One of the most eye-opening stats for church leaders recently was from a study completed by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University. The study found that while 68% of Americans consider themselves to be Christians, only 6% of that number claimed to have a biblical worldview. In short, our worldview tells us how to think and behave. Everyone has a worldview based on something, and when it’s based on the bible, the world, it’s challenges, and solutions are all viewed with Scripture as the lens. In a biblical world view, Scripture is held up as supernatural and authoritative.
How could we be living in a world where only 6% of those who claim to be Christian possess a biblical worldview? And an even more alarming number is that the same research found that only 41% of Senior Pastors have a biblical worldview. Other pastoral positions are even lower. That should be concerning.
So, how did we get here? Over the last several decades or so the church in America has largely been driven by the church growth movement that has it’s roots in the mid-20th century. It has been the dominant way churches have been planted, raised money, tailored guest services, and grown to mega status. Even though there are larger churches and more gifted communicators available at the click of a button, the best that movement has produced is a pastorate, with only 41% possessing a biblical worldview and a population of Christians with only 6% claiming to have a biblical worldview. The results are in, and they’re not good.
What is the way out? Is it fast growth? Gathering a large crowd? A dynamic speaker? Perfectly designed spaces? Paying professional musicians to lead in compelling worship gatherings? Another teaching series about the latest blockbuster movie? None of those things are bad, but the stats say the best those can produce is a population of “Christians” who don’t hold a biblical worldview. If another slick teaching series won’t do it, then what will? The answer is simple but profound and easy to discover, but so few actually do it: Intentional Discipleship. That’s been Jesus’ plan all along.
Disciples of Christ are marked by their difference from culture, not their likeness to it. While there is a place for all the elements of the church growth movement, I am a part of it, I live it and lead a church that has grown from all of the elements mentioned above. While it has gathered and compelled crowds, the real question we have to ask is, does it make disciples? Disciples are made not from the stage; they are made in relationships, face to face, day to day, over a dinner table, around a coffee table, one on one, and with small groups. Investments of time by everyday disciples. If all the Sunday gatherings don’t lead to making new disciples, it’s a poor use of time and money.
I can’t think of one pastor who would disagree with this. So, why aren’t we producing more disciples who make disciples? It’s not for lack of desire– I don’t know any leader in the church who does not desire to make more disciples. It takes disciple-making leaders who are convinced that Jesus’ plan is the best plan.
So, where do we start?
Disciple Making Starts Small – In the church growth world, we don’t like small. I have never led a small church and wouldn’t even know how, so for many leaders, disciple making feels too slow because it is slow. Jesus started with 12 people over three years. What if we took a similar approach? The church I lead has full rooms, loud music, and to the extent of my abilities, a compelling message. But, at the same time, we’re beginning a small discipleship study with small groups of our staff. After all thirty-one staff members have gone through a discipleship group, they will each share that same study with 3-5 people from within the church and then encourage each of those 3-5 people to do the same. That means if everyone starts small, by the fourth generation of groups, nearly 1,000 people are trained in disciple making! Read that again… A process that will take us about twelve months. Simple, but not easy because it requires a shift in thinking. A shift from just growing, to growing and multiplying disciples at the same time. Whatever your context, start small and go from there. That was Jesus’ plan, and it still works.
Disciple Making Relies on God – A lot of our activity as a church relies on talented people doing what they do to inspire and motivate. But disciple making is different. Jesus believed every disciple could make another disciple, or he wouldn’t have made disciple making his final mandate.
Disciple Makers Produce Disciples – Discipleship is based on the authoritative word of God. Jesus’ mandate to us in Matthew 28 and Acts 1 is to go and make disciples and to go and be witnesses. The activity of a disciple is to make disciples. Those who originally heard Jesus say “go” and “be my witnesses,” knew him, and because they knew him, they shared him with others, and the new believers did the same, and disciples were made. Simply put, Jesus is saying, “be a disciple maker.” He believes we can do it, and he is counting us to it. So, why is this language the exception and not the rule?
