A Disciple-Making Focus

The church’s mission is clear – make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). The church’s target is equally clear- make fully trained disciples (Luke 6:40). The question now is whether or not the church’s focus is clear.

The mission tells us what we do: make disciples. The target tells us how to do it, from untrained to fully trained. The focus tells us where to do it. In Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Jesus is expecting his church to make disciples everywhere. We begin with those closest to us (our Jerusalem). We extend to those outside our relational sphere (Judea & Samaria). We then go to people we don’t know (end of the earth). If every church commits to being an Acts 1:8 church, we can make disciples of all nations.

In the church where I pastor, we state our focus in four ways.

First, we say we are focused on making disciples in our church. This is how we reach Jerusalem. We must be committed to helping our immediate friends and family members become fully trained disciples. We ruthlessly work the strategy of Jesus to help every person we know to become a fully trained disciple.

Second, we are focused on making a difference in our community. This is how we reach our Judea and Samaria. We want to impact and influence our community so they would immediately know it if we ceased to exist. We hope our impact and influence will lead many in our community to step into our church’s doors and start on a path to becoming fully trained disciples.

Third, we say we are focused on making disciple-making movements around the globe. This is how we reach the ends of the earth. We are using whatever opportunities God gives us to make disciples all over our country and in central regions worldwide. Planting churches that plant more churches and make disciples is one of the very best ways to reach all nations for Christ.

A fourth thing we are focused on is managing our resources to make all of the above happen. We know that accomplishing these focuses will require finances, facilities, equipment & technology, and people resources. If we manage these resources correctly, we can maximize the impact God allows us to have on our world.

Every year, we evaluate our church based on these four focuses. We plan and strategize the best ways to help us accomplish the mission God has given us. We know that if we make disciples in our church, make a difference in our community, and make disciple-making movements worldwide, we have done precisely what God has told us to do.

At Impact Discipleship Ministries, we help other churches learn how to be focused to make disciples of all nations if we can help you develop. Strategy for having a disciple-making church: don’t hesitate to contact us. We are happy to consult you in the process. You can contact us at impactdisciples.com.

This post originally appeared at: A Disciple-Making Focus (Continued) – Impact Discipleship Ministries