The Solution: Reclaiming the Essentials of Faith
I believe the solution to today’s disorganized discipleship lies in church leaders returning to their fundamental calling: teaching the essentials of the Christian faith. Jesus himself modeled this approach, spending three years grounding his disciples in foundational truths before sending them out to make disciples of all nations. Paul echoed this priority when he wrote to Timothy: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2, NIV).
How can you teach your congregation the essentials of faith? Review your sermon series, small group studies, and recommended resources from the past year. Is your teaching anchored in the essential doctrines of the faith—or could much of it be mistaken for personal advice or practical life tips? This audit will reveal whether your church’s discipleship diet is balanced or lacks foundational nutrition.
Our team at RightNow Media saw an opportunity to support the church in teaching the foundations of the Christian doctrine, and so we created Essentials of Faith—a Bible study series about the fundamental concepts of Christianity. These resources approach questions like: “What is a Christian?” “Why does Jesus Matter?” and “Why Do We Need the Bible?” These questions shouldn’t be reserved for seminary students—they’re for everyone. When believers understand the essentials of Jesus’s identity, resurrection, and mission, they are less likely to be swayed by every new teaching or trending topic.
The Outcome: Spiritual Formation That Sticks
Despite today’s discipleship challenges, there is a real opportunity for the church to clarify and re-emphasize the essentials of faith. According to Barna’s State of the Church 2025, 66 percent of all U.S. adults say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus that remains important today. This represents a striking 12-percentage-point increase since 2021, equating to nearly 30 million more adults following Jesus. However, here’s the paradox that reveals our current opportunity: almost 3 in 10 people who don’t identify as Christian still say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus. Many are drawn to Jesus without embracing Christian identity—yet. These people need churches to meet them with clarity about what Christians actually believe.
The goal isn’t just that people know the essentials. The goal is that disciples grow in their relationship with Jesus in a way that transforms how they act. When believers are grounded in essential truths, they can live them out in ways that lead to lasting spiritual formation and multiplication.
When people are rooted in truth, they are less likely to be swayed by every new teaching that pops up on their social media feeds. Since digital discipleship is unavoidable, teach your congregation how to assess spiritual content they encounter online. Provide them with simple criteria: Does this align with Scripture? Does it point people toward Jesus? Does it strengthen or weaken confidence in core Christian truths?
In a culture of constant change, grounded believers are a stabilizing force for good in the world. Equipped disciples believe the gospel, engage the Bible, participate in the church, and live missionally. They won’t be tossed around by trends or distracted by every cultural controversy.
Getting Where We Want To Go
The broken alternator in our family van taught me something profound: you can have all the right features, but if the core isn’t working, you’re not going anywhere. The same is true for Christian discipleship.
In our age of digital overload and disorganized discipleship, the church needs a clearer focus on the essentials. The world doesn’t need more confused Christians who are passionate about peripheral issues. We need disciples who can articulate the core truths of Christianity with confidence and who are equipped to help others do the same.
Here’s what I’m asking you to consider: Can the people in your church clearly explain who Jesus is and why he matters? Can they articulate the gospel in a way that makes sense to their neighbors? When cultural storms hit—and they will—are your members anchored in something deeper than trending opinions?
The opportunity before us is remarkable. In a time when many are questioning everything, people are still drawn to Jesus. They’re looking for churches that can offer clarity, not confusion; truth, not trends.
If your church is looking for tools to support that kind of discipleship, Essentials of Faith is one option. But the bigger invitation is to refocus our discipleship efforts around what truly unites us: the good news of Jesus Christ.
We don’t need to reinvent the church. We need to refocus it. Let’s ensure that the essential components of faith are functioning properly in our own lives and in the lives of those we lead. Because just like that alternator in our family van, when the essentials are working, we can actually get where we want to go—and help others get there too.
Victoria Becker contributed to this article.
