Jesus was clear: “Go and make disciples…” From the Scriptures, it’s also clear that disciples are “self-initiating, reproducing, fully devoted followers of Christ.”
Why then is there such a low level of discipleship in churches and ministries today? If “transforming discipleship and multiplying leadership” are clear marks of culture-changing movements, it’s no surprise that such movements will not take place apart from true discipleship and intentional leadership development.
Greg Odgen, in his book, Transforming Discipleship suggests eight causes for why we see so little true discipleship. Use these causes to evaluate your own efforts at building “movements of multiplying disciples.”
Cause 1: We fail to equip the saints–opting often for just caring for one another. Pastors and other leaders assume caregiving duties rather than equipping the saints to minister. The good becomes the enemy of the best.
Cause 2: We try to make disciples through programs. Disciples are made in “iron sharpens iron” intentional relationships, not in structured programs. Since individual, personal investment is costly and time-intensive, we put programs in place. But programs are illusionary–little life change is happening.
Cause 3: We reduce the Christian life to the eternal benefits we get from Jesus rather than living as students of Jesus. We’ve opted for a Christianity of tips and techniques rather than for a vibrant relationship and adventure with Jesus.
Cause 4: We make discipleship for Super-Christians, not ordinary believers. Somehow we accepted a non-Biblical, two-tiered understanding of discipleship–for example, based on a level of commitment. The Scriptures don’t allow for two classes of followers: the ordinary and the extra-ordinary. Jesus’ starting point is “if any want to become my followers.”
Cause 5: We are unwilling to call people to discipleship. We lower the bar and try to entice people to greater commitments. Jesus raised the bar and called people to join the greatest enterprise on the planet–God’s rescue mission through the church.
Cause 6: We have an inadequate view of the church. Church is optional, not a requirement. Our privatized faith undermines the tight-knit community of disciples who need each other.
Cause 7: We have no thought-through pathway to maturity. Churches opt for programs rather than a purpose-driven clearly defined process. (Larry Osborne’s excellent book, The Contrarian’s Guide to Knowing God, has challenged my commitment to this principle. Still processing.)
Cause 8: We have ourselves not been personally discipled. Few of us have been in accountable relationships over a period of time in which we pursued together a process toward spiritual maturity in Christ.
It has always been my assumption that the goal of leadership is not to produce more followers but to produce more leaders.–Ralph Nader