DISCIPLESHIP; Programs or Pathway?

“…make disciples…”  Matthew 28:19 (NIV)


      Dress up your church’s mission statement any way you like, but we all understand that Jesus gave the church a two-word job description: “MAKE DISCIPLES.” Everything we do should work toward the ultimate end of bringing people into the Kingdom of God and helping them to become fully-devoted followers of Jesus.  We get that and we say that making disciples is a priority, but the problem is our process.
      Most churches approach discipleship with a hodge-podge of various programs; Sunday School, men’s Bible studies, women’s Bible studies, small groups, midweek services, etc. The problem is that those ministries tend to operate independently of each other and there is no guarantee that the people attending will get the teaching and mentoring they need to really become disciples.
      There is a better way; the discipleship pathway.  Instead of a hit-or-miss program approach, the church with a discipleship pathway has a logical, well-defined process in place to walk with people through the steps of becoming a mature disciple of Jesus Christ.
      Recently I had the opportunity to attend a seminar with several other leaders from our district that was sponsored by an organization called, 95Network. One of the sessions really helped to clarify for me the basic steps for designing and implementing a discipleship pathway.
      First, it’s important to determine the win.  In other words, how will we know that we have really made a disciple?  What does a genuine disciple of Christ look like?  I want to suggest that a disciple is three things: a learner (Matthew 11:29), a follower (Matthew 4:19a), and a reproducer (Matthew 4:19b).  Let’s be honest. In the past our attempts at making disciples has been limited to helping people get spiritual knowledge through all of those classes we offer and we have neglected the mentoring that is required to develop a followers and a reproducers.
      Secondly, we have to prioritize what actually helps people get there.  That’s the pathway part and it’s really hard. It’s pretty easy to offer programs, but it’s hard to put our energy into relationships that really help people learn, follow and reproduce.  Did you catch that word, relationships?  Discipleship is relational.
      Finally, we absolutely must communicate those next steps clearly and consistently.  For anyone attending our churches there should be no confusion about the steps they need to take to become a devoted disciple of Jesus.
      It’s time for some honest self-evaluation.  Our mission is to make disciples, not to have programs.  If your church isn’t making disciples effectively, maybe it’s time to evaluate all of those programs and start planning a pathway.