As Alabama Baptist embark on a year focused on making disciples, “Through Every Door… Making Disciples,” Christian researches and author George Barna says the task will not be easy.
Effective discipleship is “one of the most daunting challenges facing the church today,” Barna said, noting the church has missed “the incredible significance of a life devoted to discipleship.”
“The church is not making much progress here and it’s not getting better because we’ve become comfortable with what we’re doing,” he said. “We’ve turned it into programs and activities.”
Barna said true discipleship “is effective in transforming people’s lives and that’s our ultimate goal here.” He added, however, “I don’t think we’ve taken this seriously enough.”
Warning that “everything in our culture today, morally speaking, is up for grabs,” Barna said studies indicate “the differences between Christians and non-Christians is minimal because we act so much like the world. What this boils down to is a discipleship issue.”
Churches “ought to be doing something deeper that helps people understand what it means to be a Christian in the 21st century,” Barna said.
Effective discipleship can be measured, Barna said, by examining members’ involvement in such areas as worship, evangelism, stewardship, service and personal witness to the world.
He said obstacles the keep churches from seeing greater success in discipleship development include:
No measurable definition of success in the area of discipleship.
A focus on transmitting knowledge more than developing character.
Teaching that is random rather than systematic.
Limited accountability for members’ spiritual growth.
Church leaders who are not zealous disciple-makers.
He said keys to effective discipleship include such factors as a clear definition of discipleship, measurable goals, ongoing spiritual self-assessment and widespread participation in intense discipleship opportunities.
“Do you have a model where people’s lives are changing?” Barna asked. “What kind of church do you want to have? We’re past the time of having any excuses.”
(ABP)
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