Reaching out Is Making Disciples

All Christians are called to get involved in the Great Commission of making disciples. We must discard the errors of the past and begin to be a church responsible for discipling new brothers and sisters in the faith.

Making disciples of Christ is the central mission of the Church and the purpose of its existence. However, we observe that many churches do not grow, or what is worse, each year they see their attendance and membership decrease. What is the problem? Why don’t all churches grow naturally? One of the common causes that we can find is that they do not have an intentional plan or strategy to multiply disciples. These churches are confused about the purpose of their existence, and many of them invest a lot of time, effort and money into activities that are not producing disciples for Christ.

The characteristics of a church that is not discipling or making disciples are the following:

1. Decreasing, stagnating, or slow growth in membership.

2. Lack of growth, maturity and holiness of life of the members.

3. Little involvement of the congregation in ministries inside and outside the local church.

4. Teachers and leaders teach the Word but have little involvement in the lives of their students during the rest of the week. This practice is very different from the times of the Early Church: teacher and disciple were inseparable. A disciple was above all a “teacher of life,” one who transmitted the life of Christ.

5. There is little connection between the biblical teaching given and the daily lives of members. The teachers understand that their responsibility is to teach the Bible lesson as it comes in the study book, but there is little reflection, application to life, little relationship with the questions and concerns of the attendees.

We need to take up the principles of the biblical and Wesleyan model of making disciples and apply them to the missional strategy of our churches.

The biblical passages that are considered of greatest importance regarding the function delegated by Jesus Christ to his Church as the trainer and reproducer of disciples are three:

1. The Great Commission: Matthew 28:18-20.

2. The Great Commandment: Matthew 22:37-39.

3. Mission as “bearing fruit”: John 15:1-17.

As we see in these passages, making disciples for Jesus is the purpose of the existence of the Church of Christ on this earth. Jesus does not call us to sit idly by. He does not call us to guard salvation as a personal treasure. The Word of God says that we are debtors. When you have a debt, you have a responsibility. In the same way, the disciples of Jesus have a burden, an assignment, a task: To make disciples of Christ in all the families of the earth.

All sons and daughters of God are called to play an important role in this task, helping someone, somewhere in the world, to be discipled. Many of us are already contributing through our prayers and offerings. But there is something else we can do...

1. You can make the decision to be a disciple committed to the lifestyle of Christ, seeking every day to be more like Him, letting Christ possess you, take over your entire being, use your life and continue his ministry in this world through you.

2. You can get involved in making disciples for Christ in your community, helping other people to be like Him, teaching them to put their lives at the service of the Lord.

The Great Commission from Jesus to His Church has not changed. Reproducing Christlike disciples is our reason for existing as the people of God. Making disciples is the lifestyle that all Christians are called to. God calls us all today. He keeps telling us: “Come, follow me” (Mark 2:14). The call of the Lord is a call for all of life; it is a call for all people. But let us not forget the challenge that follows this invitation: He wants us to engage in the task of discipleship.

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Adapted from Chapter 1 in the book Current Discipleship Strategies developed by the Mesoamerica Region.