Some churches seem to focus on a specific demographic, believing it is the key to growing a church. For example, some churches focus on reaching the next generation with incredible programming, resources and processes built around kids and students. Some churches put their emphasis on reaching the unchurched. All of the programming and resources in these churches lend themselves to those who haven’t attended yet. These are but a couple of examples of which you are probably familiar. While no church is perfect and I have observed numerous models work effectively (at least in growing attendance and decisions), the challenge is that if we aren’t careful, we will minimize disciplemaking for the groups that are not the emphasis. Regardless of the church’s approach, the mandate to discipling the whole church remains. Every believer needs to be discipled and be making disciples, therefore, whatever process or model a specific church uses, disciplemaking must be at the heart.
Discipling the Whole Church
A healthy church is a disciplemaking church. And the whole church needs to emphasize the Great Commission: Make disciples. Programs, processes, events and budgets ought to result in effective disciplemaking. As we strive to equip those we lead, we find that we can get caught up in ministry initiatives that either don’t matter for the mission or are ineffective at accomplishing the goal. Often, we find ourselves wishing we could change our current paradigm. “If only the people would commit to X,” we think, “then we could grow.”
