The mission of the church is simple: “Make disciples” (Matt. 28:19). Unfortunately, the discipleship process in many churches is anything but simple. How do you know if your church’s discipleship process matches the simplicity of its mission? Ask yourself the following four questions:
- Is my church’s discipleship process clearly stated and understood by all?
- Does it channel movement along a trajectory from unbelief toward mature belief?
- Are the church’s programs aligned with this process?
- Is the church focused enough on its process to eliminate programs that don’t align with it?
If you can answer yes to each of these questions, then your church has a simple discipleship process.
If not, then you should read Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger’s Simple Church: Returning to God’s Process for Making Disciples. Using biblical teaching, true-life stories, and statistical analysis, the book shows the connection between the vibrancy of a church and the simplicity of its discipleship process. Rainer and Geiger drive home the importance of four basic concepts: clarity, movement, alignment, and focus. And they provide concrete suggestions for using these concepts to design and evaluate effective church programs.
As a new senior pastor, I found Simple Church to be very helpful for diagnosing what is and is not working at my church, and why. As I work with my church’s leaders to develop a new discipleship process, I will undoubtedly return to Simple Church regularly for good advice.
GeorgePWood.com 