Creating a Discipleship Culture

Mike Breen believes the missional movement will fail. Why? Because we don’t have a missional problem or a leadership problem in the Western church. We have a discipleship problem.

In his new book Building a Discipling Culture he argues that most American pastors have been educated and trained to build, serve and lead the organization of the church. But most have never actually been trained on how to make disciples. So we can grow our volunteer base, form systems and organizational structures and preach sermons on Sunday mornings but never actually create disciples.

Many of us serve in or lead churches where we have hundreds or even thousands of people showing up on Sunday. But we have to honestly answer this question: Do their lives look like the lives of the people we see in Scripture? Are we just good at getting people together once a week and maybe into a small group, or are we actually good at producing the types of people we read about in the New Testament? Have we shifted our criteria for a good disciple as someone who shows up to our stuff, gives money and occasionally feeds poor people? 

Here is the problem: You don’t build churches in order to make disciples; you make disciples and get the church.

In fact, Jesus never called us to build his church. Jesus said, “I will build my church.”  Our job, and the last instructions he gave us, was to make disciples. It is out of this we will get the church. If you make disciples, you always get the church. But if you make a church, you rarely get disciples.

But no one accidentally creates disciples. Discipleship is an intentional pursuit. Dallas Willard says every church should be able to answer two questions: First, what is our plan for making disciples? Second, does our plan work? 

Disciples are people who learn to be like Jesus and learn to do what Jesus could do. Breen argues that this involves both Character and Competency. We need the character that Jesus has and we need to be able to do the things that Jesus could do. Discipleship is learning, over the course of our lives, to become people who have both. If we produce disciples who have one without the other they will either have limited impact or cause unlimited harm.

Character: Are their lives characterized by grace? Peace? Love? Transformation? Patience? Humility? A deep relationship with the Father? A love of the scriptures? Can they submit?  Do they see the world through the eyes of the Kingdom and not the prevailing culture? 

Competency: Can they disciple people well who can then disciple others? Can they do mission well? Can they hear the voice of their Father and respond with action, with His authority and power? When they pray, do things happen as they did for Jesus? Can they read and teach scripture well? 

But here is the deal: In order for this kind of learning to take place discipleship must be more than just a plan or a strategy or a system. Disciple making must become a part of the church’s culture. People who are not only learning about the reality of the Kingdom of God (competency) but who are being shown how to live in that new reality (character) by immersing themselves in the culture of the church.

The sermons might be great.
The music could be incredible.
The website is beautiful.
The newcomer assimilation system is second-to-none.
But if the culture, language and rhythms of the church do not reflect the life and ministry of Jesus, the church will fail to produce disciples.

Discipleship is creating a new culture.

Comments

[Mike Wagner]

Sounds like we've gone full circle...again. When I graduated from Dallas Seminary in 1981 the subject most frequently talked about was disciple-making.

Thanks for the post Paul. Good to get your take on things...as always.

We still need to visit over coffee about the Keller/Clowney class on preaching to post-modern society.

Keep creating...with kindness,
Mike

[Kate]

I love this post, Paul. This is deeply on my heart as well, though as a woman, I feel the need for there to be clear teaching in the church about discipleship, and leaders who model it for the men as well as for the women. What do you think are some practical ways that men and women can live this out, right now, at Gateway?
Also, you talked about character in some general terms, but do you have any key disciplines that you believe a person needs to truly be choosing to implement in their own lives before they start "discipling" others? This may look different for different people, but are there any disciplines that are pretty essential to anyone who wishes to follow Jesus and make disciples for Him?

I was also very intrigued when you said, "what is the church's plan for making disciples?" So I wondered, what is this plan for Gateway?
Thanks!