Sharpen your Disciple Making Process

Four findings recently surfaced from the National Study on Disciple Making in USA Churches: High Aspirations Amidst Disappointing Results. From my experience, these four findings can also be applied to Australian Churches.

  • Fewer than 5% of churches have a reproducing disciple making culture. They are a model for other churches. But, at the same time, in light of the truth that disciple making is the core mission of the church, the study found a disappointingly low percentage of churches with a culture of and strategy for reproducing disciples and disciple makers.
  • There is an absence of churches reflecting viral-like disciple making movements. We did not find in the established churches that were interviewed disciple making movement churches. These viral-like disciple making churches reflect a special movement of the Holy Spirit as they rapidly multiply disciples and disciple makers. These churches do exist but are not common in the west.
  • Lack of commonly understood definitions. There is not a clear, compelling and commonly understood set of basic definitions for terms such as discipleship, disciple, and disciple making. This makes it very difficult to assess effectiveness within local churches and within the broader church community.
  • Overestimating Impact. Church leaders are overly optimistic in their assessment of the disciple-making cultures present in their churches, and frequently overrate their effectiveness in discipleship and disciple making.

If you lead one of the churches within that 5%, then your ministry is exceptional – well done!  You can read the report in it’s entirety – CLICK HERE.

My friend and associate in the States Dr. Gary B. Reinecke developed ‘7 Questions to sharpen your Disciple Making Process’

Reflection Questions:

  • What was your personal discipleship journey like?
  • What “steps” of your journey have been repeated by others, through your ministry?
  • When you consider the essential steps a disciple takes, what steps are missing from the list you created above?
  • What steps does your church do well?

Planning Questions:

  • Which steps could your church improve on?
  • What one step can you focus on now?
  • What one action you can take to enhance that step?

Of course, these questions are just a first step.  But, when taken seriously, alongside consistently monitoring the progress, you can create a “reproducing disciple making culture”.  It is within reach.  You can move the needle in the right direction. 

It is mind-boggling to think that although the primary mission of the church is to make disciples; less than 5% of our churches “have a reproducing disciple making culture”.  Through the hard work of capable disciplemakers, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can do better than that!  Wouldn’t you agree?

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