Looking back on nearly four decades of ministry, I can identify all kinds of times and ways the Church missed the mark. It’s not so much about being critical as it is about being honest. Any outspoken pastor can point out times when things in ministry did not go as they should have. And of course, I have experienced many failures in my ministry along the way.
Over the past five years, my wife Sherry and I have dedicated ourselves to identifying and working to correct what we would call a huge failure. This epic failure has become common in churches and costs more than we think.
Somehow the Church has come to view discipleship and evangelism as disconnected. Or, more insidious still, as rivals or enemies. Too many pastors devote themselves to the work of discipling church members and helping them grow spiritually, but see no connection to mobilizing believers for the work of the Great Commission.
Red flags
Picture this: a follower of Jesus who is dedicated to prayer, studying the scriptures, attending church, giving, and even serving, but who is not committed to reaching lost people with good news from the Savior. They’re all about growth in Jesus but are not engaged in going with Jesus in his mission.
In local churches, this dangerous dichotomy occurs when people have many opportunities to become disciples, but little or nothing happens that mobilizes Christians to share their faith. You would think the same problem exists in a church obsessed with evangelism, with dozens of ministries reaching the lost but very little geared toward the spiritual growth of believers. But I’ve never seen a single example of this. Churches are almost exclusively focused on discipleship, and many engage in almost no engagement in sharing the gospel with the lost people in their community.
A massive wake-up call in the denominational world occurs when there is a clear separation between discipleship and evangelism. In many denominations, the discipleship department is completely separated from the work of missions, evangelism, and church planting. There is a very real chasm between calling Jesus’ people to grow in faith and teaching them to share that faith with others.
Perhaps these are different divisions or departments with different leaders and teams. There may be competition for attention, promotion and resources. Rather than working in harmony, there can be resentment. Some denominations seek to overcome this dichotomy by placing the same person in charge of both evangelism and discipleship. Too often, this means a staff member devotes about 95% of their time and energy to discipleship and throws the remainder away at evangelism.
Think about your life, your church, and your denomination (or the churches you network with). Is there a separation between discipleship and evangelism?
The solutions)
We urgently need to bring evangelism and discipleship together again. Believers, church leaders, and denominational staff must make finding solutions to this dangerous failure a priority. Here are some suggestions from our study of this topic over the past five years.
1. Biblical theology
As Jesus was about to return to heavenly glory, he entrusted us with the Great Commission. The call was very clear: reach people who do not yet believe in Him, then baptize those people and connect them into the family of faith. But that was only the beginning. Then we must teach these people all the truth revealed by Jesus and help them live it. Draw people to Jesus (evangelism). Help people grow in this faith (discipleship). They are two sides of the same coin.
2. Philosophy of ministry
If God designed evangelism and discipleship to work in perfect union, we must follow His plan. Local churches should combine their efforts to grow believers and reach the lost. We need to make sure there is a strong commitment to helping people to grow in Jesus and go with Jesus on mission. Our path of discipleship should always lead to the world.
Every discipleship ministry should help Christians draw closer to both Jesus and the world he came to save. And every outreach ministry should help new believers grow in Christ. Evangelism and discipleship are inextricably linked to each other, and this will shape the way we minister and live our lives.
3. Practical structures
At the church I pastor and serve, we focus on a series of biblical markers of spiritual maturity. Everyone has the goal of growing in Jesus to the point where they can then accompany Jesus in his mission. We work hard to ensure we never divide discipleship and evangelism. Here’s a quick primer on how they can connect naturally.
• Biblical commitment. When we read the Bible, we hear the story of God’s love and redemptive work to save the lost sheep, and our hearts begin to beat with His. In the Bible we hear the call to share our faith and love the lost as our Savior. The deeper we delve into God’s Word, the more captivated we should be by His call to shine His light and convey His message to the world.
• Passionate prayer. When we pray like Jesus, we ask God to send workers into his mission field (Matt. 9:35-37), and that includes us. When we pray like Jesus, we find ourselves praying for the lost people around us who need what only the Savior can give. Prayer leads to awareness.
• Unreserved worship. When we worship God in the community of His people, the very presence of the Spirit of God appears. When a non-believer witnesses authentic worship, they discover that we are not playing church but we are meeting God. They see that we really believe what we say we believe and that we have a relationship with our God. This opens the door to spiritual conversations.
• Humble service. In a self-centered world, acts of humble service reveal the presence of Jesus. When we serve others as Jesus would, they see the Savior in our lives and actions. When non-believers ask us, “Why?” we can point to the One who served and loved us while we were still enemies of God. Service opens the door to the Gospel.
• Joyful generosity. If you want to get the attention of people who live in a selfish culture, just be generous and keep a smile on your face. When a Christian shares what he has with spiritually disconnected people, he becomes curious. When unbelievers see kindness expressed in a generous spirit, Jesus is near and the gospel can be shared.
• Cohesive community. It was Jesus who said that the world will know that we are His people by how we love one another (John 13:34-35). When believers engage in community within the Church and with other Christians, we bring light to this dark world. When we grow in community with one another, we create a place where spiritually hungry people want to be.
It is time we recognize that discipleship will always lead Christ’s followers toward the mission of Jesus. The closer we follow our Savior, the more we walk in the world. Growing in Jesus should always mean that we accompany him wherever he goes.