The #1 Reason You’re Not Making Disciples
How are you doing at making disciples?
WELCOME to The Seedhead from Alex and Hannah at Dandelion Resourcing - a weekly confidence booster to help you step into naturally supernatural discipleship and mission!
This week we’re facing the reality that most of us struggle to make disciples - and the numbers are even worse among those we lead.
Why is this so?
Is there any hope?
Can we change this without falling into the twin ditches of legalism or despair?
Let's find out!
There are all sorts of causes and underlying reasons, but we’d propose that the #1 reason you’re not making disciples is because you don’t have a clear understanding of what a disciple is.
That matters because if you don’t know exactly what you’re aiming at, it’s very hard to hit it!
Information overload
Into that space of confusion, we in the Western church have poured tons of content. This is because our Western model of discipleship is far more about information than it is about imitation.
For most churches, the solution to every discipleship problem seems to be, let’s give ‘em some more teaching!
The information download model feels safe for many leaders because it doesn’t require a depth of relational connection, with the risk of being seen for who you truly are.
Couple that with crazy busyness, as well as a lack of intentionality, and that’s a toxic recipe for a low-discipleship church.
Information overload + busyness + low-intentionality = low discipleship
The other great problem with a discipleship-as-information approach is that it intimidates most people out of even trying to make disciples, because they think they don’t know enough to even start discipling! If your model of a good discipler is Bible Answer Man, you’re not going to be terribly effective in recruiting lots of people to invest in and disciple others.
Thus the #1 reason you’re not making disciples is because you don’t have a clear understanding of what a disciple is, as demonstrated in making it difficult to do and lacking in transferable simplicity.
What's a disciple?
The Greek word for disciple in the New Testament is mathetes, which means 'learner' or 'apprentice'.
Thus we are to become ones who are apprenticed by and learn from Jesus.
The irreducible minimum of being a disciple is choosing to hear and obey Jesus.
This leads to the two great questions of discipleship:
What is Jesus saying?
How am I responding?
Together these form the universal skeleton key for any situation. They work 1-1, in a small group, in a passing relationship, or when applying a sermon.
Sometimes the challenge is discerning what Jesus is saying. Other times we know full well what He wants us to be or do, and the challenge for us is to respond in obedience and faith!
Naturally supernatural discipleship
Baked into both these questions is the recognition that we are deeply reliant on the Holy Spirit.
Without the gifts He gives, how can we know what Jesus is saying?
And likewise, the Spirit is the empowerer of the transformative process in our lives (otherwise we just create yet another works-religion).
Usually people test out this definition in one or two areas of their lives, and as it proves a good strategy, they gradually release it across the board. Of course, for each of us there will be particular areas where we’re most vulnerable, wounded, and/or stubborn, but the principle still applies - even if it becomes a lifelong journey to Christlikeness in that area.
To reiterate, the #1 reason you’re not making disciples is because you don’t have a clear understanding of what a disciple is.
Once you DO, this will be seen in a simple definition of disciple that is universally applicable. And we would suggest that if your definition can’t be meaningfully understood and implemented by a group of 7 year olds, you’re making discipleship too complicated (and likely too knowledge-based).
Here's a video version of this training...
Reflect and Act
Do you have a simple, clear, easy to share definition of what it means to be a disciple in your church/ group/ ministry?
If you don’t have this definition, or your current one needs a refresh, try crafting a new one. If you want, feel free to steal our language and tweak it to suit your context!
Consider whether your disciple-making leans more into downloading information over inviting imitation.
What do you need to change in how you invest into others in order to let them come alongside and learn how to follow Jesus from watching your life?
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SEEDING SESSION #1 - The 3 Circles of a Kingdom Culture
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October 11 (Wednesday) - 12pm EST/ 9am PST
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