by Craig Etheredge
I’ve heard common excuses that hinder discipleship in churches. Some of these are unspoken excuses. So let’s talk about that.
One that pastors may not want to admit but are being held to the standard of driving results by their deacon or elder board.
“I want something that will produce fast results.”
This is often an unspoken excuse, but it is real. Most of the time, pastors are not even thinking about disciple making until something has gone wrong in their church. If the numbers are up and the church is growing, there is little thought to making disciples. “Things are obviously working great,” they say, “so why change it?”
But when the downturn comes, then pastors are open to a change of course. Unfortunately, many times what they are looking for is a quick fix to a deep problem. “Just give me another program or sermon series that will draw the people and I’m good,” they say. But making disciples isn’t a quick fix, it’s a life decision. It is something you do because you are convinced that Jesus made disciples and you are committed to walk as Jesus walked (I John 2:6).
The church doesn’t need men of excuses, it needs men of action. Men who will follow the example of Jesus and the Apostle Paul. Men who will love the people in their church enough to step down off the platform and into their lives and show them how to walk with Christ.
Jesus’ method for making disciples was grounded in relationships. Making disciples requires you to build relationships with the people in your church in a way that motivates them toward Christ-likeness. Simply put, you can’t microwave life change. You can’t assembly line personal transformation.
People don’t change by simply dropping them on a church conveyor belt and running them through various programs and activities. Life change happens one person at a time. One life at a time.
This blog was originally published by discipleFIRST. Reposted here with permission.
https://disciplefirst.com/common-excuses-that-hinder-discipleship-in-your-church-quick-results/