The Lost Value: Building a Culture of Intentional Discipleship
Nearly three years ago, when our church was just beginning, we established six core values to guide our ministry: Gospel Centrality, Biblical Authority, Christlike Humility, Radical Hospitality, Spirit Empowerment, and Transformative Work. But there was a seventh value that didn’t make the final cut—one I’ve come to realize is essential to our church’s health: Intentional Discipleship.
What is Discipleship?
Jesus’s final command to His followers in Matthew 28:18-20 makes our mission clear:
“All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
A disciple is simply someone who knows and follows Jesus and helps others do the same. Discipleship involves both calling people who don’t follow Jesus to follow Him and helping existing believers grow deeper in their relationship with Him.
The Professional Discipler Myth
One reason discipleship often falters in churches is the mistaken belief that it’s primarily the job of pastors or “discipleship professionals.”
This mirrors one of the core disagreements of the Protestant Reformation—the doctrine of the “Priesthood of All Believers.” The reformers challenged the notion that only special, ordained people could help others know God.
But through Jesus Christ, we all have direct access to God. Jesus tore down the veil, allowing all believers to know God—and help others know Him too!
Yet we often drift back toward “superstar Christianity,” where we rely on gifted speakers and leaders to do the discipling work for us. While I wholeheartedly believe in church leadership, making disciples isn’t just my job as your pastor—it’s the calling of every single Christian.
Five Principles for Building a Culture of Discipleship
Your Primary Role is to Make Disciples
If someone asks what you do at our church, your answer should be: “I help make disciples.” Whatever specific role you might serve in—greeter, worship team, children’s ministry—these are all important, but only insofar as they contribute to our collective mission of making disciples.
Like firefighters with different roles who all ultimately fight fires, we each have different functions that serve one purpose: making disciples of Jesus.
There Are No “Yodas” Here
In discipleship, there are no master disciplers. Jesus is the master, and we’re all following Him together. At best, we can echo Paul’s words: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Discipleship isn’t linear but circular—we all disciple one another as we grow closer to Jesus. None of us, including me as your pastor, have “arrived.” We’re all in the middle of our sanctification journey!
Discipleship is More Relational Than Informational
Many hesitate to disciple others because they don’t feel theologically equipped. And while content matters, even more important is your willingness to share your life with others. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: “We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives” (1 Thessalonians 2:8).
Everyone Has Something to Offer
God has been working through the peaks and valleys of your life, teaching you valuable lessons that can help others. Your experiences—both successes and failures—equip you to disciple others in unique ways.
Discipleship Must Be Intentional
If we aren’t intentional about creating a culture where everyone disciples others, we’ll naturally drift back to letting a few special people do it. We must fight this drift by deliberately embracing our role as disciple-makers!
Next Steps
I challenge you to reflect on two questions:
- How are you growing as a disciple?
- How are you making disciples?
My goal is for every member of our church to be in some form of discipleship relationship.
- For many, our discipleship groups provide the most effective environment for growth—a small group of 3-5 same-gender believers meeting regularly to pray, study Scripture, and share life.
- Whatever form it takes, discipleship shouldn’t end at church—but our church should be the greenhouse where discipleship flourishes.
- As we embrace this “lost value” of Intentional Discipleship, we’ll see our church grow not just in numbers, but in spiritual health and maturity.