, and increase understanding of this process.
Second, accept your responsibility to partner with God in this process. Only God can transform someone but you must be committed to creating places that encourage and enhance spiritual transformation. You lead by example by personally discipling other people. Jim Putman in Real Life Discipleship explains that a discipleship process requires an intentional leader, a relational environment, with a reproducible process. Your intentionality is seen because you have developed a process and you are actively participating in that process.
Third, realize that people are your greatest asset. It is not your buildings, programs, finances, or training but the people God has placed there with you. It is not always easy and will require a lot of patience. Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger in Simple Church say, “People do not progress though the simple process because they hear it from the pulpit. People do not move through the process because they see a purpose statement on the wall. As helpful as these things can be, people move because someone else brings them through the process.”
Fourth, be willing to honestly evaluate your process. Refuse to make excuses and simply ask this, has you congregation become stagnated? If people are not becoming more and more like Christ then something is wrong and something needs to be done. If no one is being transformed and changing then you must decide what you will do about it. Simple Church says, “Sadly, in many churches people are stuck in the same place. And there is no intentional process to move them.”
Fifth, get started. How will you make disciples? When and where will you start? Dallas Willard in The Divine Conspiracy says, “True, you will find few scholars or leaders in Christian circles who deny that we are supposed to make disciples or apprentices to Jesus and teach them to do all things that Jesus said … Jesus’ instructions on this matter are, after all, starkly clear. We just don’t do what he said. We don’t seriously attempt it. And apparently we don’t know how to do it.”
Here are some resources to consider: The Master Plan of Evangelism, Robert Coleman; DiscipleShift, Jim Putman; No Silver Bullet; Daniel Im; Rediscovering Discipleship, Robby Gallaty. Also consider checking out our discipleship videos and resources though Activate by contacting us. Another great tool is our 3-day Multiplication Worship training that is offered periodically. To get more info contact Heidi Sorrells at heidi@bmaam.com Jesus said, “Go and make disciples!”