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How to Tell if Your Church Is Actually Producing Disciples

Producing Disciples

One of the frequent criticisms I hear of churches that are trying to reach people who don’t attend church is that they fail to produce ‘disciples.’

Honestly, this is a criticism that, off and on, has been levied at our ministry for years. And it bothers me.

I know it’s a criticism that has followed many of you as well.

So…how do you engage it? Better yet, how do you respond to it?

For a while I wasn’t sure how to answer back.

Over the years we’ve worked hard on our discipleship process, engaging people in groups, serving, giving and inviting non-Christians to explore Christianity. It’s not perfect, but it’s getting better all the time.

And yet any process begs the question: How do you know if you’re producing spiritually mature disciples or not? How do you measure?

Finally, a few years ago, I stumbled on a test that for me, at least, answers the question as well as I’ve heard it answered. I’m hoping it clarifies things for you and your team as well.

First, Some False Tests

I’ve written about how the church today is getting discipleship wrong in this post and again here.

If you listened to many in the church these days, you’d think knowledge equals maturity. The more you know, the more mature you are.

Scripture suggests that’s a false test. After all, as Paul points out, knowledge puffs up; love builds up.

Knowledge makes you arrogant. Love transforms you.

This sheds light on one of the greatest puzzles of the church today: Why is it that the Christians who claim to be the most spiritually mature are often the most:

Smug

Arrogant

Judgmental

Bitter

Divisive

And even angry?

When did an arrogant and judgmental heart become evidence of Christian maturity?

It’s not.

And it never was.

In fact, as I argue here, many things Christians think are signs of spiritual maturity actually aren’t.