Part of my personal journey to elevate raising up a generation of disciple makers began in the Summer of 2020. The word was suddenly different. It was clear that good-intentioned Christians did not know how to respond in a biblical way to the division in our country, which makes even more sense to me now in light of only 6% of self-identified Christians possessing a biblical worldview. The best pathway forward is life-on-life discipleship. And here’s what it takes:
Commitment to Truth – In the modern post-Christian world, it is tempting to go easy on the truth of Scripture in an attempt to reach everyone, especially the parts of Scripture that can be offensive. However, this is exactly how we got where we are. People need the truth of Jesus and God if they are going to be conformed to his image. If we don’t give them the truth, who else will? Yes, we need to be relational, curious, understanding, and patient, but if people cannot accept and submit to the authority and truth of Scripture, they cannot be disciples of Jesus.
Developing a Plan – Being and making disciples of Jesus is the greatest endeavor ever undertaken by mankind. It would be logical therefore if we had a detailed plan of how we are going to accomplish it. It is difficult to believe that a church or a pastor is serious about being and making disciples of Jesus if creating and following a plan to do so is not their first priority. So what is the plan? In your context, imitate the way that Jesus and the Apostles made disciples in interactive, relational environments. The method of Jesus is just as important as the message of Jesus. Begin with your church staff and leaders, and then make sure that everyone in the church knows that they are supposed to be making disciples in relationships and that they know how to make disciples in relationships. If you need help, get help.
Not Letting Other Things Get in the Way – If you are thinking, “making and following a plan– that sounds easy,” it is, until you get started. The fallen world, Satan, and fallen people will throw everything, including the kitchen sink in the way of your plan. Stick with the plan. Well- intentioned church members will throw well-intentioned ideas in the way of the plan. Stick to the plan. There will be other things that you will have to let go of and forego in order to be and make disciples of Jesus. It will cost you time, hobbies, comfort, and even relationships; but the rewards and relationships you will gain are worth it.
.Starting Where You Are, with Who You Have – Think like a high school coach instead of a college coach. Develop the players you have in front of you instead of trying to recruit star players from somewhere else. As a pastor, start with your staff, church leadership, and friends. As a parent, start with your family. Gather the couple of people that you are closest to and meet once a week to share your lives, study Scripture, and hold one another accountable. Ask God to bring into your life the people he is already dealing with and invest in them. You and your church are the people God has called to reach the culture and people around you.
There is a lot at stake. 6% is a small number, but it’s what our methods have produced. Imagine a new method, one that grounds people firmly in truth, teaches them to discern the winds of culture, and uses God’s inspired word as their guide. And then reproduce that process in others. That’s what a disciple making leader does–everyone can do that. It was Jesus’ original plan, and it still works.
Because of the importance of intentionality in disciple making, we at Discipleship.org are going to emphasize this skill set and mindset over the next four months. Please join with us and seek to share understanding, insight, and practical tools so that you can become skilled at intentionality in relational disciple making and you can help those on your team or in your leadership group to do the same. There are four ways in which we are emphasizing intentionality to help you in the next four months.
- Discipleship.org City Tour Forums – our four City Tour Forums are designed to help you and your team both understand and develop an intentionality posture. The tour is comprised of one day, high impact forums where there will be teaching and round table discussions. Every attendee also gets a copy of Brandon Guindon’s new book, Intentional: Living Out the Eight Principles of Disciple Making.
Click the image below for more information.
Take the FREE Individual Disciple Maker Assessment – we designed this assessment with a team of national and international disciple making leaders to help each individual be able to evaluate their disciple making mindset and skill. Just by taking this assessment, you will gain an appreciation for the value of intentionality, along with a sense of how you can increase your own level of intentionality. Click the image below to take the assessment.
- Read the short FREE book, Becoming a Disciple Maker: The Pursuit of Level Five Disciple Making – Bobby wrote this short eBook with statistician Greg Wiens to help you understand the mathematical and practical impact of one person’s disciple making efforts and skills.
Click the image below to download this free eBook.
- Read Brandon Guindon’s book, Intentional: Living Out the Eight Principles of Disciple Making – Brandon wrote this Discipleship.org book and Zondervan is publishing, because the understanding and practice of disciple making is so crucial. Every attendee at each of our City Tour events (Nashville, Houston, Dallas and Raleigh), as mentioned above, will receive a FREE copy of Brandon Guindon’s book.
Click the image below to order Brandon Guindon’s book from Amazon.com.
Please join with us in this quest to better understand and practice intentionality. It will help us all to become more and more like Jesus, the world greatest disciple maker.