Why It’s Time to Rethink Your Discipleship Strategy

Rethinking Discipleship Strategy

After examining Jesus’ methods of developing disciples in the Gospels, the speaker on a recent podcast* made this statement: “Connect, Grow, Serve does not compare to how Jesus made disciples.” I would have to agree that it’s time to rethink discipleship strategy.

When you examine how Jesus made disciples, he spent about 75 percent of his time with the disciples. Only about 25 percent of this time was spent with large crowds. Disciplemaking is time consuming. Disciplemaking is personal. In large congregations, disciplemaking seems impossible. Conventional wisdom dictates that we put people through a process and call that discipleship. But, we’re not making sausage here.

I have tremendous gratitude for those who gave us the baseball diamond, the five G’s, and growth track among other strategies. They gave us a start and connected some of the dots about making disciples. Unfortunately, they didn’t go far enough.

For instance if you take a membership class and sign the membership card, you become a member. But if you take a class on personal growth, spiritual disciplines or giving, and sign the card, you usually end up with a signed card, but not a disciple.

These are processes. These are assembly lines. But we’re not manufacturing widgets. People are unique. People require different amounts of things at different times in order to produce growth. A process is inadequate to achieve that goal. As Marcus Buckingham once said, “The problem with people is that they’re just never done.”

We frequently quote Acts 2:42-47 as the standard for disciple-making.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (NIV)

This is where the church was at its inception. Now that we’ve had 2,000 years to work on this, why does it seem we are making less progress? We have the same Gospel. We have the same Holy Spirit. Yet, the modern church is experiencing vastly different results. Something is wrong.

What we miss is the part about being devoted. The first-century church was devoted.    What are people devoted to? What are believers devoted to? What gets priority in their lives? Is it family, sports teams, political affiliation or entertainment? I would say that many people are more devoted to their cell phones than anything else (as I dictate this post on my cell phone). But, how are we dedicated to the things of God? Is this once per week, twice per week, Christmas and Easter, when we think about it? What kind of devotion are we asking of the people we lead when it comes to their relationship with God? What is God asking?

So what’s the answer? Do we grow our churches smaller and put less effort into the weekend service? Maybe. Do we switch to house churches and forsake the big box church all together? I’m not sure. How do we change a Connect, Grow, Serve mentality of assimilation and “discipleship” into something that actually transforms lives. (If you’ve got a rocking Connect, Grow, Serve that’s making an impact, please let me know: allen@allenwhite.org .)

I believe there is a place for large groups, small groups and individual disciplines. I also see how current systems of discipleship and even small groups are failing to produce lives that reflect Christ. I understand that people are busy and distracted. I understand that every local church requires a certain amount of time, talent and treasure to operate. But, what are we producing? What is the return on investment? If you surveyed your church members, do their attitudes and actions reflect Jesus? Are they growing to become like Christ or are they merely trying to cope?

I would like to invite you on a journey to find some answers to these questions. Will you join me? The Disciple Making R&D Pilot begins soon. Click here for more information.

*Pete Scazzero on the 5 Leadership Questions Podcast, Episode 238, March 27, 2018.